Law enforcement warns of catalytic converter thieves

Neshoba County Sheriff Eric Clark has warned residents to be vigilant as several catalytic converters have been reported stolen in the area in the past few weeks.

Clark said he had not had any reports in the county but knew that Lauderdale County law enforcement had been dealing with the issue and there were several instances in Philadelphia that he knew of.

“We have not had anything reported in the county but there have been three instances … that I know of in the city limits,” Clark said.

Philadelphia Police Chief Eric Lyons said the city has recorded about three or four such instances in the past week. He said targeted vehicles tend to be Fords and Dodges. The thieves appear to be operating at night, likely after midnight and that most of the vehicles have been parked at businesses.

He said that as Tuesday they did not have a lot to go on because so far they have not been able to get surveillance video footage of potential suspects, though they do have a vehicle description.

Clark said his department has already dedicated resources to the case. He said the thieves are sliding under vehicles and cutting the catalytic converters off of the exhaust systems with a cutting tool.

Clark said the street value of the items range between $75 and $150 but that victims will have to spend many times that to replace a stolen catalytic converter.

Specifically, Clark said one had been stolen from a car parked in the lot across the street from D&W Tire. He said a number of vehicles from the AT&T maintenance fleet on Waterview Lane between lakeside Drive and Beacon Street had been hit as well.

“When they came in in the morning and people started cranking up their service trucks they knew something was wrong,” Clark said.

Crimestoppers is offering a reward for information related to the case, Clark and Lyons said. Lyons recommended that residence and business owners invest in cameras and motion sensor lights to deter potential thieves.

If you have any information about these thefts, please call 1-855-485-8477 (TIPS) or 601-656-1414 for the Sheriff’s Office and 601-656-2131 for the Police Station.