A man who deputies said was attempting to steal a catalytic converter is wanted by the Sheriff after he was shot.
Pike County Sheriff said that Jonathan Thompson, 28, is wanted after a homeowner confronted him on Clines Chapel Road. It was there, the Sheriff said, that Thompson was in the process of cutting off a catalytic converter with a hand saw. That’s when the homeowner caught Thompson in the process and a fight ensued.
The Sheriff said Thompson struck the homeowner in the face with the saw, and that’s when the homeowner shot Thompson in the groin. Thompson reportedly crawled away into a nearby pickup truck and fled the area, the Sheriff reported.
The homeowner was not seriously injured and it is not known if Thompson sought medical treatment. Thompson, with a last known address in Peebles, is now wanted for felony charges.
Catalytic converters are designed to act as a line of defense against harmful exhaust system emissions by turning pollutants into harmless gasses, according to Cars.com. Thieves target catalytic converters because they contain precious metals, like platinum, palladium or rhodium, that are valuable to metal dealers.