GALVESTON
Island caterer Todd Schott arrived at work one morning last week to find his van had been burglarized.
It wasnât the typical auto burglary, however, like the smashed windows and ransacked glove boxes vehicle owners often experience in Galveston and elsewhere.
Someone had crawled under the van and cut off a piece of its exhaust system. The catalytic converter, a device that reduces pollution emitted from gasoline engines, was gone. It had been taken clean off, he said.
Schott posted his plight on social media and was surprised to learn he wasnât alone.
âI had so many people comment on it,â Schott said. âItâs an epidemic and not just here in Galveston.â