A woman from Vandalia pleaded guilty to amended charges in connection with breaking into laundry machines in a Jefferson City apartment complex between March and April 2021.
During a hearing before Cole County Judge Cotton Walker, Elisha Hopkins, 40, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor property damage and stealing. The charges were amended down from felonies by prosecutors.
Hopkins was placed on two years unsupervised probation. She will also have to pay a yet to be determined amount of restitution. If she fails to meet conditions of her probation, she faces 30 days in the Cole County Jail.
Authorities said Hopkins was involved in as many as 13 break-ins at DeVille Southwest on Southwest Boulevard, according to Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statements.
Officers said Hopkins acted as a lookout. Nearly $1,000 was taken from the change receptacles of the washers and dryers. More than $1,100 in damages was done to the machines.
Hopkins was caught after she was spotted on security camera footage, authorities said.