2 Fort Myers men arrested in connection with catalytic converter thefts

Two Fort Myers men were arrested in connection with the theft of a catalytic converter in Punta Gorda in May.

On May 23rd, Charlotte County deputies responded to a business located on Tamiami Trail in Punta Gorda in reference to the theft of a catalytic converter. It had been cut and removed from a Ford Excursion. The business’ surveillance footage revealed two suspects emerging from a Dodge Ram 4500 tow truck in the parking lot, one of them looking underneath the Excursion while the other acted as lookout.

Investigators found that the tow truck, marked with the business name Kings Towing, was not property of any legitimate business, and merely used as a facade to commit these crimes during the day without drawing suspicion. The vehicle was spotted on June 22 by road patrol deputies traveling north on I-75 near mile marker 170. The driver was identified as Andy Manuh Flores Herrera, 25, and the passenger as Yordan Carreras Cespedes, 33, both from Fort Myers. The driver’s tattoo also matched the one seen on one of the suspects in the surveillance footage from May 23.

During this traffic stop, Cespedes provided deputies with a fraudulent business card stating he owned and operated Y & S Towing, another company found to be illegitimate.

According to the arrest report, one or both of the suspects confessed to involvement in stealing catalytic converter thefts in the area and selling them for profit. Both suspects were arrested and transported to the Charlotte County Jail.

Both Cespedes and Herrera face charges of theft of property worth less than $750, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and dealing or trafficking in stolen property.