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SALT LAKE CITY — An Arizona man who allegedly went to the Salt Lake City International Airport and cut catalytic converters out of five vehicles parked in the Economy Lot now faces nearly a dozen felony charges.
Ryan Brannon Ogburn, 29, of Phoenix, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with five counts of criminal mischief and five counts of theft, all third-degree felonies.
Police received several reports of catalytic converters being cut out of cars parked at the airport on Jan. 30. As detectives reviewed the cases, they found surveillance video of a Dodge Charger driving up to each of the vehicles, according to charging documents.
In the videos, Ogburn "pulls a jack from the trunk to lift the car and pulls the catalytic converters out, then places them inside (the) Charger's trunk," the charges state.
At one point, Ogburn appears to have lost his parking ticket and can't get out of the lot, according to the charges. He then opens the trunk of the Charger where several catalytic converters are seen on surveillance video, court documents state.
Police learned that the Dodge was a rental car from Phoenix that Ogburn signed for on Jan. 28.
Ogburn is currently in custody in Arizona on a separate but similar theft investigation, according to the charges. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Friday to ensure his appearance in Utah.
Catalytic converters are used to help reduce the toxicity of a vehicle's emissions. A car will still run without it, but will sound exceptionally loud. The converters also contain several precious metals that can be sold at recycling yards for quick money.
With the right tools, police say a catalytic converter can be cut out from the bottom of a vehicle and taken in less than two minutes.
