ST. LOUIS — "Everybody in the community knows that we deliver the service," said Ollie Mae Stewart, the Founder and Executive Director of the Southside Wellness Center.
For more than 50 years, the 90-year-old Stewart and her staff have provided transportation services to countless seniors and people who have disabilities.
Six days a week their drivers are on the go, taking 165 clients to work, adult daycare and other activities.
"We are very thankful and grateful to do this type of service," said Mary Parram, the Assistant Director at Southside Wellness Center.
"These vans be all over the city and the county," said the center's founder.
However, now they have to temporarily put the brakes on the number of people they serve.
It's all because two weeks ago, in the middle of the night, their security cameras caught three thieves on video stealing catalytic converters off four of their shuttle buses.
"I am devastated. In the video, you can clearly see a lookout guy. The other guy is under the vehicle. They all wore masks and hooded sweatshirts," said Mary Parram.
The buses were parked outside the center on Park Avenue near Compton Avenue in the Gate District south of downtown St. Louis.
Mary Parram told police one of the vandals used a chainsaw to cut the catalytic converters, while two other guys acted as lookouts.
Early Friday morning, two more mask-wearing thieves struck again.
They couldn't get the catalytic converter off another shuttle bus at the community center.
After both crimes, the catalytic converter crooks sped off in cars.
Right now, police don't know if the same thieves committed both crimes.
"I think it's just very mean-spirited," said Ollie Mae Stewart.
"It has set us back as far as transporting people," added Stewart's daughter, Mary Parram.
People who now can't get the services they need and may not get to the polls on election day next Tuesday.
"We will, of course, try to do the best that we can, but the catalytic converters are on back order so that means the vans can't move, we are just at a standstill," said Mary Parram.
Stewart says one of the thieves left behind a baseball cap outside her center.
Detectives are now checking it for DNA, hoping it will lead to an arrest.