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LANCASTER, S.C. — A York County organization that provides rides and delivers meals to seniors had the catalytic converters stolen from about half of its fleet. 

The York County Council on Aging says its vehicles were targeted by catalytic converter thieves, leaving the agency with over $32,000 in repair bills. The agency's director, Lauren Giles, said they should get the money back from insurance, but repairs must be paid for upfront. 

“It makes me angry," Giles said. "You feel violated and then it does affect so many people... We transport our seniors, but we also transport people to work, people to dialysis, people to chemotherapy.” 

As a result of so many vehicles being out of service, the council said it is having to use minivans instead of buses to transport meals, which is causing longer wait times for riders. 

Stolen catalytic converters aren't a new problem in the Charlotte area. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department reported 862 stolen catalytic converters in 2020 and over 1,400 in 2021. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed a bill into law last September that makes stealing a catalytic converter a felony. 

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Police in Salisbury said around that same time that the most commonly targeted vehicles for catalytic converter thefts were the Toyota Prius, SUVs, pick-up trucks and Honda vans. 

To help prevent catalytic converter theft, the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office announced a partnership with several local auto repair shops to "mark" the parts for customers. The businesses have agreed to give the converters a unique mark using heat pens so that in the event one is stolen, police can track it down and find the person who stole it. 

“Catalytic converters, like any other generic auto part, most of the time they don’t have markings on them," Doug Barfield with the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office said. "There is no way to trace them back."

“We’re doing this to basically help our customers and it’s just a good way of giving back to the community by us taking time to do this," Billy Mosteller with Mosteller Automotive and Alignment said.

Other measures you can take to prevent your catalytic converter from being stolen are parking in a secure, well-lit area and installing security cameras. Drivers should check their vehicles frequently for signs of tampering or theft and immediately report any suspicious activity to the police. 

Catalytic converter marking services will be offered free of charge to customers at the following businesses: 

Contact Indira Eskieva at  ieskieva@wcnc.com  and follow her on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .

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