A string of burglaries in the Holly Hills area of Madison have City Police at a standstill in their investigation and looking to the community for additional leads. The crimes occurred in the early morning hours on Saturday during the Memorial Day weekend, and at least three homes were targeted in a two-block radius while many residents were away from their homes. Pete Lilly, of Lilly’s Insurance, at Madison, was one of those targeted. He, and his wife, however, were at home asleep when the burglars attempted to break into their home. “They used my own tools to break into my house. They got into the garage and I don’t know what kept them from taking anything or coming all the way into the house,” Lilly said, rationalizing that the burglars may have been spooked away from the house for any number of reasons. “They ruined the door and I had to put a new one in. They’d destroyed the deadlock with pliers and screwdrivers,” Lilly said, further noting that he had lived at Holly Hills since 1986 and this was the first time someone had tried to break into his house. “I’ve worked all my life and given to charity and don’t want people tearing my house up,” he said. “It’s scary to think that they knew someone was home and still tried to break in. If they catch these people, I will definitely seek prosecution of them.” Although the burglars did not get away with any of Lilly’s household items, his neighbor, John Abbott, was not so lucky. Abbott, who lives a stone’s throw away from the Lilly residence, said that he came home to find several of his tools missing out of his garage. The items stolen from Abbott’s garage include a power saw, leaf blower and circular saw. “I’d say it’d cost around $500 to replace them,” Abbott said. “Besides Lilly, on down the road, there have been at least two others who have been robbed in this neighborhood,” Abbott said. “It’s awful and it has made everyone more watchful. We’ve been having to put our front and back lights on all night now,” he said. Both Lilly and Abbott say they have not heard anything from the authorities investigating the burglaries as to potential suspects. The case is currently under investigation by the Madison City Police. “We have no new leads,” says investigating officer Chuck Shultz, of the Madison City Police. According to Shultz, the tools used in the attempted robbery at Lilly’s house have been sent to a forensic crime lab in Charleston, where a set of fingerprints will hopefully be found. “It could take a month to get the results back or a year. It depends on the severity of the crime. We only have one place in the state to send these to,” he explained. Anyone with information about these crimes is encouraged to contact the Madison City Police at 369-1211.