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Driver in Medford drive-by shooting gets prison Santiago Flores-Loveland Friday Jan 19, 2018 at 5:57 PM Jan 19, 2018 at 5:57 PM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat A man with a history of gang involvement will serve close to three years in prison for his role in a November shooting incident in west Medford. Santiago Flores-Loveland, 20, pleaded no-contest Friday in Jackson County Circuit Court to attempted first-degree assault for being the driver in a drive-by shooting Nov. 20. No one was hurt in the incident, but rounds struck two vehicles and an occupied home. While not an admission of guilt, a no-contest plea has the same legal consequences as a guilty plea. In court, Deputy District Attorney Marco Boccato said that drive-by shootings and Flores-Loveland's actions are a "danger to the community," prompting a young woman to storm out of the courtroom in tears — later identified by Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement officers as the defendant's girlfriend. Outside the courtroom, the woman shouted obscenities at plainclothes officers, denying they had evidence and asking how they could send Flores-Loveland away for 35 months. "Because he's a monster," a plainclothes officer said as the woman stepped into an elevator. On the night of the shooting, seven people were inside a house in the 1100 block of Dakota Avenue, according to police. A 53-year-old woman holding a month-old child was sitting near a window struck by a 9mm round allegedly fired by Hunter Talon Marlow. Michael Bertholf, Flores-Loveland's court-appointed defense lawyer, called the case against his client "almost entirely circumstantial," but he said that accepting the plea agreement was a "wise choice" considering the risks of taking his case to trial. Circuit Judge Lisa Greif sentenced Flores-Loveland to 35 months in prison for two felony counts of attempted first-degree assault and two misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person. Language about firearms was struck from the court record as part of the plea agreement, avoiding a mandatory-minimum sentence under Oregon's Measure 11 law, according to Boccato. "Under Oregon law, this is as far as the punishment can take us," Boccato said. MADGE Officer Chris Dode said the investigation involved seizure of multiple cellphones, and police matched casings they found to casings seized in search warrants. "We didn't have a witness," Dode said. "We have evidence that he was involved." Surveillance video from a nearby school captured a white 1990s Ford Mustang convertible fleeing the scene at high speed and running two stop signs. Police had recognized the car as belonging to Flores-Loveland, on parole for his role in a September 2015 shooting outside a Narregan Street apartment complex. Detectives found a shell casing between the hood and windshield of Flores-Loveland's Mustang, as well as inside the car, police said. An empty ammunition box was also found by police. MADGE Detective Sgt. Josh Reimer said gang-related cases often involve witnesses who are less than helpful. "They're tough cases because people don't necessarily cooperate," Reimer said. Flores-Loveland had previously served time for his role in a 2015 shooting on Narregan Street. Although not listed among the seven victims in the Dakota Avenue house, the same address was listed for Juan Ramon Hernandez, convicted Wednesday for shooting at Flores-Loveland in 2015. Boccato said Flores-Loveland's November shooting was a case of direct retaliation. "It's an ongoing feud," Boccato said. The alleged Dakota Avenue shooter, Marlow, remains lodged in the Jackson County Jail on charges of attempted first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon, along with five misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and for violating his parole on prior convictions for attempted first-degree assault and unlawful discharge of a weapon from a November 2014 shooting. His next court appearance is set for Feb. 26. — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat.