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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 27, 2005 For the thrill of it From house break-ins to armed robberies, one of Jackson County’s most wanted men has led a life of steadily escalating crime By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Breaking into Medford homes once held a fascination for Eddie Silva. He was so methodical in his approach to crime that he filed away addresses like treasured recipes. Yet he was bold enough to barge into houses in broad daylight. He told police he committed burglaries for the sheer thrill. But on his most recent release from prison, Silva’s path toward a life of crime took a dangerous turn. Police believe Silva, armed with a gun, stormed numerous taverns and several banks this year, making the 28-year-old one of their most wanted men. Along the way, Silva had help from several accomplices, not the least of whom was his own mother. Fonda Lowe, 52, allowed her son to hoard the spoils of numerous burglaries in her home. When it appeared he was caught, she tried intervening with victims on his behalf. Most recently, Lowe has been charged with helping Silva evade police. Advertisement "It’s amazing what people will do for their kids," said Lee Ayers-Schlosser, professor and chairwoman of the criminology department at Southern Oregon University. "The one person who hasn’t written (criminals) off is their mothers." And if it seems motherly love may have blinded Lowe to her son’s true character, one photo says it all, investigators said. A search warrant served last month on Lowe’s McDoel, Calif., home yielded a framed photo of Silva on her bedside table. He was posed in his prison uniform. "This was, like, proudly displayed," said Detective Colin Fagan of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. "He’s a real momma’s boy." According to court records, police reports and Mail Tribune archives, Silva’s life of crime started early and steadily escalated. His forays into burglary began at age 15 with a home on Medford’s Miracle Lane. He was sent for eight days to the county’s juvenile detention facility. Just like so many teens who, once incarcerated, are statistically likely to commit more offenses, Silva was on his way to a career in crime. "These kids who start earlier ... are more likely to have a longer career," said Marny Rivera, professor of criminology at SOU. "There’s theories that prisons are schools for crime." At age 18, Silva got his adult record rolling with a conviction for vehicle theft. He was sentenced to probation. A year later, he again found himself before a judge for burglary. He received a longer sentence of probation, but second and third chances didn’t keep him out of trouble. "He fancies himself a criminal," Fagan said. Unlike the largest criminal contingent in Jackson County, Silva’s drive to commit crimes didn’t come from drug addiction. He got his high off of breaking into people’s homes, investigators said. "He told us back then that he did it for the adrenaline rush," said Medford police Detective Bill Ford. In 1997, Silva, who also went by the name of Edward Hart, embarked on a burglary spree of seven east Medford residences, stealing as much as $250,000 in property. His mother was one of five conspirators involved in the crime, including an employee of the YMCA who slipped Silva notes with names and addresses of families who had left home to work out. It was Silva’s daring that led to his undoing. Casing homes in broad daylight, Silva and an accomplice would knock on doors and break in if no one answered. After several months of using the technique, Silva drew the attention of a 12-year-old boy home alone on Pomona Way. The boy called police and reported that a man had jumped the back fence at his family’s home and tried to get in through the back door. Officers arrived and arrested Silva and Michael Harris as they were driving out of the neighborhood in a Chevrolet Camaro. Inside the car, police found a duffel bag full of items stolen from a Windermere Drive home. Sharing her own home with Silva, Lowe decided to intervene. She left a note for residents at one of the houses her son had burglarized, asking for a phone call. The couple instead called police. When a detective posing as one of the victims telephoned Lowe, she offered a bribe if the couple refused to work with prosecutors filing charges against her son. "She didn’t seem to be upset that he was involved in crime," Ford said. Police threatened to cite Lowe for tampering with a witness, but she instead told detectives what she knew about her son’s crimes, Ford said. She already faced a criminal charge of theft for funneling stolen property through the West Jackson Street house she and her son shared. Lowe pleaded guilty and was placed on probation after a jury convicted her son of 12 felonies. Joseph Vogel, 17, in exchange for treatment in juvenile court, testified how he helped Silva burglarize the homes of YMCA members. Silva was sentenced to consecutive prison sentences totaling five and a half years. His probation was revoked. By November 2000, Silva was released from prison and managed to stay out of trouble for a while working evenings at That Italian Place. But within a year, he was back to planning daytime burglaries, this time solo. "If you don’t got an accomplice, they can’t tell on you," Ford said. Instead, a drug dealer who bought some of Silva’s stolen goods helped police crack the crime spree. Rodney Thompson bought a camcorder, men’s watches, a wedding band and foreign coins from Silva for $500. Police asked him if he traded drugs for Silva’s goods. "That’s the funny thing, I offered to trade him for some, but he didn’t want any," Thompson told Ford. Eschewing mind-altering substances, Silva was able to devise an organized scheme for committing burglaries. "Someone who’s stone-cold sober ... you can think these things through," Fagan said. Silva wrote addresses and phone numbers of intended targets on 3-by-5-inch index cards, labeling each card by street. Using his cell phone, Silva called residences to determine if someone was home. If no one answered, the house was fair game. Once inside, Silva targeted small electronic items such as digital cameras and video recorders as well as jewelry and coins. He particularly liked foreign currency, which he stole in 1997 and again in 2001 when he ran across another cache inside an antique safe. Silva also took one victim’s late husband’s wedding band. Police learned to recognize patterns in Silva’s burglaries because he typically hauled off stolen property in the owners’ own luggage. He dumped an Ashland resident’s ski boots out of her ski bag and stuffed the goods inside. He also used a white ruffled pillow case to carry off some loot. Silva wore gloves, explaining why detectives never found his fingerprints at the crime scene, Ford said. In all, Silva burglarized homes on Medford’s Ashland, Street, Springbrook Road, Stratford Avenue and Kensington Square and one house in Ashland. He had also made up index cards of addresses on Delta Waters Road, Brookhurst Street and Capital, Tahitian, Hawaiian and Dellwood avenues. Silva’s girlfriend, Suzette Slocum, later told detectives she figured "something was up" because Silva had been using her car almost every day supposedly looking for work. Silva did earn cash selling stolen property, Ford said, but he also liked some items so much that he just kept them. When confronted by police, Silva tried to pin the crimes on a roommate who had asked him how to make money. Silva said he showed him how to organize burglaries on index cards. He claimed he also lent the roommate his cell phone. But detectives discovered that the roommate, Nathan Charles, was in custody of the Jackson County Jail and Work Center when the burglaries took place between November and December 2001. Silva was convicted of the burglaries and sentenced to another five and a half years in prison. He was in familiar company. More than 18 percent of burglars released from Oregon prisons in 2002 returned within three years on subsequent burglary convictions, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections. Convicted burglars more often return to prison for drug offenses. Silva was released from prison in late 2004. His next alleged crime spree and its spike in seriousness landed Silva among a minority group of burglars-turned-robbers. Just 5 percent of convicted burglars return to prison on robbery convictions, according to state and national statistics. "Eddie Silva graduated to the big time, that’s for sure," said Medford police Lt. Tim George. A rash of unsolved robberies that plagued Medford from February through September have now been linked to Silva, George said. In the vast majority of cases, the robber threatened victims with a weapon. Although investigators won’t say why they believe Silva is responsible, he’s the prime suspect in approximately a dozen cases, George said. And in at least one heist, Silva had help from his mother, police said. Lowe wound up in the Jackson County Jail after allegedly bringing Silva clothes on Sept. 7, the same day he is suspected of robbing the Washington Mutual bank branch in Gold Hill. Also believed to have lied to police about her involvement, Lowe faces charges of hindering prosecution. An additional charge against Lowe of first-degree theft stems from evidence that she took money from Silva that he stole from Washington Mutual, Fagan said. She was arrested Oct. 26 and remains in jail in lieu of $500,000 bail. Silva and 33-year-old Thomas Ray Taylor were federally indicted on the Washington Mutual robbery. Taylor was arrested the night of the heist when police stopped his car. Silva fled. Police arrested Silva Nov. 10 in Sacramento, Calif., on suspicion of robbing two California banks. He remains in California custody until federal marshals bring him back to Oregon. If convicted, Silva likely would serve his longest prison sentence yet, approximately 20 years or longer. He’s now known as the type of criminal whose only deterrence — for a time — is being back behind bars. "It’s like they have no boundaries," said Medford police Sgt. Tim Doney. "There’s not going to be much that slows them down." Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail For the thrill of it ">[email protected] . Road to robbery Edward Jay "Eddie" Silva started his career in crime at age 15. Twelve years, two burglary sprees, two prison stints and a dozen alleged heists later, Silva has gained the reputation of one of Jackson County’s most prolific armed robbers. 1993 — Burglarized a Medford home, admitted the burglary in Jackson County Juvenile Court, ordered to serve eight days in the county’s juvenile detention center. 1995 — Arrested for stealing a vehicle, pleaded guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court, ordered to serve 18 months’ probation and 80 hours of community service. 1996 — Arrested for breaking into several cars, pleaded guilty in Circuit Court to burglary, ordered to serve three years’ probation. 1997 — Arrested for burglarizing six Medford homes and three businesses; convicted in a Circuit Court jury trial; sentenced to five years and six months in prison. 1998 — Pleaded guilty in Circuit Court to the 1997 burglary of a Medford home, sentenced to nine months in prison, probation revoked. 2001 — Arrested for burglarizing four Medford homes and one Ashland home, pleaded guilty in Circuit Court, sentenced to five years and eight months in prison. 2005 — Indicted for robbing a Washington Mutual bank branch in Gold Hill; wanted in Jackson County; arrested in Sacramento, Calif., on suspicion of robbing two California banks; suspected of a dozen unsolved robberies in Medford. 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