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Sep 22, 2023

Catalytic Converter Thieves Hit Denton County Storage Site

A North Texas storage facility is among the latest to be impacted by catalytic

A North Texas storage facility is among the latest to be impacted by catalytic converter thefts, a crime that has skyrocketed over the past few years.

The Denton County Sheriff's Office is investigating a reported theft at Texas Premier Storage located near Aubrey and Pilot Point, a sheriff's spokesman said. Specifics of the incident, such as how many catalytic converters may have been stolen, were not readily available Wednesday.

C.R. Martin of Irving places his RV in storage at the facility and shared an email from Texas Premier Storage he received on Tuesday afternoon when they discovered catalytic converters had been stolen from "several RVs."

"We believe your RV was one of them. Please come out to confirm at your earliest convenience," the email read.

Martin drove to the facility on Tuesday.

"Over the next few days, we will be going over our surveillance videos and working with the Sherriff's department to see if we can determine who was involved, the email read. "We will keep you posted on any information we receive."

"Sure enough, laid underneath and looked. Catalytic converter had been cut out," he recalled.

Martin said he, his wife and their dog have enjoyed traveling to different cities in the RV.

"We parked on the Grand Canyon, California, Nigeria Falls, New York," he said. "You see places that you don't normally see. So, RV life, cabin life, it's a good life."

According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, catalytic converters are being stolen at increasingly higher rates due to their valuable metals, such as rhodium, platinum and palladium.

"Thieves can easily steal catalytic converters from unattended vehicles," according to NADA. "Since catalytic converters are not readily traceable, there is a lucrative market for these stolen parts."

In October 2022, State Farm Insurance released a report ranking Texas second for the most catalytic converter thefts in the country. State Farm's data shows between July 2021 and June 2022 catalytic converter theft has grown 109% nationally, in terms of the number of claims filed, compared to the previous 12 months.

Martin's family said they believe Texas Premier Storage did everything it could to prevent theft. The next step is to get the RV into a repair shop, though Martin said he has questions.

"Why is there a market for catalytic converters?" he asked. "These are people that are stealing auto parts and selling them to scrap dealers. How can this go on?"

According to the email from Texas Premier Storage, the business will be going over surveillance videos over the next few days and working with the Denton County Sheriff's Office to see if they can determine who was involved.

NBC 5 reached out to the company for further comment, but our request has not been returned as of this writing.