KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — After a 10-month-long investigation involving law enforcement in Knox, Scott and Blount counties -- several men are behind bars suspected of operating a criminal organization involved in a spree of vehicle catalytic converter thefts.
The Knox County Sheriff's Office said there has been a large-scale conspiracy in East Tennessee to steal and sell the car parts because they contain lucrative precious metals.
KCSO said six of the arrested were middlemen -- they would get prices for the converters, purchased them with cash off the street from thieves, and would take them to scrap yards to turn a profit on the precious metals inside. KCSO said two of the men were employees who'd make the exchanges on the street.
The six men in the organization were identified as:
- Edward Browder, 45, of Knoxville
- His brother Rhea Browder, 32, of Knoxville
- Tegan Cain, 25, of Knoxville
- Earnest Bradley, 42, of Knoxville
- William Hall, 42, of Blount County (an employee of Rhea Browder)
- Kalab Eskew, 38, of Scott County (an employee of Tegan Cain)
KCSO identified four companies involved in the investigation, including Carmack Motors, Browder Metals, Recycle Trade LLC, and Bar Metals LLC.
All six are charged with theft, money laundering and violation of scrap metal records law following a grand jury indictment. They are set to appear in court on September 28 at 9 a.m.
Two other men -- James Glaze, 44, and Damien Ogorman, 65, were also arrested as a result of the investigation and suspected of theft.
KCSO said most stolen converters are nearly impossible to track because they lack serial numbers and cannot be matched to the vehicles they were stolen off of. Law requires companies purchasing the converters to obtain a thumbprint and picture ID of the seller to deter thieves.
KCSO said even though this organization has been removed, the threat of catalytic converters being swiped off vehicles remains high across the region. KCSO people should remain vigilant and park their vehicles in well-lit and non-remote locations.