Catalytic converters; tampering with, etc., penalty.

Damage to motor vehicles; catalytic converter; penalties. Makes it a Class 6 felony for a person to commit larceny of a catalytic converter from a motor vehicle, regardless of the converter's value, and provides that any person found in possession of a catalytic converter that has been detached from a motor vehicle shall be presumed to have committed larceny of the catalytic converter unless such person (i) is an authorized scrap seller or (ii) has in his possession documentation establishing that such person lawfully possesses the catalytic converter. The bill also makes it a Class 6 felony for a person to willfully break, injure, tamper with, or remove any part or parts of any vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel for the purpose of injuring, defacing, or destroying said vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, or temporarily or permanently preventing its useful operation, or for any purpose against the will or without the consent of the owner, or to in any other manner willfully or maliciously interfere with or prevent the running or operation of such vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, when such violation causes damage to such vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel of $1,000 or more. Current law makes such violation a Class 1 misdemeanor with no limit on the amount of damage. Under the bill, the penalty for damage of less than $1,000 remains a Class 1 misdemeanor. For the purposes of determining whether there is damage of $1,000 or more, the bill provides that the cost of any replacement part or parts of any vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel and any additional cost necessary to install such replacement part or parts shall be included in the cost of the damage. The bill also requires a scrap metal purchaser, when purchasing proprietary articles from a person who is not an authorized scrap seller, to (a) make copies of the documentation received from the seller establishing the seller lawfully possesses the proprietary articles and keep such copies with the permanent ledger maintained at the scrap metal purchaser's place of business and (b) after purchasing a proprietary article from a person, submit a report to the local sheriff's department or the chief of police within five business days describing the proprietary article and including a copy of the seller's identifying information and documentation that the seller lawfully possessed such article. The bill also requires the scrap metal purchaser to hold such proprietary article for not less than 15 days following submission of such report.