Suspect sought, four arrested after string of catalytic converter thefts

Winnipeg police are searching for a man wanted in a rash of catalytic converter thefts that caught the attention of investigators in the spring. The Winnipeg Police Service issued a [...]

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After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks. Winnipeg police are searching for a man wanted in a rash of catalytic converter thefts that caught the attention of investigators in the spring. The Winnipeg Police Service issued a news release Friday, asking for the public’s help locating 43-year-old Jay Heckert, who is wanted on a warrant for theft under $5,000, mischief under $5,000 and failing to attend.

He is believed to be part of a group of people accused of stealing 13 catalytic converters and causing an estimated $20,000 in damages between April 26 and June 8. Police said investigators used video surveillance to link the suspects to the incidents, which affected vehicles in parking lots and streets across the city. Using video surveillance, police identified several suspects.

Four people have since been arrested. Among the accused is 44-year-old Tyrel Martin, who is charged with four counts each of theft under $5,000 and mischief under $5,000. Another suspect, a 36-year-old man who was not identified, is charged with seven counts each of theft under $5,000 and mischief under $5,000.

A 51-year-old woman and 48-year-old man are each facing one charge of theft under $5,000, police said. They were not identified. The crimes are alleged to have occurred at the following dates and locations: - April 26 in a parking lot on Wilmot Place - April 26 in the 300 block of Wardlaw Avenue - May 7 in a parking lot on the 1500 block of Regent Avenue East - May 23 in the 500 block of River Avenue - May 24 in the 600 block of McMeans Avenue East - May 25 in the 400 block of Leila Avenue - May 26 in a secure lot in the 1400 block of Saskatchewan Avenue - May 27 in the 1-99 block of Myrtle Street - May 27 in a parking lot in the 1800 block of Portage Avenue - May 27 in the 600 block of Academy Road - June 1 in a parking lot in the 1400 block of Saskatchewan Avenue - June 3 in the 300 block of Marion Street - June 8 in the 1700 block of Henderson Highway Anybody with information on the whereabouts of Heckert is asked to contact investigators at 204-986-2426, or report a tip anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 or online at winnipegcrimestoppers.org. tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.

Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism.

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