AUSTIN – The Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee will consider proposing catalytic converter theft a felony.
State Sen. John Whitmire of Houston chairs the committee and was tasked by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to look at the state’s laws around the exhaust emission control device after an off-duty Harris County sheriff’s deputy was killed last year.
“Let me emphasize the danger of it,” Whitmire said. “Not only is it inconvenient in the cost, but they will shoot you if you come upon them as we know with Deputy (Darren) Almendarez. The scary thing is if you come on these thieves, they’re usually armed.”
Deputy Almendarez, 51, was with his wife at a grocery store located at 2929 FM 1960 at Aldine Westfield when authorities said three suspects were outside attempting to steal the deputy’s catalytic converter when the incident began. Investigators said Almendarez attempted to stop the suspects before they exchanged gunfire. The deputy returned fire but was ultimately struck by a bullet, HCSO said. The incident took place in front of his wife.
The suspects, Joshua Stewart, Fredarius Clark, and Fredrick Tardy, all remain in jail and were charged with capital murder.
“It’s dangerous. It’s’ costly. It’s inconvenient. And this criminal element is probably not reserved for these catalytic converters,” said Whitmire. “That’s an enterprise and it’s a national enterprise.”
The state senator said they plan to look at a new ordinance Houston city council passed as a framework.
“The technical part of the current law is you have to have documentation that someone filed a complaint that their CC was stolen, and you’ve got to tie it to the ones that the outlaws have. Now, no, no, no, the burden is on them to prove that they’re not a thief. That should go a long way towards prosecution,” he said.
A Houston police official told KPRC 2′s Rilwan Balogun entering the final month of 2022 that catalytic converter theft was heading downward for the previous four months.
According to HPD data, heading into December of 2022, there were a total of 8,969 reported thefts. Compared to all of 2021 with 7,822 reports.
“It takes two minutes to steal a catalytic converter. If you are caught, you go to court and you’re released too soon,” Whitmire said. “So, we need accountability on those that are caught but we need some preventive measures.”
HPD: Catalytic Converter thefts down for first time in 2 years
