Law Enforcement has been warning the public lately about the theft of catalytic converters from vehicles. Utica Police have arrested a Newport man allegedly in connection with four of those thefts.

Utica Police say their Criminal Investigation Division arrested 48-year-old Scott Smith of Newport for several alleged incidents of stolen catalytic converters from vehicles in the City of Utica. Police say he's facing charges for at least 4 separate incidents.

Officials say on October 16th, 2020 a vehicle was stolen and illegally stripped for parts and scrap metal while parked on Hobart Street. On January 18th, 2021 two different vehicles had their catalytic converters stolen. Those two vehicles were also parked on Hobart Street in Utica. Then, on January 21st, 2021 another catalytic converter was taken from a vehicle while parked on Jefferson Avenue.

After a thorough investigation it was determined by police that they believed Scott Smith was the alleged thief. He was ultimately arrested and charged with one county of Grand Larceny for the alleged theft on October 16th. Officials say Smith was also charged with three counts of Criminal Mischief in the 4th degree for the thefts of the catalytic converters. As more incidents continue to be investigated, police say it's possible Smith will face additional charges.

This issue is not exclusive to the City of Utica. Several municipalities and law enforcement agencies have been seeing an increase in the theft of these specific parts. If you have observe and suspicious behavior or have concerns about possible incidents going on in your community, you're asked to contact local law enforcement or Mohawk Valley Crime Stoppers.

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