Catalytic converter thieves hit Nevada center for the blind

Las Vegas, Nev. (FOX5) -The latest catalytic converter theft shows thieves don’t care who they hit. They hit the Nevada Center for the Blind and recently stole four convertibles.

“These kinds of things are just a slap in the face,” said Nevada Center for the Blind manager Eric Bradley.

Surveillance video captures a pair of burglaries. Thieves attacked the center in late January and February and stole two converters from a large truck. It is used to collect old electronic equipment. The Center for the Blind funds most of its operations by selling old computer parts. The center says it is now spending $2,000 a week on a rental car to receive donations while the truck is out of service.

Thieves also took a converter for a bus that transports blind and partially sighted people to community events, field trips and grocery shopping. They also stole a converter from a van.

The valley has seen an increase in the theft of catalytic converters. The precious metals inside the converters clean the car’s exhaust. Some of those metals are more valuable than gold, and that’s why thieves want them. Transducers can be stolen in less than a minute and cost several thousand dollars to repair. Many people let their cars sit unused because they can’t afford repairs, especially those without insurance.

The Nevada Center for the Blind says the damage from the theft is at least $10,000. It also wants to put metal plates over the replacement converters to protect them. It has set up a GoFundMe to help with repairs and converter covers.

The Nevada Center for the Blind offers several services at no cost to people who are blind or visually impaired.

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