Catalytic converter stolen from truck parked at Atascocita High School
A catalytic converter was stolen from a truck parked at Atascocita High School, and Humble ISD police are now reviewing campus video as families weigh how safe school parking really is.
A catalytic converter was stolen from a truck parked at Atascocita High School during the school day, putting Humble ISD police on the case and raising fresh concerns about how secure student parking really is on campus.
Haleigh Hunt said she first noticed something sounded off when she started her truck after class. She later learned through a call from her mother that the catalytic converter had been taken. Hunt’s mother said she is now in touch with Atascocita school leaders and the insurance company as the family works through the fallout.
The Humble ISD Police Department said it is reviewing video footage and investigating the theft. The district said only one vehicle appears to have been affected. Even so, a single theft can leave a student stranded, force a costly repair and turn a routine school day into a security problem for an entire parking lot.
That concern carries extra weight in Harris County, where catalytic converter theft surged sharply in recent years. Texas legislative analysis said Houston thefts climbed from 375 in 2019 to 7,822 in 2021. ABC13 also reported that Houston car-part thefts nearly tripled since 2019 and that Houston police logged almost 17,000 auto-parts theft cases in the 12 months through mid-October 2022. In March 2022 alone, ABC13’s reporting showed more than 1,200 catalytic converter theft incidents.
Texas responded with the Deputy Darren Almendarez Act, which took effect July 1, 2023. The Texas Department of Public Safety says the law increased penalties for illegally obtaining a catalytic converter and created tougher penalties when a firearm is used in the crime. The issue has remained expensive for drivers, too. The Congressional Research Service says replacing a stolen catalytic converter can cost a passenger vehicle owner up to $3,000.
Hunt said she plans to buy a catalytic converter lock once the truck is fixed, a reminder that prevention often comes only after a theft has already happened. AAA says catalytic converter etching can help deter theft and make the part easier to identify if stolen.
Atascocita High School’s parking guidance says students are assigned dedicated on-campus parking spots, underscoring that the theft happened in a space the district expects students to use every day. As investigators review the video and families wait on repairs, the case has turned a school parking lot into the latest test of whether campus security can keep up with a crime that still targets ordinary drivers.
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