Joliet's Catalytic Converter Thief Serving Prison Time

JOLIET, IL — A 48-year-old Joliet man who was hauled away in handcuffs by Joliet police back in January is now serving a four-year prison term for having stolen catalytic converters from vehicles stored at his residence in the 500 block of North Chicago Street.

David "Pee Wee" Walton is serving his prison term at the East Moline Correctional Center. Walton was admitted to the Illinois Department of Corrections in June, marking the second time in his life that he's done prison time in Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Corrections lists Walton as having a projected parole date of Jan. 26, 2024. Walton is serving his four-year prison term at 50 percent after pleading guilty to the crime of possession of stolen motor vehicles.

At the time of his sentencing, Walton was also given credit for spending 121 days in the custody of the Will County Jail earlier this year.

Joliet Patch previously reported that around 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 27, Joliet police went to investigate a report of stolen catalytic converters from vehicles in the 500 block of North Chicago Street.

Walton and the woman he lived with, Amber Wilkins, age 41, gave officers permission to search their property, Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English stated.

Inside, officers saw numerous catalytic converters and removal tools strewn throughout the residence. The catalytic converters were the proceeds of vehicle part thefts.

"Officers also located narcotics and a .22 caliber handgun in the residence," English announced at the time.

As for the co-defendant, the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow dismissed all the criminal charges filed against Wilkins, court files show.

In January, she was jailed on charges of theft of motor vehicle parts or accessories and possession of controlled substances.

As for Walton, the Joliet resident previously served a six-year prison term at the Illinois Department of Corrections after being sentenced in 2011 for committing the crime of aggravated battery using a deadly weapon here in Will County.