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An Eagle Point man accused of stealing nearly 400 books from local libraries pleaded not guilty to felony robbery and theft charges in Jackson County Circuit Court Thursday. Christopher Earl Storrer, 24, entered five not guilty pleas on charges of third-degree robbery, first-degree theft, second-degree theft, first-degree criminal mischief and second-degree criminal mischief before Judge Lorenzo Mejia. A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 29. The case against Storrer began when police investigated the theft and vandalism of library books from Southern Oregon University's Hannon Library. Three thefts were reported by SOU in May. Storrer was arrested after he triggered a security alarm as he left the SOU library July 26. Storrer allegedly threatened an SOU employee who tracked him down, police said. Police searched Storrer's home in the 5000 block of Butte Falls Highway and found hundreds of stolen library books, many of them vandalized, they said. Jackson County Deputy District Attorney Allan Smith said the robbery charge stems from an implied threat allegedly made when the SOU employee confronted Storrer after he left the university library with the books. Smith said Storrer had wide-ranging reading tastes. But philosophy and political philosophy made up the majority of the eclectic collection of books, Smith said. Ashland police said the stolen books included "The Grand Design," co-written by physicists Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow; "The Archaeology of Knowledge," by Michel Foucault; "Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present," by Cynthia Stokes Brown; and "The Open Work," by Umberto Eco. There was no indication that Storrer planned to sell the books he allegedly stole. The library bar codes were removed, which would have limited any resale value. Storrer remains barred from all Rogue Valley libraries while he awaits trial. Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 541-776-4497 or e-mail [email protected].