A mechanic who answered her call for help diagnosed the problem instantly.
“I’ll tell you what it is,” he told her. “They stole your catalytic converter.”
“When you start a vehicle like that and the catalytic converter is gone, the newly schooled business owner said, that’s what it sounds like coming out of the exhaust.
Ritchey is not alone.
Across Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties, law enforcement agencies are responding to a rash of catalytic converter theft, sparked by opportunistic thieves looking to cash in on the increasingly valuable metals harvested from the pollution-reducing tubes.
“We’ve had reports spread out over multiple states and we’re just trying to track down leads and see if we can find out who’s doing it,” Henderson County Sheriff’s Maj. Frank Stout said. “We have got some tips and we’re pursuing those leads. It’s just a rash of thefts of these catalytic converters. Our guys have put in a lot of hours. It’s taking