Document text
Do these two look familiar? This snapshot was found in a camera recovered by Jackson County sheriff�s deputies last summer, thought to have been stolen in a string of burglaries and thefts. But without a clue to the owners� identities, the family photos � including what may be a shot of a young fisherman�s first fish � remain a mystery. Police seek the owners of stolen camera, and photos are the only clue By Mark Freeman One shot is of the young couple with their two kids standing beneath a Ponderosa pine. Another is of the dad and his youngest son holding what might be the little boy�s first fish. The images were captured on film one happy family outing, meant to someday jump-start memories of a day at the lake. Today, however, the pictures sit as evidence collected in a burglary case that has one last mystery to solve before the case is formally closed: Who are the people in these pictures? These pictures are some of the last images snapped from a 35mm camera before two burglars stole the camera during a summer burglary and robbery spree in Jackson County. The suspects have been caught, and most of the items they stole during their batch of June break-ins have been returned to their owners. All that�s left is a paintball gun, the 35mm camera and these images on the film found inside. Dewey Patten wants the camera, the pictures and the memories all returned to the family who had them stolen. But Patten, a Jackson County sheriff�s lieutenant, has no clue who the happy family is. So look closely at the photo, Patten says. Maybe you can help. "I figure that somebody is going to recognize someone in these pictures," Patten says. "Maybe they�ll see themselves, I don�t know. "We want to find these people so we can give them their camera and pictures back," he says. The suspects, Lake A. Moore and Abrielle M. Clayton, were arrested in July and both pleaded guilty to felonies, according to court records. Moore, 22, was sentenced Aug. 15 to 90 months in prison on a first-degree robbery charge. Clayton, 22, pleaded guilty to two first-degree burglary charges and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years probation. After they were arrested July 4 following a string of burglaries outside of Jacksonville, police found the 35mm camera � an older, name-brand model. When detectives developed the film, they found several pictures of the suspects, as well as a half-dozen shots of unidentified people. Those unidentified people, Patten believes, are the camera�s owners. "They as much as told us that the camera was stolen," Patten says, "but they didn�t say who or where. So it�s been left hanging." Patten believes the family�s pictures possibly were taken at Medco Ponds outside Butte Falls. If you know who is pictured in these photographs, telephone the sheriff�s department at 541-776-7132. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA