Thieves are targeting construction crews and their tools in St. Clair county in Illinois.
Around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, police received an alarm from the Hofbrauhaus on Illinois 15. Someone had kicked in the plywood and was inside trying to steal tools.
Just a few prior 2.5 miles from there, a home under construction was broken into in the Olde Lantern Estates subdivision.
Around 4 a.m. Monday the thieves disconnected the meter and kicked in a window to get inside.
They stole hundreds of dollars in power tools, and thousands of dollars in large appliances.
Neighbor Vicky Hauser says new construction, including her home, has been burglarized in the neighborhood for years.
Neighbors noticed a white or silver minivan with temporary license plates hanging around the neighborhood a couple of days before the break-in. The morning of the break-in a witness believes they saw the same van pulling away from the house.
The driver didn’t see a pile of dirt in the middle of the yard and drove right into it, leaving tire impressions.
Investigators are also looking at surveillance video for leads.
