Members of the Hillsboro City Council spoke about the recent string of vehicle break-ins that have occurred in town during their meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

Hillsboro Police Chief Randy Leetham said there was nothing new to report other than what has already been published. A number of vehicles had recently been broken into in the parking lots of Fusion Fitness and DaVita Dialysis. He said the suspects have attempted to cash checks that were stolen from the vehicles, and there is also some identification swapping going on.

Leetham told the council that this has occurred in at least two states, as Festus, Missouri, was also hit by the same suspects. In addition to Hillsboro, the suspects broke into vehicles at Snap Fitness in Litchfield and the YMCA in Vandalia.

Public Safety Commissioner Michael Murphy said that while Hillsboro is as close to Mayberry" without actually being it, "bad things do still happen here." He encouraged residents to take precautions such as not leaving valuables inside of vehicles, even if the cars are locked.

Mayor Brian Sullivan said the suspects are not believed to be local people, and that they appeared to be taking advantage of our good nature. He added that it's time to start realizing that it's "not only our neighbors and friends" that visit Hillsboro, but people from outside the area are paying visits and trying to take advantage.

The next Hillsboro City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m.