WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Three guys with roots in North Florida, Miami, and West Palm Beach were caught stealing a catalytic converter at a hotel in West Palm Beach.
Officers said that the multi-agency task force (SFTF), which fights stolen cars, robberies, and other theft-related crimes, was keeping an eye on a car that was tied to other thefts in the area.
The West Palm Beach Beach Police Department said that the car in question pulled into a Holiday Inn Express at 2485 Metrocentre Blvd. just before 3:30 a.m. on Monday. The target car was parked next to a white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.
During the stakeout, police said that one of the people in the target car, later identified as 20-year-old Kevin Barahona from Miami, got out of the car, crawled under the pickup truck, and started cutting its catalytic converter with a battery-powered saw.
When Barahona was under the truck, the agents jumped in quickly. Carey Eskridge, 27, from Lake City, and Kemion Mays, 26, from Miami, were also in the car at the time of the theft.
Police say they arrested the three people, and when they looked at the pickup truck, they saw that a pipe leading to the catalytic converter had been cut. The damage was thought to cost around $1,500.
Each of the three guys was charged with one count of big theft over $750 and one count of criminal damage over $1,000. They were taken to the Main Detention Center of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office just before 9 a.m. on Monday.
Agents say Eskridge was driving the car, and he was also charged with knowing that his license was suspended, revoked, or canceled while he was driving.
Since the beginning of 2023, the West Palm Beach PD has heard of 35 catalytic converter thefts, with a total of about 100 stolen pieces.
In April, seven people from Miami were caught stealing from stores and cars in Palm Beach County.
Leave a Reply