Browning
EDINBURGH — Five people have been charged in connection to the illegal purchases of catalytic converters following an investigation over a year in the making, Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess announced Wednesday afternoon.
Ashley N. Browning, 32, of Edinburgh; Latona D. Bryant, 31, of Columbus; William A. Burton, 62, of Edinburgh; and Glen David Johnson Jr., 36, of Edinburgh were charged with unlawfully purchasing a catalytic converter, a Level 6 felony. Tammy S. Hill, 57, of Trafalgar was charged with aiding in the unlawful purchase and/or sale of a catalytic converter, a Level 6 felony. Level 6 felony convictions have a sentence of between six months to 2.5 years.
In March 2021, representatives from several county law enforcement agencies, along with the Johnson County Prosecutor’s office and the Indiana Secretary of State, attended a meeting to discuss developing a way to stop the rise in catalytic converter thefts. The converters contain precious metals that are of high value to scrap yards and “core buying companies,” according to court documents filed on April 14.
Theft of these components often occurs when a vehicle is left unintended, and when they are stolen, the vehicle is rendered inoperable until it’s repaired, often at a cost between $1,500 to $3,000, court documents say.
During the meeting, representatives determined they would conduct an audit of recent transaction records from the core buying companies to verify that companies are following state guidelines when it comes to selling converter components. This audit was conducted in August, court documents say.
In October, representatives from the sheriff’s office, Edinburgh Police Department, and the prosecutor’s office held a second meeting with core buying companies from Johnson and Bartholomew Counties to inform them of state guidelines and upcoming audits. Among the people present at the meeting were Browning, Hill, and Johnson, who worked at area recycling businesses, court documents show.
Glen Johnson
During a Jan. 17 audit of a Cats Plus, an Edinburgh recycling business, detectives discovered Glen Johnson had a history of doing transactions with the business. When asked if Johnson had provided proper documentation for his purchases as required by state law, an employee informed detectives that Johnson had provided a copy of his business license, making him exempt from providing the required documents, according to court documents
When detectives spoke with a Johnson County licensing clerk, it was determined that Johnson provided a registered retail merchants certificate, not a business license that said he was a used parts dealer or automotive repair company, court documents say.
On Jan. 20, detectives conducted an audit of Johnson’s business, Johnson Recycling. While at the business, they showed Johnson his purchase records, which showed he sold catalytic converters 10 times since November. He told police he would be able to provide copies of state forms for the converters he purchased, then sold, but that he did not readily have them available, court documents say.
Detectives then asked him if he could provide documentation he received from the sellers for each component part listed in the invoices. Johnson said he could not, and he later told detectives he did not collect any of the required documents as a buyer. He also said he was not aware he was supposed to collect them and retain them, court documents say.
Detectives then asked Johnson if he attended the October meeting, and he said yes, according to court documents.
A week later, detectives returned to Johnson and he provided them with several state forms. However, the forms only accounted for the purchase of 151 converters between Nov. 3 and Jan. 21, when records showed he sold a total of 469. Johnson was also unable to provide any of the supporting documentation required by law for the 151 converters, court documents say.
Latona Bryant
In February, deputies prepared to conduct an undercover transaction audit of Cats Plus. As part of the operation, two undercover detectives were given four component parts to sell, along with audio and video recording devices to record what they saw, according to court documents.
Undercover detectives entered the building on Feb. 8 and were met by an employee who asked them to put the components in a cart. After they did so, the employee read off part numbers to another employee, later identified as Bryant, as she entered the numbers into a computer. Later the detectives were told to go to another window, where they again see Bryant, court documents say.
When the first transaction began, Bryant asked the undercover detectives if they had documents for the converters. The detectives gave her a handwritten bill of sale and registration, to which she said it can’t be handwritten. After getting additional information needed for the sale, all of which was handwritten, she gave the detective a receipt and $274, court documents say.
During a second transaction, Bryant asked an undercover detective if they had a bill of sale. The detective said they could write one up, and Bryant handed him a blank receipt and said to write who he bought it from and how many were bought. The undercover detective asked if he needed to list the price of the purchase, and Bryant said no. She then completed the transaction for $683, court documents show.
In both instances, detectives say Bryant failed to collect the legally required information in order to conduct a lawful transaction. This includes collecting a vehicle title, certificate of registration and a receipt from a repair transaction, among other items, according to court documents.
Ashley Browning, Tammy Hill
Browning and Hill were charged in connection to a second undercover transaction audit at Cats Plus in February. Prior to the Feb. 17 operation, undercover detectives were given component parts to sell to the recycling business, according to court documents.
Similar to the first operation, detectives were met by an employee who asked them to put the components in a cart. The employee read them out to another employee, Hill, the partial owner of Cats Plus, who entered the numbers into a computer. Hill then instructed the detectives to go to another window to complete the transaction, court documents say.
At the window, the undercover detectives were met by Browning, who asked them for identification and the titles for the converters. The detectives said they did not have them, and Browning said she needed something to prove they were not stolen, as it was a felony to pay them without the information, court documents say.
The detective said he would try to contact someone to get the information, and Browning later asked the detectives to get the vehicle’s registration, which a second detective did. The detective then asked if he was supposed to write the bill of sale, and Browning said no, court documents say.
Browning asked the detective if the converters came off his vehicle, and Hill, who was in the same office, was heard saying “Just say yes” to the detective. The detective agreed with Hill, and Browning later said OK, according to court documents.
Browning later asked the detective if he had been in before, to which he said yes. She asked the detective if he was in the same car as before, and the detective said yes. He also said does that make it easier, and she said yes. Browning then gave the detective a receipt for $581, court documents say.
Detectives say Browning failed to collect the legally required information in order to conduct a lawful transaction, and that Hill assisted in the transaction by making the detective answer deceptively, according to court documents.
William Burton
Burton was charged after detectives conducted a third undercover operation, this time at Group Metal Recycling in Edinburgh. Detectives say Burton failed to collect the legally required information in order to conduct a lawful transaction, according to court documents.
During the Feb. 17 operation, undercover detectives were given three component parts to sell. Shortly after undercover detectives arrived, they exited with an employee, later identified as Burton. They showed Burton the parts they intended to sell and Burton said he would take two of them inside for pricing. Burton later said he would buy them for $160, court documents say.
After the transaction began, an undercover detective asked Burton if he needed to see his ID, and Burton said no. He then asked for the detective’s name, and he wrote it down on a piece of paper for the detective to sign. Burton then gave the detective the money and did not provide a receipt for the transaction, according to court documents.
All five people charged were arrested on Wednesday by members of the Edinburgh Police Department, Franklin, Police Department, and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Burgess said.
Browning was taken to the Johnson County jail on a $1,000 bond; Bryant, Burton and Johnson were taken on a $500 bond. Hill was taken on a $300 bond.
