(Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office) Over the past several months we have seen multiple cases of catalytic converters stolen from parked vehicles. We have made arrests in some of the cases however the thieves are continuing to target garages, boat launch parking areas, store parking lots and commuter lots where vehicles are left unattended.
Catalytic converters contain three valuable metals, platinum, palladium and rhodium that help remove toxins from the vehicles emissions. Thieves will then scrap the converters at local scrap yards collecting hundreds of dollars for the valuable metals from within the catalytic converter.
Some of these thefts are occurring during broad daylight. If you witness suspicious activity, such as an individual crawling under a car, notify us immediately. Investigators are diligently working to solve these cases but as always if you have information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved we offer up to a $1000 reward for information. For more information call Deputy David Moyer at 540-928-2260.
