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89-year-old defiant after 2nd attack, theft attempt By SARAH LEMON An elderly Medford man has been the target of two attempted home robberies, the second of which left him injured Thursday. But 89-year-old Clarence A. Leffler Sr. said he isn�t afraid because he keeps a gun close at hand. "I�ve got a High Standard pistol, and anyone who comes to the door better identify themselves," he said. A resident of Hillcrest Road in east Medford, Leffler was assaulted in his home Thursday by a Gold Hill woman and her son who tried to rob the elderly man. Leffler was treated for head injuries and released from Providence Medford Medical Center after he was struck three times with a 12-pound metal bar, police said. Mary Ann Slover, 53, of Gold Hill, was arraigned in Jackson County Circuit Court Friday on two counts of second-degree assault and one count each of first-degree robbery and burglary. Daniel Leon Slover, 19, of Gold Hill was arraigned on charges of first-degree robbery and burglary. The Slovers were held in jail on $1 million bail apiece. Walter Frederick Franz, 18, of Gold Hill, was arrested on a charge of first-degree burglary and released on bail.The Slovers were relatives of Leffler�s former roommate, police said. Leffler said he had loaned Mary Slover $1,100 and thought she came to his home to pay him back. He said he let the Slovers inside and chatted before Mary Slover hit him over the head three times with the piece of metal, Leffler said. The elderly man never saw the weapon � a 1-foot-long bar that Mary Ann Slover had hidden � before the attack, police said. "She opened me up," he said of the attack that left him with 12 stitches in his head. The Slovers apparently believed Leffler had money in his house. With the help of Franz, they tried to break in about a month ago, police said. They allegedly cut the phone lines to Leffler�s house on Feb. 7 and smashed a window with a doormat before Leffler, who was home at the time, scared them off with his gun. Leffler fired six shots into the air with a .22-caliber pistol to warn neighbors, police said. " ... I would have shot through the door, and I�d have got �em," Leffler said. Burglary charges filed against the suspects are in connection with the February attempted break-in, police said. Leffler said he didn�t know the Slovers previously had tried to break into his home. And they fled the scene Thursday without stealing anything, police said. "I think I�ll just write off the $1,100," Leffler said. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.