Often I have posted animal
track pictures on this web site. But here are some tracks
I have never posted a picture of. Can you guess what kind
of tracks they are? A moose lying down to rest? A
coyote rolling in the snow? A lost sled dog bedding down?
Nope.
These are scum bag tracks.
These are tracks from some
scum bag that laid on the snow as he/she used a battery powered
reciprocating saw to quickly cut off and steal the catalytic
converter from my truck. Scum bags steal catalytic
converters because they contain precious metals like platinum
and palladium that can be sold to unscrupulous metal recyclers.
Catalytic converter theft is a prevalent scourge these days.
I realized that I was often
putting myself at risk to be a victim of this crime, by parking
in remote locations.
Eventually my number came up.
So ... beware. This
happened at the Matanuska-Susitna Borough public parking lot on Ayrshire Road at Point Mackenzie. But it can happen most
anywhere.
If
your catalytic converter is cut off and stolen from your vehicle, you will
still likely be able to drive your vehicle (unless other stuff was cut
into). But it's gonna be loud driving. Because you
will be driving with an engine that has been disconnected from
the muffler.
If
this theft happens to you, hopefully you have decent
comprehensive auto insurance. The thief might get $50 for
the stolen item. But the cost to you will likely be over
$2000, minus whatever your insurance company
pays above your deductible amount.
I recently talked to a guy that commutes to Anchorage from the
Valley. He said a couple of weeks ago, during the height
of evening rush traffic, he went by an overturned truck,
something that is seen often on the Glenn Highway in the winter.
And he noticed that someone was at the truck cutting off the
catalytic converter. A thief boldly stealing as hundreds
of people pass by a few feet away. Welcome to the new
Alaska. |