Ex-con charged in Will County with unlawful possession of catalytic converter

A Kankakee man on parole from prison has been arrested on a charge accusing him of unlawful possession of a catalytic converter in Beecher.

Tony Adams, 31, of Kankakee, was booked into the Will County jail about 10 a.m. Wednesday on an arrest warrant signed by Judge Donald DeWilkins. The warrant carried a bond of $100,000.

Adams faces a misdemeanor charge of unlawful possession of a catalytic converter in Beecher, a small village that is more than 30 miles southeast of Joliet and close to the Indiana border.

A catalytic converter is a device that is part of a vehicle’s exhaust system and contain rare metals that can be worth several hundred to several thousands of dollars, according to State Farm, a company that provides auto insurance. The company released a report last year on the surge of claims regarding catalytic converter thefts.

The charge against Adams alleged that he was in possession of a catalytic converter without a license as an automatic parts recycler or scrap processor. The charge also alleged that he had no documentation of ownership of the device.

Beecher police Sgt. Aaron DaCorte said Adams was arrested in connect with the offense of driving with a suspended license after a traffic stop for an equipment violation.

During an inventory search of Adams’ vehicle, several suspicious items were seen, including cut-off catalytic converters, a battery-powered reciprocating saw, several metal-cutting saw blades and other items “consistent with catalytic converter theft/burglary to motor vehicle,” DaCorte said.

Adams was paroled June 17, 2021, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

He had been serving 50% of a 10-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty in 2016 to residential burglary and aggravated possession of a stolen firearm in Livingston County, according to court records. He also was serving six years in prison for a conviction of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon in 2015 in Will County.