Late last week, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a trio of alleged thieves caught after reportedly sawing off a catalytic converter from the underbelly of a car parked on Palmetto Drive in Carpinteria at around 2:30 a.m. The suspects — all in their mid-thirties and hailing from Los Angeles — were arrested and held on $1 million bail.
The next night, the Sheriff’s substation in Carpinteria got reports of three more such thefts.
“It’s fast and easy money,” explained Lt. Butch Arnoldi. “It’s spiking everywhere in the entire state of California.”