Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Serial Felon Gets 15 Years for Tulare County Catalytic Converter Thefts
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 5 months ago on
January 17, 2025

Sean Michael Pelton, 53, is paying a heavy price for his catalytic converter theft spree in Visalia in 2020 and 2021. (GV Wire Composite)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Sean Michael Pelton will pay a heavy price for his catalytic converter theft spree in Visalia in 2020 and 2021.

The 53-year-old Sacramento man was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay $133,000 restitution on Thursday in Tulare County Superior Court.

Pelton was convicted of the thefts in November 2024.

In addition, Pelton was sentenced to 20 non-concurrent months in three additional cases for similar crimes in Amador, Sacramento, and Fresno counties. Restitution was ordered at $236,031.44
in those cases.

“Let this sentence serve as a warning to other would-be thieves,” said Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward in a statement. “Although the crime itself may be considered ‘non-violent’ by our Legislature, my office will recognize these impacts to our community and will do everything in our power to ensure this career criminal and anyone who would follow in his footsteps are
removed from society and not able to re-victimize.”

About the Thefts

In three separate thefts from March 2020 to September 2020, and an additional theft in July 2021, Pelton targeted utility trucks in the AT&T service yard in northeast Visalia. Using bolt cutters to cut holes in the yard’s security fence, Pelton stole 73 converters.

The company said that the thefts greatly impacted the company’s fleet, preventing technicians from reaching customers. Each converter cost the company more than $1,000. Visalia police used surveillance video, geo-fencing data, and hotel and cell phone records to identify Pelton.

Pelton had more than 20 prior felony convictions — largely for theft, burglary, and vandalism — throughout California.

Assistant District Attorney Sean Sangree prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Visalia Police Department.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Climbs as Oil Prices Ease, Fed Meeting in Focus

DON'T MISS

Americans Don’t See Supreme Court as Politically Neutral, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Arrested in Fatal DUI Crash on Trimmer Springs Road

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Kills 41 People in Gaza, Medics Say

DON'T MISS

Manhunt for Gunman Who Shot Two Minnesota Lawmakers Enters Second Day

DON'T MISS

Israel and Iran Bombard Each Other, Trump Says He Can ‘Easily’ End Conflict

DON'T MISS

Trump Vetoed an Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

DON'T MISS

Newsom Wanted To Fast-Track the Delta Tunnel Project. The Legislature Slowed the Flow

DON'T MISS

Five Weeknight Dishes: Seven Ingredients or Fewer, Because Summer

DON'T MISS

Big Fresno Fair Unveils Second Wave of 2025 Concert Acts

UP NEXT

Americans Don’t See Supreme Court as Politically Neutral, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Arrested in Fatal DUI Crash on Trimmer Springs Road

UP NEXT

Israeli Military Kills 41 People in Gaza, Medics Say

UP NEXT

Manhunt for Gunman Who Shot Two Minnesota Lawmakers Enters Second Day

UP NEXT

Israel and Iran Bombard Each Other, Trump Says He Can ‘Easily’ End Conflict

UP NEXT

Trump Vetoed an Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

UP NEXT

Newsom Wanted To Fast-Track the Delta Tunnel Project. The Legislature Slowed the Flow

UP NEXT

Five Weeknight Dishes: Seven Ingredients or Fewer, Because Summer

UP NEXT

Big Fresno Fair Unveils Second Wave of 2025 Concert Acts

UP NEXT

Israel Says Attacks on Iran Are Nothing Compared With What Is Coming

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Israeli Military Kills 41 People in Gaza, Medics Say

21 hours ago

Manhunt for Gunman Who Shot Two Minnesota Lawmakers Enters Second Day

22 hours ago

Israel and Iran Bombard Each Other, Trump Says He Can ‘Easily’ End Conflict

22 hours ago

Trump Vetoed an Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

22 hours ago

Newsom Wanted To Fast-Track the Delta Tunnel Project. The Legislature Slowed the Flow

24 hours ago

Five Weeknight Dishes: Seven Ingredients or Fewer, Because Summer

1 day ago

Big Fresno Fair Unveils Second Wave of 2025 Concert Acts

1 day ago

Israel Says Attacks on Iran Are Nothing Compared With What Is Coming

2 days ago

Military Parade Barrels Through Nation’s Capital With Tanks, Troops and 21-Gun Salute

2 days ago

Authorities Still Searching for Suspect in Shooting of 2 Minnesota State Lawmakers

2 days ago

Wall Street Climbs as Oil Prices Ease, Fed Meeting in Focus

U.S. stock indexes rose on Monday as oil prices retreated after the Israel-Iran attacks left crude production and exports unaffected, allayi...

29 seconds ago

A man walks past a Wall Street marking outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) building in New York City, U.S., March 11, 2025. (Reuters File)
29 seconds ago

Wall Street Climbs as Oil Prices Ease, Fed Meeting in Focus

A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, U.S., June 1, 2024. (Reuters File)
9 minutes ago

Americans Don’t See Supreme Court as Politically Neutral, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

20 hours ago

Fresno Man Arrested in Fatal DUI Crash on Trimmer Springs Road

Mourners pray during the funeral of a Palestinian killed in what the Gaza health ministry says was Israeli fire near a distribution center in Rafah, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
21 hours ago

Israeli Military Kills 41 People in Gaza, Medics Say

Bullet holes mark the front door of Minnesota state Senator John Hoffman, who was shot alongside his wife, Yvette, in what is believed to be an attack by 57-year-old suspect Vance Luther Boelter, who is also the lead suspect in the shooting deaths of senior Democratic state assemblywoman Melissa Hortman and her husband, Marc, in Champlin, Minnesota, U.S., June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Tim Evans
22 hours ago

Manhunt for Gunman Who Shot Two Minnesota Lawmakers Enters Second Day

Israelis take shelter at the side of a highway as siren sounds following missile attack from Iran on Israel, in central Israel June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Oren Ben Hakoon
22 hours ago

Israel and Iran Bombard Each Other, Trump Says He Can ‘Easily’ End Conflict

President Donald Trump speaks as he attends a military parade to commemorate the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday, on the day of his 79th birthday, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
22 hours ago

Trump Vetoed an Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

24 hours ago

Newsom Wanted To Fast-Track the Delta Tunnel Project. The Legislature Slowed the Flow

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend