Photo: what Lo and Lee had
March 20, 2022 – Santa Barbara County, Ca.
The sounds of “a saw cutting metal” alerted a City of Carpinteria resident in the pre-dawn hours of March 19 th who quickly called 911 Emergency Dispatch. Before Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s rolled up to the residence just minutes later, the resident looked under his parked Toyota Prius and realized the vehicle’s catalytic converter was missing.
According to SBSD Public Information Officer Raquel Zick, responding deputies “noticed a vehicle leaving the area” and promptly conducted a traffic stop for a purported “vehicle code violation.” Whatever that violation may have been, however, it was quickly forgotten when deputies spotted a pair of catalytic converters in the vehicle’s back seat.
The driver, 41-year-old Banny Lo and his passenger, 27-year-old Gary Lee, residents of Sacramento quickly found themselves assuming the position on the hood of their own car as Deputies searched their vehicle. That search turned up “reciprocating saws, a car jack, and other tools” indicative of Lo and Lee’s night-crawling thievery.
Lo and Lee were taken into custody and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where they were booked on charges of grand theft, possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools, and criminal conspiracy. Lo was additionally booked on a charge of possession of a controlled substance. Both remain in custody with their bail set at $100,000 each.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department
