SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Officers with the South Bend Police Department stopped a catalytic converter theft in progress at a middle school Tuesday night.

At 9 p.m., officers were called to Edison Middle School for a report of a suspicious vehicle and that someone was using a flashlight in the parking lot.

When the officers arrived, they found a man inside a fenced area of the school’s property. The man had a reciprocating saw and a freshly cut catalytic converter, according to reports.

Jeffery Vanhuffel-Lopez, 22, was arrested and taken to the St. Joseph County Jail.

UPDATE: In June of 2022, Vanhuffel-Lopez was found guilty for theft of a motor vehicle component as part of a plea agreement. He was sentenced to 12 months in the St. Joseph County Jail with 359 days suspended. He also received 359 days probation.