BEAUMONT, Texas — Members of a well-known non-profit organization in Beaumont are asking for the community's help after a catalytic converter theft left them without transportation.
The theft happened in the Humane Society of Southeast Texas' parking lot on Sunday night around 9:30 p.m. The entire incident was caught on camera.
Members with the Humane Society said it only took four minutes for the catalytic converter to be taken from the shelter's van. In the video, a shadowy figure is seen walking across the parking lot and going underneath the van.
The suspect allegedly cut the converter out and took off. Members of the non-profit did not find out about the theft until the next morning and were left in utter disbelief.
“This is the van we do transports with and take animals to our vets and go to PetSmart to pick up supplies,” Westphal said. “Tractor supplies is everything for us, so being without our van is a huge deficit for us.”
The van is the shelter's only vehicle. Volunteers said they depend on it to help them do their jobs and care for the animals living at the shelter.
The theft hit the shelter especially hard because members spent a great deal of money to get the van's transmission fixed in 2021.
“I know there is a lot of people who are struggling, but this is, it really puts us in a bind," Westphal said. "And this is our only vehicle. This is what we use to get from point A to point B, and now that this has been taken away from us, we can't drive this van at all. It's non-operational."
Members said they are scrambling to find a way to get around and get things done. They are asking for donations, so they can replace the catalytic converter and get the van back on the road.
"As a non-profit, we live by donations throughout the community and it has been really great to us and we want to make sure everyone who donates to us gets acknowledged for helping us with the van," Westphal said. "You can do that in person or online."