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The owner of a Crystal Lake business that sells used commercial trucks said he is offering $2,500 for information that leads to an arrest of the thieves who stole 28 catalytic converters from his trucks this past weekend.
David Loucks, owner of Signature Truck Center at 970 Pyott Road, said this is the second time in the last two years he has had converters stolen from his trucks. He said he came in Monday morning, started up one truck and instantly knew he got ripped off again.
With a power saw and a bit of knowledge, he said it only takes minutes for a thief to slide under the truck and remove the part. A catalytic converter is a part of a vehicle’s exhaust system on trucks with diesel engines or larger, he said.
The honeycomb of mesh, coated in precious metals designed to help protect the environment by controlling harmful emissions, has been required in every vehicle produced in the U.S. since 1975.
A would-be thief is attracted to catalytic converters because they are made with high-priced precious metals; platinum, rhodium and palladium. They can make a quick buck at an auto shop or scrap metal business, Loucks said.
“It takes a minute or two to get one, so the hourly rate is pretty good,” he said with a laugh. “You don’t get angry anymore. It is just a hinderance.”
He said the theft is costing his business about $84,000 and puts sales in a holding pattern until he can locate the proper fitting catalytic converters to replace what was stolen. Different vehicles require different catalytic converters and they can be hard to find. Once located, it likely will take a while to make it to his lot. He anticipates his business to be set back several weeks, he said.
Some of the stolen converters were electronically tagged so he is hoping this helps recover them. But he said, it is hard to catch these thieves because it is so easy and quick to steal them.
Loucks said he has notified local recycling centers to keep an eye out for anyone who comes in with a large number of catalytic converters. However, he said they also could be sold online so he is keeping an eye on certain websites.
Often, they are sold out of state because Illinois has a law in place that a person selling a converter must prove it belongs to them. Other states such as Indiana and Missouri do not have such a law, he said.
Loucks said he made a police report Monday with the Crystal Lake Police Department. On Wednesday, Deputy Chief Thomas Kotlowski said he had no information to share about the case.
“Often there is no evidence recovered at the scene because of the simplicity of the crime,” Kotlowski said.
McHenry County Sheriff’s deputy Kevin Byrnes said Wednesday that the sheriff’s office “does not have any active assigned cases for catalytic converter thefts.”
Loucks chalks up the increase in these thefts to financial strains due, in part, to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the reports in February was Woodstock where police at the time said they had about 10 catalytic converters reported stolen throughout the town.
This week Woodstock Police Chief John Lieb said last summer many parts of the Chicagoland area were being hit hard by the catalytic converter thefts, including Woodstock.
At that time Lieb told the Northwest Herald that it appeared to be the same type of crew that typically steals cars now stealing catalytic converters.
“Instead of stealing the whole car, they can just take this one part and make a decent amount of money off it,” Lieb said in February.
He also said not only are the parts valuable, they are believed to have the components needed to make illegal methamphetamine.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, part of the National Institutes of Health, clandestine laboratories use many chemicals to produce methamphetamine, including palladium.
Lieb said Wednesday that police believe those stealing these parts are coming from outside the McHenry County area. He said the current report of such thefts are not as bad as they were last year.
“They targeted cars on the streets, in apartment parking lots, in business parking lots, and at car dealerships,” Lieb said in an email Wednesday. “However, today, Woodstock PD will still get a reported catalytic converter theft from time to time, but nowhere near the numbers we saw last year. Vigilance by both private citizens and police, along with added security measures (e.g. property lighting, cameras, etc.) certainly helped deter these thieves from traveling back to Woodstock.”
Loucks said he has cameras on his property but they didn’t catch anything this weekend, likely because it was dark and the thieves came in through the back of the property and stayed clear of the cameras. He said they are in and out quick. He is now installing more cameras and adding security fencing.
Should anyone have any information regarding the thefts at Signature Truck Center they are asked to call the Crystal Lake Police Department non-emergency 815-459-2020.