A 33-year-old Ceres man was arrested early Tuesday, Sept. 13 after he was seen attempting to steal a catalytic converter from a vehicle and fleeing when confronted.

A citizen called police at 5:06 a.m. with the report and description of a man caught trying to cut the emissions device from a vehicle in the 2000 block of Rockefeller Drive. Officer Nicholas Welsh and other officers found Irving Reyes running along the railroad tracks in the 1500 block of Morgan Road. He was detained and identified as the suspect of the attempted theft. Reyes was found to be in possession of a reciprocating saw and other tools at the time he was stopped, along with suspected methamphetamine. 

Reyes was arrested for tampering with a vehicle, possession of burglary tools, vandalism, grand theft, possession of an illegal substance, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, and for violation of probation. He was booked into jail at the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center.