Man flees attempted catalytic converter theft, hides in woods

(ABC 6 News) – An Owatonna man surrendered to local law enforcement after fleeing an attempted catalytic converter theft.

At about 6:58 a.m. Monday, June 27, an employee in the 3800 block of Broadway Avenue North called the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office about the sound of a saw coming from underneath a vehicle.

When the employee looked under the vehicles nearby, a man ran from the lot and into a nearby wooded area.

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office and Rochester police set up a perimeter around the area and announced the presence of K-9s.

The subject came out and surrendered to officers shortly afterward.

Mark Anthony Sanford, 36, of Owatonna, faces charges of felony theft, felony damage to property, misdemeanor tampering with a motor vehicle, and gross misdemeanor driving after cancellation.

Officers also located about three grams of what appeared to be methamphetamine, according to the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Department, but later resulted in a felony 5th degree possession charge for "not small amount of marijuana."