Rochester Catalytic Converter Thefts - 2 Twin Cities Men Charged

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Charges have been filed against two Twin Cities men accused of visiting Rochester about a year ago to steal catalytic converters.

The criminal complaints filed in Olmsted County Court against 36-year-old Nay Thar of St. Paul and 24-year-old David Htoo of North St. Paul list three felony counts and a gross misdemeanor charge against each man, including aiding and abetting the theft, possession of theft tools, and criminal damage to property. Both men are scheduled to make their first court appearance next month.

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The charges stem from a traffic stop in Rochester on February 4, 2023, that was initiated by a Rochester Police Officer who spotted a car matching the description of a vehicle provided by a man who had called 911 earlier in the day and reported chasing away people attempting to steal a catalytic converter. The criminal complaint says the officer spotted a reciprocating saw on the front seat floorboard and a floor jack on the rear seat floorboard. The court document also says a white powdery substance was observed on the driver's front seat.

TSM photo by Aaron Galloway. Stock image

Those observations led to a search of the car, which resulted in the discovery of five cut-off catalytic converters and 13 Sawsall blades. Re-complaint says the search also yielded a vacuum cleaner in a box with the shipping label which had been reported stolen from a front porch.

The court document includes statements made by Thar to investigators during which he stated that he had taken a couple of "tubes" off of cars in Rochester. Thar told investigators they were planning to return to St. Paul and sell the catalytic converters the same day and was told that he would get $200 to $300.

Htoo and Thar Criminal Complaint - Olmsted County Court

The criminal complaint indicates one of the recovered catalytic converters was matched up with one that was stolen from a 2012 Kia Soul from an address 19th Avenue Northwest between 3 PM on February 3 and 8:30 the following morning. It also states the owner got an estimate for repairing the damage that was more than $2300.

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