SMITHFIELD – A deputy sheriff on routine patrol happened to be in the right place at the right time. At 4:23am Monday, March 20, a patrol deputy was conducting a routine building check at Pisgah Baptist Church, located 3689 NC Highway 210 near Smithfield.
As the officer turned into the church parking lot he reportedly saw a man underneath the church van, reportedly in the process of stealing the catalytic converter.
The officer detained the suspect and also seized a book bag containing cutting tools. The suspect was transported to the hospital for medical evaluation. Once released from the hospital the man will face criminal charges.
The unnamed suspect is also a person of interest in the March 17 theft of a catalytic converter from a church van at Burnell Baptist Church, at 3720 Old School Road, Four Oaks.
