A father and son duo were arrested for allegedly stealing catalytic converters in Riverwoods and investigators later recovered over 130 of the car parts during a search warrant in the investigation.
The Riverwoods Police Department responded around 3:28 p.m. on January 23 to a business in the 700 block of Saunders Road in Riverwoods for a report of a theft call.
Riverwoods Chief of Police Bruce Dayno said it was reported that two suspects stole three scrapped catalytic converters and fled the scene in a vehicle.
A subsequent investigation into the crime led to the identification of the vehicle and both suspects, Dayno said.
Officers located the vehicle around 11:59 a.m. on February 10 and conducted a traffic stop near Deerfield Road and Interstate 94.
Both of the occupants, identified as Michael Ely, 48, of Chicago, and Christopher T. Miller, 21, of Chicago, were arrested.
Ely and Miller were both charged with one count of theft, a Class 3 felony.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Sue Price Cohen said the two are father and son and the offense occurred at Ray’s Auto Service, 777 Saunders Road.
Ely and Miller said they were looking to purchase catalytic converters and said they would pay $900.
The employee turned away to deal with another customer, at which time Ely and Miller stole the three catalytic converters and placed them in their truck before leaving, Price Cohen said.
Ely and Miller were both released following First Appearance Court hearings in Lake County Circuit Court after being placed on pre-trial conditions.
The Riverwoods Police Department continued investigating the case and obtained a search warrant for a storage facility in Chicago, Dayno said.
The warrant was conducted around 10:15 a.m. on Saturday with the assistance of the Lyons Police Department, which was investigating a similar case.
Dayno said over 130 catalytic converters, precious metals and other car parts were recovered.
No additional charges have been filed yet against Ely and Miller but the investigation remains ongoing.