'Dozens' Of Catalytic Converter Thefts, 2 Arrests: PD Deputies

Palm Desert CA

16 July, 2021

5:49 PM

Description

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — Two men were arrested this week in connection with "dozens" of catalytic converter thefts across the Coachella Valley, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department announced. Santiago Salazar, 28, and Gerardo Marquez, 29, both of Indio, were arrested Thursday morning by deputies out of the Palm Desert Sheriff's Station. Salazar was picked up near Oleander Avenue and Monroe Street in Indio, while Marquez was nabbed on Sonora Avenue in Indio, according to jail records. "Both Salazar and Marquez were responsible for dozens of catalytic converter thefts," the sheriff's department reported. The thefts occurred across the Coachella Valley, with the majority reported between April 15 and July 13, according to the department. There was no word on what led investigators to Salazar and Marquez. Both men were booked into Indio's John Benoit Detention Center on suspicion of grand theft and criminal conspiracy, both felonies, as well as misdemeanor vehicle tampering. They were released from custody Friday in lieu of $10,000 bail a piece and are due to appear in court in November, according to jail records. As of Friday, formal charges had not been filed against the two men, according to court records.