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Diedre Crawford (Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
Joshua Medley (Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
(Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
(Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
Diedre Crawford (Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
Joshua Medley (Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
(Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
(Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
Diedre Crawford (Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
Joshua Medley (Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
(Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
(Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
Diedre Crawford (Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
Joshua Medley (Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
(Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
(Photo provided by Broomfield Police Department)
Over a four-month period, a man and a woman allegedly stole more than 100 catalytic converters out of cars across Colorado.
Joshua Medley, 28, and Diedre Crawford, 26, were arrested Jan. 6 in connection with 102 thefts between September and December, said Fort Collins Police Services spokeswoman Kate Kimble.
About half of those thefts occurred in the Loveland-Fort Collins area, she said. When a Fort Collins police crime analyst noticed the trend in other communities, about a dozen agencies joined the investigation led by Fort Collins police.
A catalytic converter, targeted by thieves because they can resell some of the metal parts, is part of a car's exhaust system that helps reduce carbon emissions, police said.
In mid-September, a citizen interrupted a man in the act of cutting off a catalytic converter and chased him away, police said. Then in late December, police noticed two suspect vehicles at a Broomfield residence, which allowed them to identify Medley and Crawford as suspects. Police obtained search warrants for the couple's home and found evidence linking them to the thefts.
The investigation was aided by agencies including Loveland police, Colorado State University police, Broomfield police, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs police, the Colorado State Patrol, Castle Rock police, Colorado Springs police, Lone Tree police, Aurora police, Denver police and Greenwood Village police.
Victims of catalytic converter theft are asked report it to their local law enforcement agency.
Ellie is a general assignment reporter. She's a proud Midwesterner, stationery hoarder and Earl Grey tea enthusiast. After interning at The Gazette in 2015, she joined the newspaper's staff in 2016.
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