Rockford man sentenced to up to five years in prison for catalytic converter thefts

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A Rockford man has been sentenced to up to five years in prison for stealing catalytic converters, tools and gasoline from a building in Swaledale.

Todd Terrance LaRue, age 53, was arrested June 14 for days earlier taking a catalytic converter, hand tools and gas cans full of gas from a site in Swaledale that is owned by North Iowa Coop and which was being leased by LaPointe Utilities.

“LaRue did admit to also taking four catalytic converters from the same location on 5/30/2022,” the criminal complaint filed in Cerro Gordo County District Court said. Total value is approximately $4,000 for the catalytic converters and approximately $500 for the tools and miscellaneous items, it said.

He was charged with first-degree theft, a Class C felony, for taking property valued at more than $10,000. The court charging document noted that LaRue had twice previously been convicted of third-degree theft, in 2006 in Butler County and in 2016 in Cerro Gordo County.

LaRue initially pleaded not guilty and a trial had most recently been scheduled to begin Nov. 15.

Earlier in October, however, LaRue changed his plea to guilty, in return for a motion from the Cerro Gordo County Attorney’s Office to reduce the charge from first-degree theft to second-degree theft, a Class D felony, which the court approved.

District Court Justice James Drew sentenced LaRue in Cerro Gordo County District Court to an indeterminate prison term not to exceed five years, a fine of $1,025 plus 15% surcharge, and ordered him to pay $11,150.65 in restitution to LaPointe Utilities.

LaRue was transported to the Iowa Medical Classification Center Correctional Facility in Coralville to determine where he will serve his sentence.