Bay Minette police have charged a man accused of swiping catalytic converters from vehicles parked outside businesses across the city.
Officers said James Michael Wilkins cut the emissions devices from five vehicles between Jan. 18 and Jan. 28. He faces five counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle.
Wilkins is being held in the Baldwin County jail without bond because of an unrelated parole violation.
Catalytic converters have become frequent targets for thieves because the precious metals inside them — platinum, palladium and rhodium — can be sold to scrap dealers for hundreds of dollars, and removing one from underneath a parked vehicle takes only minutes. Police urged business owners and drivers to park in well-lit, visible areas and report anyone seen crawling under parked vehicles.