MINOT — The Ward County Sheriff's Department says it has arrest warrants for five individuals connected to multiple catalytic converter thefts.
According to the release, the warrants are the result of a lengthy investigation dating back to the fall of 2021.
During the investigation, law enforcement discovered Richard Yecoshenko would receive picture messages from people looking to sell scrap catalytic converters. Investigators were then able to match the received photos of those catalytic converters to the vehicles from which they were stolen.
The investigation revealed that Yecoshenko purchased stolen catalytic converters from Kay Emly, Michael Grosz, and Anthony Mathson. In addition to purchasing stolen scrap catalytic converters, Yecoshenko also failed to keep records as required by a scrap metal dealer.
As of the time of Thursday morning, warrants are still outstanding for Emly, Grosz, Edgerly, and Mathson.
