A new law aimed to diminish the market for stolen catalytic converters went into effect

A new law aimed to diminish the market for stolen catalytic converters went into effect on Saturday, but someone cut off two from Consolidated Communications trucks sometime over the weekend. State police in Derby reported that sometime between Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 6 a.m., someone cut the catalytic converters from two Consolidated Communications trucks parked near 102 Main St. in Derby. The timing of the crime coincided with the first day Vermont Senate Bill 48 went into effect as law. It’s legislation passed by the state House and Senate and signed into law by Gov. Phil Scott. It aims to make it more difficult for someone who has stolen a catalytic converter from a vehicle to profit from the crime by selling it to a business that deals in scrap metals.  It’s also stated in the legislation that no one can transport more than one catalytic converter at a time unless the person has proof of ownership of each converter and each converter is marked with the vin number from which the catalytic converter was taken.