Police investigating catalytic converter thefts at Newport car dealership

NEWPORT, Tenn. ( WATE ) — A small pocket flashlight was found after a rash of catalytic converter thefts last week at a car dealership in Newport, according to the Newport Police Department.

An incident report from NPD states that police were called to Stinnett Chevrolet for a report of vandalism to multiple vehicles. Some of the vehicles were at the dealership for repairs, while others were owned by the dealership, which is owned by Marcus Stinnett.

Stinnett told police that his employees had found several vehicles on the lot that had the catalytic converters removed. Stinnett gave officers a list of the six vandalized vehicles, which included a Buick, a Mercedes, a Jeep, a Toyota, a Kia and a Honda.

Dealership employees told officers that the damage occurred the night of July 24. Detectives who responded to the scene to survey the vehicles recovered a small pocket flashlight, which was left beneath one of the vandalized vehicles. No suspects have been listed nor have any arrests been made as of Wednesday morning.

This is a developing story. Download the WATE 6 News app or sign up for our email alerts for updates.

According to AAA, catalytic converters are often stolen because they contain precious metals inside of them, which are then usually sold as scrap metal for cash.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.