Warren man sentenced for stealing catalytic converter from Niles business

The second of two men caught stealing a catalytic converter from a Niles business will spend the next year in jail.
Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Wyatt McKay on Wednesday sentenced 35-year-old David Zadai to 12 months in jail after the Warren man pleaded guilty to breaking and entering, vandalism, theft, and escape.
Niles police arrested Zadai along with Robert Cherry in December as the pair tried to flee after cutting off a catalytic converter from a vehicle at Penn Care, a medical supply business on North Road.
Officers say the two were walking through a field behind the business carrying the catalytic converter as well as a black bag.
Upon noticing the officer, the suspects dropped the converter and attempted to walk away.
Both men were arrested.
Police say the black bag contained a power saw and bolt cutters.
Cherry was sentenced to 8 months in prison after pleading guilty earlier to breaking and entering, vandalism, and theft.
A catalytic converter is a device used to reduce emissions from a vehicle’s exhaust system. It contains a catalyst for chemically converting pollutants in exhaust gases into less harmful compounds.
They contain precious metals such as rhodium, platinum, and palladium, the price of which have risen sharply due to supply chains disrupted during the pandemic.
Prices for these three metals doubled between March 2020 and June 2021.