Stolen car parts land man in jail, Pasco deputies say

LUTZ

Man accused of taking catalytic converters

A felon who served two stints in prison for selling cocaine and fleeing the law found a new hobby: stealing catalytic converters off parked cars, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

Louis T. Hudson, 34, of Tampa, was arrested Friday after an undercover Tampa police officer saw Hudson using a saw to remove the converters and reported it to the Pasco Sheriff's Office, authorities said. The converters — which are used to reduce toxic emissions — are worth $400, a report states.

Hudson is accused of stealing converters from a parked car at an auto repair shop at 1913 Foggy Ridge Parkway in Lutz and two other stores along Land O'Lakes Boulevard in Land O'Lakes.

Hudson is being held at the Pasco County jail in lieu of $51,000 bail.