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Girl pleads innocent to bank heist By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings An Ashland girl has pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbery in connection with a bank hold-up in December. Jori L. Beveridge, a 17-year-old Ashland High School junior, entered a plea of not guilty when arraigned Wednesday in Jackson County Circuit Court before Judge William Purdy, according to Ashland Police Lt. Rich Walsh. Beveridge and 19-year-old Nathaniel Bosworth are defendants in one of the robberies which occurred in November and December of 2002. "There was a relationship between them," Walsh said. "Boyfriend-girlfriend, whatever you want to call it." Beveridge received a grand jury indictment April 18 which charged her with one count of first-degree robbery for her alleged involvement in the December 2002 robbery of the U.S. Bank on North Second Street in Ashland. She faces a maximum 20 years in prison and a $300,000 fine if convicted. Although a minor, Beveridge is being tried as an adult because of the serious nature of the crime, according to Walsh. Beveridge was released on her on recognizance pending a pretrial date set for May 19. Bosworth pleaded not guilty April 7 in federal court to a long list of charges stemming from the Nov. 19, 2002 robbery of the Klamath First Federal Bank on Walker Avenue and the Dec. 24, 2002 robbery of U.S. Bank. Bosworth is being tried in federal court while Beveridge will face state circuit court proceedings - a decision made by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, federal prosecutors and the state, according to Walsh. Walsh would not comment on details of either case because of a cooperative agreement with federal authorities, who have declined to comment beyond a written statement outlining the charges and identifying Beveridge and Bosworth. Bosworth was first arraigned in federal court April 4, and has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery, two counts of armed bank robbery, and two counts of carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. The maximum penalties for the charges are five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy charge, 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for armed bank robbery, and life in prison and a $250,000 fine for carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. Bosworth has also been released from custody on certain conditions, pending his June 10 trial in Medford, Walsh said, Police allege Bosworth is the armed bank robber who entered the local branch of Klamath First Federal. In the Klamath First robbery, the suspect wore a full-face helmet and brandished a pistol. Coincidentally, the Klamath First robbery followed another robbery of Washington Mutual by a matter of hours. Authorities have consistently maintained that the two robberies are not otherwise connected. A few weeks later, a second robbery occurred at the local branch of U.S. Bank. Again, the robber was armed and wore a full-face helmet. That robbery led to a massive manhunt in the forests of the Ashland Watershed. Police managed to find a motorcycle they believe to be the escape vehicle, but little else. "This basically concludes our case with these two bank robberies, but we still have the others," Walsh said. "We got the guy with the motorcycle helmet, but not the guy with his picture taken." Bosworth is not a suspect in the series of other bank robberies in Oregon and Northern California. A suspect may have robbed as many as six banks, and while his face has been caught on videotape three times, he has so far eluded police. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -