(08/31/06) LAWRENCE ? Police say a group of burglars who use distraction tactics may have broadened their operations from Somerset County into Mercer County.

Police have been investigating burglaries in Somerset County in which the crooks posed as someone looking for a lost animal. When a homeowner grants the individuals access to the back yard, someone sneaks into the house and steals items. Many of the cases also involved robbers posing as utility workers.

Now, police fear the robbers have moved into Mercer County. They say two individuals using the cat story robbed a Lawrence man of expensive jewelry. Police urge homeowners to keep their doors locked, even if they are in their own backyards. They also say homeowners should ask utility workers for identification if they grow suspicious of wrongdoing.