ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Mich. -- A 24-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly stealing a catalytic converter from a vehicle, according to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office.

On January 6 at 3:20 a.m., deputies were dispatched to a suspicious vehicle near a business on M60.

When deputies arrived, the vehicle had left the scene.

On January 7, deputies took a report of an attempted theft of a catalytic converter that caused $11,000 worth of damage to the vehicle.

Deputies located the suspect vehicle and identified the suspect as a 24-year-old from Three Rivers, reports said.

On January 9, deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Silver Street near M-60. The suspect from the attempted theft was in the vehicle, deputies said.

The man had a catalytic converter in his possession as well as tools used for removing the catalytic converters inside the vehicle, reports said.

The catalytic converter was believed to be stolen and was seized as evidence.

The suspect was taken into custody on preliminary charges of attempted larceny of vehicle parts and malicious destruction of property.

Deputies are searching for the victim in this case. The catalytic converter was stolen between January 8 and 9. It is believed to be from an early 2000s Ford F-150 or similar Ford vehicle.

Please contact Deputy Diekman at 269-467-9045 Ext 339 if you have any information.