ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the theft of catalytic converters from two trucks that were parked in a parking lot at 2605 U.S.73 Highway that occurred sometime between Friday evening and Monday morning, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.
In this instance, two catalytic converters were taken from one truck and one catalytic converter taken from a second truck. Total value of these three $1,100.
In Atchison, there have been 7 catalytic converters stolen so far in 2021 and there were 10 stolen in 2020.
Of these seventeen, 10 were taken from trucks, 5 were taken from vans, and 2 were taken from SUV’s. These vehicles set higher and thieves can quickly crawl underneath the vehicles and cut the converters from the exhaust system, usually with a battery powered Sawzall. Values of the stolen converters have ranged from $300 to $2,000 each. They contain precious metals with a value as scrap.
Atchison Police are working with other law enforcement agencies in Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri who are experiencing similar thefts, according to Wilson.