GRAPEVINE, Texas — A Tarrant County jury has sentenced Jaylin Jessie to 35 years in prison after finding him guilty of engaging in organized criminal activity connected to a series of catalytic converter thefts.

Prosecutors said the 27-year-old is among the first in Texas to be sentenced under a 2023 state law that makes it a felony to engage in organized crime through catalytic converter theft.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Deputy Darren Almendarez Act into law in May 2023. The bill, which goes into effect immediately, was inspired by a Harris County Sheriff's Office deputy who authorities said was shot and killed while trying to stop three suspects from stealing his catalytic converter in a grocery store parking lot in March 2022. For a more thorough breakdown, read the full bi

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