BRISTOL, Ind. — A huge bust of catalytic converters at an Elkhart County scrap yard after the sheriff’s department said it seized more than 1,000 of these valuable auto parts earlier this week.

Catalytic converter theft is a problem throughout Michiana.

“Anytime we can get information from people who have direct knowledge of who steals catalytic converters or who buys them, we’d love to have that information. We’ve had some very, very good advice from the public, which has led for road purposes in some of our investigations,” said Jessica McBrier, PIO of the Elkhart Police Department.

The bust from a scrapyard in Bristol is probably one of the most important in the region.

Detectives seized more than 1,000 people, along with a stolen four-wheeler, from a salvage yard near County Road 8 on Tuesday this week.

The junkyard owners say it came as a surprise, as they believe they did nothing wrong.

“If they want information on who’s stealing cats, we told them, we’ll work with them. We’ll help them find these guys but don’t blame us because we’re not the ones doing it,” said the owner. from Howard’s Salvaging Amy Howard.

The Howards tell me they are now under investigation, but they believe they have all the documentation they need to show that they bought all their used parts to the letter.

“We get their IDs. We get their titles. Business names if that’s what’s needed. I take orders for local businesses here, not just the general public, so I mean, they m ‘incriminate and I didn’t do that.

While we await more information from authorities about the exact origin of these converters, other county departments say thieves who cut these valuable metal parts from cars are a huge problem.

There have been hundreds of reports in the past few months alone.

The Elkhart Police Department said investigating the thefts has become a top priority.

“My message to the community is that we take this very seriously. We have ongoing and active investigations and will follow up on all leads and interact with other agencies in other jurisdictions as necessary,” McBrier said.