A routine patrol at the Mall of Louisiana turned into a high-stakes parking lot bust in mid-March, when officers say they found 21 catalytic converters stuffed inside a 22-year-old Houston man’s vehicle. According to arrest affidavits, the discovery links him to a string of thefts from apartment complex parking lots along Bluebonnet Boulevard, Ben Hur Road and Mancuso Lane in Baton Rouge.
The driver, identified in arrest documents as Nessiah Dunham, reportedly told officers he was headed to Atlanta and claimed he did not know the car was loaded with the parts. Authorities say the investigation now spans both Livingston Parish and East Baton Rouge Parish.
Traffic Stop Turns Into Major Converter Haul
According to WBRZ, a Baton Rouge police officer stopped Dunham in a Mall of Louisiana parking lot on March 16. During the stop, officers say they uncovered 21 catalytic converters inside his vehicle.
Arrest filings cited by WBRZ state that Dunham, who is 22 and from Houston, was later tied by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office to three additional catalytic converter thefts around Baton Rouge.
Livingston Parish Trail Leads Back To The Mall
Documents reviewed by WBRZ say Dunham “could take a catalytic converter off a vehicle in just six minutes,” a detail that helps explain how quickly investigators believe multiple thefts were carried out…