Habersham County Sheriff’s deputies have made an arrest in a weeks-long investigation into a string of catalytic converter thefts across the county. Deputies picked up Michael Seth Jones at his residence in the 200 block of Madison Street in Clarkesville on May 14. He’s the main suspect in the theft of dozens of catalytic converters, most of which were stolen from vehicles left overnight in church parking lots.
“We had been watching him for several weeks and suspected he was a culprit in these catalytic converter thefts,” says HCSO Public Information Officer Kevin Angell. “Deputies were conducting surveillance on Jones’ residence after Lead Investigator Bob Kushman advised them there was an active warrant for his arrest.”
On Saturday afternoon, HCSO Sgt. David Moulder, Corporal Zack Beam, and Deputy Justin McClain took Jones into custody without incident. They picked him up on a felony warrant for criminal use of an article with an altered ID. The arresting officers reported finding drugs and firearms on Jones, leading to additional charges.
Converting converters into cash
Sheriff’s investigators worked for weeks building leads in the catalytic converter theft case. They executed a search warrant on a storage facility Jones rented and recovered two converters and suspected stolen lawn equipment. Investigators also traced back sales of converters to the 34-year-old Jones.
“We know that he has converted a bunch of catalytic converters into cash by turning them into recycling,” says Angell. The high volume of sales Jones allegedly made to recycling plants raised suspicions. Authorities say he’s not a mechanic or car dealer – jobs where he might have reasonable access to converters.
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Catalytic converters can sell for between $100 to $300 each because of the rare metals inside them. Habersham investigators are currently working on roughly thirty stolen converter cases. Investigators executed a search warrant on Jones’ vehicle Saturday evening but found “nothing notable,” Angell says. Still, Jones’ arrest is considered a big break. Now, investigators are turning their attention to the buyers and that part of the investigation is ongoing.
Following his arrest, deputies booked Jones at the Habersham County Detention Center. In all, he faces eight counts, including the altered ID charge. Deputies also charged him with possession of methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of drug-related objects.
