Deputies are investigating a string of 18 home break-ins in southern Eau Claire County. They spread out there Monday to try and catch the thieves on their 3-week-old crime spree.

Eau Claire County Sheriff Ron Cramer says in all 18 break-ins, the thieves wait for the homeowners to leave for the day. They usually kick in the front door and steal TV’s, electronics, jewelry, Xbox games, and cash.

The thieves targeted homes in the towns of Washington, Drammen, Pleasant Valley, and Brunswick. At three of the homes, we knocked on the doors, but no one answered. Cramer says that's exactly what the thieves want.

“They're not preying on someone obviously that's home,” he says. “They want to hit a house that no one is home. They don't want to encounter anybody.”

The homes are in rural Eau Claire County, far away from populated neighborhoods. Many are on the same streets. For example, on November 27, the thieves broke into two neighboring homes on Elderberry Lane, a secluded, dead-end road.

“A lot of the driveways are secluded driveways off the beaten path,” Cramer says. “They haven't been in the housing developments yet, and so we're trying to come up with a description of a vehicle, try to just alert the neighbors to what's going on so far.”

He says if you live in the county, south of Eau Claire, you need to work with your neighbors to keep track of what's going on in the area.

“Just kind of an alert to be aware- if somebody knocks on your door and tells you that they're there to do a chore or it just sounds suspicious, give us a description of the vehicle and what the people look like,” Cramer says.

Deputies are looking for a specific vehicle, but they won't give out a description at this point in the investigation. Cramer says in the past, the thieves have focused on one day of the week- 12 of the 18 break-ins were on Mondays.