AFFTON, Mo. — St. Louis County police are trying to solve a string of business break-ins. One of those cases has an unusual twist.
A small business owner said the crooks weren't able to get in the first time they tried, but then the burglars found an unusual method to get inside.
The burglaries include a string of companies ranging from a Dodge dealership to a cleaner and a boutique. Police said money was stolen from each business.
"It's just all new to me. It's the first time it's happened," business owner Christine Riley-Bates said.
Riley-Bates said her Tuesday morning started off normal until she got a rare call from a fellow business owner.
"Celia was the girl in the orthotic's place that called and said "Get up here, your door is all broken, glass is everywhere,'" she told 5 On Your Side.
St. Louis County police said in a span of four hours, the criminals forced their way into six shops in the Lindbergh and Lin Ferry area, including Riley-Bates shop, Tailor's Boutique. All of the burglaries were only blocks away from each other.
"You see people lurking around in this area. You don't what to think now," Riley-Bates said.
Riley-Bates told 5 On Your Side the criminals first broke into her neighbor's shop, then picked her business to be next, but she said the way they got in was unusual.
"They tried to get into the backdoor, which they couldn't do and they threw the legs through my window," she said.
Pictures she gave to 5 On Your Side show concrete legs next to her smashed windows. The prosthetic casts were piled up, behind the business next door. Another picture shows her broken cash-register on the ground.
"They tired to get money out the cash register. That's really all the damage they did," Riley-Bates said.
While the crooks only got away with a few dollars from her shop, she said, the burglaries still made her concerned.
"It's kind of makes me nervous now trying to think what's going to happen next or is it just kids that were needing money for drugs. I don't know. You don't know what's going on," she said.
Now, she's making moves to protect her business.
"I will be more lookout for who's ever coming around," she said.
St. Louis County police said they are also making some changes. They are adjusting the way manpower is directed in the area by conducting extra patrols, but they need your help, too. If you have any information about the burglaries or any video or pictures of the suspects, give them a call or call CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-TIPS(8477).