Parts thieves hit again

Police: Be on the lookout for thieves stealing vehicle parts

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BROOKINGS – Brookings Police are warning the public to watch out for thieves targeting catalytic converters; three have been stolen in the city in just the past week or so, Sgt. Joel Perry said.

“We had a couple (stolen) over the summer, and then we just had three here recently,” Perry said, adding the latest thefts were on Oct. 14, 18 and 19.

He said thieves can sell the catalytic converter to scrap yards for about $50.

“But it costs the victim up to $500 to replace them, so that’s the worst part,” Perry said.

“They’ll just crawl under the vehicle and use a metal cutting saw of some sort and remove the catalytic converter,” Perry said. “It’s generally older vehicles.”

He’s asking people to “be mindful of it.”