SISTERS, OR -- The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a cluster of car break-ins discovered Tuesday morning in the residential area surrounding Sisters Elementary. "We’ve had about half a dozen calls of unauthorized entry to motor vehicles," Sgt. Dan Bilyeu tells KBND News. "So far, what we’ve found is the vehicles have been targets of opportunity; in other words, they’ve been left unlocked. There’s been no damage to the vehicles or smashed windows."

Sgt. Bilyeu says there may be more people who haven’t yet realized they are victims. Most of the reports were of missing small items, like loose change. He acknowledges it’s hard to solve these types of crimes without the public’s help. "At night, it’s hard for us to move around unnoticed, because we’ve got our lights on, so people see our lights on and duck into alleyways or between the houses. So, they’re really kind of difficult to investigate. So, what we need is someone who sees something or knows something that can get us pointed in the right direction." Anyone with information, or who think they might be a victim, is asked to call non-emergency dispatch at 541-693-6911.