New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
“New Bedford patrol officers have brought charges forward on three individuals suspected of catalytic converter theft following a late-night call.
On December 3rd, shortly after midnight, north-end patrol officers responded to 90 Riverside Ave. on reports of a male looking into and under automobiles with a flashlight.
Upon arrival, an auto containing three occupants was located in the parking lot. Seated inside the vehicle was Mr. LUIS MIGUEL SANTIAGO, 24, of 1387 Pleasant St. SANTIAGO matched the description of the suspect who had been looking under vehicles.
Another occupant, Mr. CRISTIAN OMAR RESTO ALEJANDRO, 25, of 492 N. Front St., was found to have an active warrant for his arrest. The operator of the vehicle was identified as Ms. QUIRIAM YEILEEN RESTO ALEJANDRO, 22, of 276 Dartmouth St.
After searching the vehicle, the officers located a reciprocating saw with a built-in flashlight. This tool can effectively be used to remove catalytic converters from vehicles in the dark. Upon further investigation, a parked auto was located a very short distance away that had damage to its catalytic converter.
LUIS and CRISTIAN were both taken into custody, and charges will be sought on QUIRIAM for her role in the incident.
All three parties are being charged with possession of the burglarious tool (the saw) and stealing parts from a motor vehicle.
“The theft of catalytic converters can be frustrating for police to deal with given the fact that the suspects normally move very quickly under the cover of darkness. It takes witnesses who are willing to call us when they see something suspicious, alert patrol officers who respond quickly, and even a little bit of luck. We were fortunate in this instance to have all three. I’m very happy to see these suspects charged.” said Chief Paul Oliveira.
The investigating patrol officer was Taylor Souza.
If you have any information on criminal activity in your neighborhood, the New Bedford
Police Dept. wants to hear from you. You can leave an anonymous tip on our voicemail at (508) 991-6300 Ext. 1. You can also leave a tip at our website, www.newbedfordpd.com” -New Bedford Police Department.
