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Polk County Sheriff’s Office gives advice on how to prevent these crimes

 

POLK COUNTY– Over the past few months, Polk County has experienced an increase of catalytic converter larcenies. The most recent reported incident occurred on Sunday, June 4, at Midway Baptist Church in Columbus. 

According to Detective Edwards of Polk County’s Criminal Investigation Division, two church vans had their catalytic converters stolen while parked at the church. A member of Midway Baptist Church claims that a church van at Beulah Baptist Church as well as a work truck at Tim Edwards Landscaping, both in Mill Spring, were also stripped.

Last month, on May 6, another reported incident occurred at a residence on Tanner Rd. in Columbus.

Det. Edwards stated that each reported incident had a different suspect vehicle description.

Prior to these incidents, there were three catalytic converter thefts reported in 2022 and five thefts reported in 2021.

“Catalytic converter theft is an ever-increasing concern across the country, and something Polk County Sheriff’s Office continuously works with surrounding law enforcement agencies in preventing and detecting,” said Public Information Officer J.J. Sauve on Sunday. “We recommend parking in front of security cameras if present and keeping a regular check on vehicles that remain parked for long periods of time.”

In 2022, the NC Legislature enacted a law specifically targeting the theft and possession of stolen catalytic converters and increased the penalty for each to a felony.

Polk County Sheriff’s Office says anyone with information about stolen catalytic converters to contact them at (828) 894-3001.