Gary Pomeroy was reading the New York Times on Feb. 9 when he noticed an article on the front page about a rash of catalytic converter thefts across the nation, the Toyota Prius being the most targeted car.

Pomeroy owns a Toyota Prius.

That night he said thieves stole the catalytic converter off his Prius while it was parked in his driveway on Standard Oil Street in a neighborhood north of downtown Athens.

On the morning of Feb. 10, he called police to join the line of people in Athens who have already reported similar thefts.