FARMINGTON — Franklin County is among several counties receiving a higher number of reports of catalytic converters stolen from vehicles this month.

As of Monday, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has investigated four thefts, Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. said Tuesday. Three were in New Sharon: two at Pitcher Perfect Tire on Route 2 on April 4 and 9; and one from Keach’s Auto Sales on Route 2 on Monday.

A resident of Industry reported one stolen April 4 on Federal Row, he said.

Jay had reports of two converters stolen from the same person in the Main Street area in early April, Police Chief Richard Caton IV said.

The converters are being cut out from the exhaust system.

Other counties are also seeing more thefts of catalytic converters, Nichols said.

“We have had a few cases in the last few months,” Chief Deputy William Gagne, of the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, said.

On Sunday, the agency arrested Jacob R. Hine, 23, of Livermore Falls on charges of theft by unauthorized taking, possession of burglar tools and violating conditions of release, Gagne said. Hine is accused of stealing a catalytic converter from a vehicle on Route 106 in Leeds. He was also summonsed for violating the governor’s executive order, he said.

The Oxford County Sheriff’s Office and state police have been working numerous thefts involving catalytic converters over the past month, Chief Deputy James Urquhart said Tuesday.

Kennebec and Somerset counties are also receiving more reports of stolen converters, according to news reports.

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