‘Annoying and costly crime’: Prosecutor highlights crackdown on car part thefts in KC

After two operators of a Kansas City salvage yard were arrested this week on suspicion of dealing in stolen catalytic converters, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said Friday the case demonstrates a community commitment toward slowing down the thefts.

“Too many of our residents have experienced this annoying and costly crime, someone has stolen your catalytic converter,” Baker said in a statement provided to The Star.

“Hundreds of dollars in damage can be done. More important, this crime is a brazen destruction of property, sometimes in broad daylight or in a crowded parking lot.”

Baker said the case originated from KCPD listening to the community’s tips that the salvage business was buying the expensive parts with “no questions asked.” She also said the case, believed to be the first of its type filed by her office, was the result of a collaborative effort with detectives to thwart such crimes.

“We will not hesitate to prosecute all these individuals involved in these thefts,” Baker added.

Last week, Baker’s office filed criminal charges against William Hackney, 33, and Jonathan Hackney, 29, the operators of Marvin’s Automotive in Kansas City. Each man faces one count of receiving stolen property, a felony.

According to court records, detectives with Kansas City Police Department’s property crimes division began looking into Marvin’s Automotive, at 2520 Manchester Avenue, roughly 15 months ago. It was suspected to be one local business dealing in stolen catalytic converters — an auto part containing precious metals — as the city has seen a rise over the years in that specific property crime.

Under Missouri law, auto parts dealers and salvage operators are required to keep detailed records of catalytic converter purchases, including the seller’s driver’s license and the license plate number of the seller’s vehicle.

Detectives began an undercover operation of Marvin’s Automotive in March 2021 using “covert video surveillance,” court papers say. Investigators made logs of daily transactions there.

In April, a Jackson County Sheriff’s Office investigator conducted an administrative check of the business, requesting documented purchases within the same window as KCPD’s surveillance operation.

Investigators reviewing the records found several issues with the documented transactions.

For example, on March 29, 2021, the shop reported buying 36 catalytic converters over 13 different transactions. A description of the seller’s vehicle, one of the requirements under state law, was only provided in one of those transactions.

On the same day, the shop also accepted a woman’s driver’s license from a man who sold the part, court papers say.

There were two other days in question where business operators advised that the shop was closed. But detectives found that at least 33 catalytic converters were purchased on those days after reviewing their surveillance video, according to court documents.

In all, investigators determined at least 39 catalytic converter purchases went unreported and another 24 were not properly documented.

Detectives concluded the Hackneys were purposefully concealing the purchases and the identities of those they were buying from, creating a difficult environment for law enforcement to track and stop thefts, one of the investigators wrote in a probable cause statement in support of criminal charges.

As of Friday, court papers did not list an attorney for either Hackney, both of whom reside in Lee’s Summit. If convicted of receiving stolen property, each faces a maximum penalty of seven years in state prison plus a $10,000 fine.