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HORSEBACK HERO UPDATE Lassoing Legend Robert Borba's story of roping an alleged bike thief has been printed and aired around the world Comment By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jun. 17, 2016 at 5:00 AM Updated Jun 17, 2016 at 8:36 AM By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jun. 17, 2016 at 5:00 AM Updated Jun 17, 2016 at 8:36 AM » RELATED CONTENT • Horseback Hero: Eagle Point rancher lassos alleged bicycle thief... • Rancher Robert Borba caught an alleged bike thief on horseback at the Eagle Point Walmar... » Social News While the country — and big parts of the world — learned an Eagle Point rancher's name, Robert Borba spent several days unaware of just how far word of his unusual act of heroism had spread. The tale of Borba's horseback citizen's arrest, in which he lassoed an alleged bike thief June 10 in an Eagle Point Walmart parking lot, struck a chord with people across the world. A Mail Tribune story and photo was picked up by the Associated Press and spread like wildfire. A quick Google search shows the article on Borba's horseback feat appeared in German, Dutch, French and Japanese publications. An Eagle Point Police Department photo was also published worldwide, as were local TV stations' stories. But the day the story broke, Borba, his wife, Alyssa, and four children headed out of cell range, while he helped a friend brand cattle in rural Davis Creek, Calif. "We were camped out — no TV or anything like that," Borba said. It wasn't a complete surprise. Members of his crew in California had heard the story, so he knew it had spread. He had spoken with CNN, after all, but the information came to the Borbas secondhand. "We just heard through the grapevine," Alyssa said. But Borba said he was surprised Tuesday when he searched and saw himself in print and on TV news around the world. “The story aired in Australia,” Robert Borba said. “We just Googled it.” The story was a big hit locally, as well. The Mail Tribune's story on the parking lot lassoing drew more than 32,000 page views to the newspaper's website and more than 65,500 people viewed the story, photos or videos posted on the Mail Tribune's Facebook page. Since the story broke, Robert Borba said he'd received numerous calls from friends and family, as well as a couple of threatening calls from a Stockton, Calif., law firm. “I don’t know if it’s phony or what, but that’s who’s been calling,” he said. “I figured if it’s real, they’ll send me papers.” Alyssa Borba said friends made while working in rural areas of Moscaro, N.M., and Big Sandy, Texas, had called, letting them know her husband had made their local TV news. For some, Borba has become a symbol of justice. Friends in New Mexico who own a gas station and store taped a printed photo of Borba with his lasso with the warning below, "Thieves Beware." The necessities of ranching have prevented Borba from thinking too much about his fame. He tended to his two goats, 12 cows and 7 horses at his ranch outside Eagle Point Wednesday, feeding them and cleaning their stalls. His focus that afternoon was a trip to town for a truck repair and to buy more dog food. "I guess it just hadn't really hit me," Borba said. Alyssa said in the wake of bad news over the weekend, referencing the mass shooting in Orlando, people were particularly drawn to Borba's uplifting story. She said she hopes her husband's efforts to step in and help someone will encourage others to help. She said she knows it was "just" a petty theft, but said she admires her husband for stepping in to do right by the bike's owner. "What's right is right, and what's wrong is wrong," Alyssa Borba said. Borba said the Medford Rogues baseball team invited him to throw the first pitch in Friday's baseball game, and to bring the family, including his three daughters, Rylan, Brystol and Skylar, and infant son Waylon. “Everybody’s real happy that I did it,” Robert Borba said. “That kind of makes you feel good inside.” The event has inspired a warm welcome for the Borbas, who moved to Eagle Point just a few months ago. They sought to settle down in a location that offered good schools and steady work for Robert, who trains horses and does day work on ranches. While visiting Robert's brother-in-law, who manages C-2 Cattle Co. in Eagle Point, the Borbas found the right fit. They're close to family and old friends, and their new home is the first place where they've been minutes away from town instead of hours away. "We fell in love with the area," Alyssa Borba said. Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat. By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jun. 17, 2016 at 5:00 AM Updated Jun 17, 2016 at 8:36 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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