Probation violation leads to arrest of catalytic converter theft suspect

Columbus police say a suspect in a string of catalytic converter thefts that stretched happened from Indianapolis to several southern Indiana counties was arrested Tuesday night.

50-year-old Christopher A. Whedon was wanted on a probation violation warrant out of Jackson County on an original felony theft charge. The Columbus Intelligence Led Policing Unit with the assistance of the Seymour Police Department tracked Whedon to an apartment in the 2700 block of Bent Tree Lane where he was taken into custody. Police discovered that he was carrying methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. He was taken to the Jackson County Jail on new charges for possessing the meth and paraphernalia and for the outstanding warrant.

Whedon had been arrested earlier this month for stealing catalytic converters from abandoned vehicles on Interstate 65 in Indianapolis. He is also suspected of being responsible for a number of catalytic converter thefts in several southeastern Indiana counties, and more charges are expected police say.