On Monday, Lucarelli was arrested at police headquarters after inquiring about the warrant for his arrest, according to police. Lucarelli, 26, of Wilbraham Road, is charged with petty theft, possession of criminal tools, aggravated trespass and criminal damaging, first-degree misdemeanors. He is scheduled to be arraigned today in Middletown Municipal Court.
In recent weeks, police developed information that a silver Nissan Xterra was used to commit a number of thefts which led to Lucarelli as the suspect.
A search warrant was executed at the 26-year-old’s residence on Wilbraham Road, and additional evidence was located implicating Lucarelli for the thefts of several catalytic converters, police said.
When detectives talked with Lucarelli on Monday, he confessed to stealing catalytic converters in Lemon Twp. and in Hamilton, according to Middletown Det. Brook McDonald.
Butler County Sheriff’s Det. Ryan Hensley said Lucarelli indicated he stole one of the car parts in the area of Engle’s Corner in September. He will be filing charges for that theft.
“He indicated he could get $800 for a catalytic converter,” Hensley said.
Sgt. Richard Burkhardt said detectives in Hamilton are also in the process of filing charges against Lucarelli for at least one catalytic converter theft in that city.
Catalytic converters are part of a vehicle’s exhaust system and have been required on vehicles sold in the United States since the 1970s. They contain metals including palladium and platinum, which makes them a hot item for resale on the black market, according to police.
This year police departments throughout Butler County have seen an uptick in catalytic converter thefts.
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