Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Catalytic Converters from Merck, North Montco Tech Parking Lots

Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now•

A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to probation for stealing catalytic converters from vehicles in Towamencin, Upper Gwynedd, Lower Gwynedd, and other areas.

Tyere Williams, 25, was sentenced to two years’ probation last week after pleading guilty to a pair of felony counts of theft of secondary metal. Additional charges of receiving stolen property, theft from a motor vehicle, theft by unlawful taking, criminal mischief, and evading arrest were dropped in exchange for Williams’ plea, court records show.

Williams was also ordered to provide 50 hours of community service over the next two years.

The investigation began in September 2022 when Upper Gwynedd Police received a report of a catalytic converter theft in progress at the Merck Gate Five parking lot. The suspects fled prior to police arrival, however multiple witnesses on scene reported seeing three black males and one black female wearing masks and dark clothing removing the catalytic converter from a silver Honda Accord, then placing it in the trunk of a green Dodge Charger and fleeing the area via West Point Pike, according to charging documents.

Less than an hour later, the vehicle was spotted in the North Montco parking lot as the same suspects were observed on surveillance checking underneath a Nissan and several other vehicles, police said. The suspects then left the scene without taking anything, police said.

A short time later, the suspects were spotted again in Upper Dublin Township, as they were allegedly attempting to steal the catalytic converter from a Toyota Prius along the 100 block of Commerce Drive. A witness, however, interrupted the theft, which caused the suspects to lower the Prius and flee the scene without taking the converter, police said.

Investigators traced the vehicle to an address in Philadelphia and determined the owner had rented the Dodge Charger via a car sharing app called Turo. Police then obtained records from Turo via a search warrant, which identified the person who rented the vehicle.

In December 2022, police spoke with the man who rented the vehicle, who stated he had helped his friend — identified as Williams — rent the vehicle for his rap music video, the complaint states. The man said he was at the pickup and drop off locations, but Williams had sole use of the vehicle during the three-day rental period, according to police.

The man denied any involvement in the thefts and provided investigators with Williams’ contact information. Investigators then used cell phone location information to place Williams at the scenes of the successful and attempted thefts, according to the complaint.

The other suspects are not identified in the complaint.

Court records show charges stemming from the incidents in Upper Gwynedd and Towamencin townships were consolidated into the Lower Gwynedd Police investigation.