RCMP almost catch catalytic converter thief operating in the Rutland area Friday

Photo: Kim Wilson

A Kelowna woman says she was woken in the middle of the night by a loud scraping sound she first thought might be her window fan breaking down.

Kim Wilson tells Castanet she was jolted awake by a loud noise Friday at 4:20 a.m., she thought it was her fan but a quick check revealed no problems on that front.

"I look out the window and I see this guy hanging around a truck [parked on the street] and it was looking like he wasn't the owner of the truck," she said.

Wilson says the man was acting suspicious and looked like he had a tool in his hand as he lurked around the Leathead Road area of Rutland.

"Then he cranks under the truck and uses the tool again," she said. "He slides out on a roller and all of a sudden he's in a hurry, throws something in the back of his truck and he takes off."

Wilson called RCMP who she says arrived promptly and began to investigate the situation. It didn't take long before the investigation revealed that the catalytic converter on the truck had been stolen.

"Our truck was parked right behind the other vehicle so we were just lucky it wasn't us," she said. "They were sly."

Wilson says the entire ordeal lasted about seven minutes and RCMP say a converter, which converts pollutants into less harmful emissions before they leave a vehicle’s exhaust system, can be stolen in a matter of minutes with a blowtorch or grinder.

Thieves often target vehicles higher up from the ground such as minivans and SUV's to allow easier access to the underside of a vehicle.

Theft of catalytic converters is an ongoing issue, as the salvage price of metal contained in the exhaust emission control device is currently considered high, and can be turned around for a quick profit.