Tempe police arrested a man suspected of stealing a lot of catalytic converters in Tempe, while Phoenix and Mesa police said the numbers of such thefts increased when compared to last year.

Detectives from the Tempe Police Department Special Investigations Bureau arrested Justin Dunkins, 40, of Scottsdale, at his residence on March 9 after investigating a series of catalytic converter thefts that occurred in Tempe and throughout the valley, according to a statement released by the Tempe Police Department.

According to the police statement, crime data indicated a spike in the number of catalytic converter thefts in Tempe last September. When asked, police did not have the data available. 

Last December, the Tempe Police Department’s Tactical Response Unit developed information that Dunkins may be heavily involved in several catalytic converter thefts in the city, according to the authorities.

Detectives arrested Dunkins and located evidence related to the thefts at Dunkins’ residence on March 9, the statement said.

Additional investigation revealed that Dunkins was stealing between six to 20 catalytic converters a week, the police said. 

The investigation remains ongoing to include additional criminal activity throughout the valley, according to the statement.

Number of thefts grows in Phoenix, Mesa

The number of catalytic converter thefts in Phoenix and Mesa also is growing compared to last year, according to police officials. 

In Phoenix, there were 259 thefts of catalytic converters in January, which is an increase from last year, according to the Phoenix Police Department. Police officials did not have the exact number for January 2020. 

The Mesa Police Department had 142 thefts containing the keyword “catalytic converter” between January 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021, according to the Mesa Police Department. The data shows that the number of thefts just during February, 47, increased by 3.6 times compared with the 13 in February last year.

The Phoenix Police Department recommended people park their vehicles in garages, fenced yards, or well-lit areas, a Phoenix Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Ann Justus said in an email to the Republic.

As always, we remind our community, “if you see something, say something” by calling the police if they see suspicious activity, Justus said.

People who have any additional information regarding the crime trend or the suspect Justin Dunkins are encouraged to contact local law enforcement or the Tempe Police Department, the statement said.

‘Pretty devastating’: thefts impact people’s lives

Taylor Marshall, who lived in the University Heights neighborhood of Tempe, had her catalytic converter stolen last September after she was being laid off from all her three jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

She used to park her car in front of her apartment, but she became paranoid and decided to park in the back of the apartment, where she can see her car through her bedroom window, after the incident.

“I remember like getting up at 12 to like…look…to make sure nobody was gonna steal my catalytic converter again,” Marshall said. It took her a couple of weeks until she finally felt comfortable enough to not have to get up every couple of hours in the night to check.

At that time, Marshall was a full-time student doing an unpaid internship in a museum. She had to use a really big chunk of her savings to pay for this repair, Marshall said.

“That was pretty devastating to me because I only have liability (insurance),” Marshall said. Her insurance didn’t cover the vandalism.

Marshall spent around $1,000 to repair her Toyota Prius. She set up a GoFundMe page and raised $420 to partially cover the repairs.

Marshall learned after searching for relevant news on the internet that the catalytic converter thieves are targeting Toyota Prius because of a type of metal in the converter that’s worth more money, she said.

Check out: Catalytic converter thieves targeting specific car model nationwide

Marshall called Toyota to ask if the company can help install a cat shield, which will protect her catalytic converter from being stolen again, but the company didn’t install one for her.

“Toyota does not have any policy to help people. I…and I think it’s really really wrong because they know that this is an issue,” Marshall said. She ended up spending an another $100 to buy and install a cat shield, in addition to the repairs.

Toyota Motor North America described catalytic converter theft as “an industry-wide challenge” and said “the Prius is just as much at risk as any other vehicle,” in an email response to the Republic’s inquiry.

The company reminded drivers to follow the basics to protect their vehicles against theft, such as parking as close to entrances as possible in well-lit areas, Toyota’s spokesperson Nathan Kokes wrote in the email.

“While not the solution to the problem as a whole, taking preventative measures like smart parking and adding the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to the catalytic converter can help protect drivers from theft,” Kokes wrote.

Nate Haag, a Phoenix resident living in Willo Historic District and also a Toyota Prius owner, had his catalytic converter stolen at the beginning of February.

He parked his car on the street.

Haag said his neighbor told him the thieves had hit the whole neighborhood and a bunch of cars also had the catalytic converter stolen.

Haag’s auto mechanic as well told him the thieves “go neighborhood by neighborhood.”

“These people hit a lot of cars so they impacted a lot of people’s lives,” Haag told the Republic. While the $1,000 repair fee isn’t a big deal to him, it might be for others who can’t afford the repairs.

Reach breaking news reporter Peiyu Lin at [email protected] or on Twitter @peiyulintw.

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