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SUNNY Temp: 67 °F Wind: N at 4 mph Sunday, June 15, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend June 12, 2003 Central Point man gets nearly 6 years for robbing disabled friend By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A Central Point man who tied up a mentally handicapped woman to rob her Medford home will serve nearly six years in prison. Robert Francis Kendall, 21, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Jackson County Circuit Court to a charge of second-degree robbery, which carries a minimum prison term of five years and 10 months under Oregon’s Measure 11. A charge of second-degree kidnapping — also a Measure 11 offense — was dismissed in exchange for the plea. Also charged in the case, 21-year-old Nafauna Faoa Ponafala, of the 200 block of West Jackson Street, Medford, is scheduled to plead guilty to second-degree robbery and receive his sentence Monday. Kendall and Ponafala found the 20-year-old woman alone around 3 a.m. on Feb. 12 at the Table Rock Road home that she shares with her mother, investigators said. After the men forced their way into the house, they bound the woman’s ankles with an extension cord and wrapped her wrists and face with duct tape, said Tim Barnack, deputy district attorney for Jackson County. Advertisement "She already is dependent on others ... and to take advantage of that dependency is unconscionable," Barnack said. Barnack said Kendall and Ponafala placed the woman on the living room couch while they ransacked the house looking for cash they believed was stashed there. They didn’t find cash, but took jewelry. The young woman’s sister, who lives nearby, saw the two running from the residence after the robbery, Barnack said. Kendall, who knows the family, had been at their house earlier in the day and seen hundreds of dollars in cash, Barnack said. The family told police that Kendall was the robber, and he and Ponafala were arrested the next day. Ponafala did not know the victims. The woman and her family did not attend the court hearing because they didn’t want to face Kendall, whom they believed had betrayed their friendship, Barnack said. In a separate case, Kendall pleaded guilty to burglarizing his grandparents’ east Medford home in December. Circuit Court Judge Ray White ordered Kendall to serve three years probation and pay his grandparents $1,243. White dismissed additional counts against Kendall of assault, burglary, theft and possession of methamphetamine. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times