2 Bay Area women arrested on suspicion of stealing catalytic converters in Santa Rosa

Two East Bay women were arrested Friday morning in Santa Rosa — and a third is being sought — on suspicion of stealing catalytic converters, vandalism and other charges.

Raechelle Howard, 27, of Oakland, was arrested on suspicion of vandalism, conspiracy, ID theft, possession of a stolen vehicle and bringing drugs into jail — she had methamphetamine down her pants — and Michaela Hicks, 29, of San Leandro, was arrested on suspicion of vandalism, ID theft and conspiracy, according to police.

The arrests came after police officers were called at 9:34 a.m. Friday to a disturbance in the 70 block of West Third Street. There, police found a gray Toyota Highlander partially resting atop an older model, yellow Ford Mustang.

Police said the three female suspects attempted to drive the Highlander through a closed gate blocked by the Mustang, even as the owner of the Mustang was in the process of opening the gate.

The three women fled after the Highlander ended up on top of the Mustang, police said. Two of the suspects were seen running onto a property on Pierson Street and the other was seen headed westbound on West Third Street.

Police soon learned the Highlander was reported stolen out of San Francisco and was equipped with a stolen license place from another vehicle. The SUV contained two stolen catalytic converters, one of which was taken off the Mustang, police said.

Authorities set up a perimeter and used a drone to try to locate the suspects, though that proved unsuccessful. They then conducted a physical search of the area and located two of the suspects hiding in a small bathroom adjacent to a residence.

They were taken into custody without incident.

Santa Rosa police Sgt. Kevin Naugle said Saturday morning a search continues for the third suspect.

Police also found several pieces of mail inside the Highlander that appeared to have been stolen from a residential area in Petaluma. Inside the vehicle’s passenger compartment they found new, unboxed tools, as well as other burglary tools often used to cut catalytic converters from vehicles.

Howard and Hicks were both were booked into the Sonoma County jail, police said.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.