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77 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, September 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 21, 2004 "Marko Chandler" Extra effort from dispatcher nabs ’65 case suspect By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune A police dispatcher took advantage of "a slow morning" and helped Jackson County sheriff’s deputies arrest a man wanted in connection with a 1965 armed robbery at a Long Island, N.Y., supermarket. A Medford resident known as Marko Chandler, 64, of the 500 block of Park Avenue, could soon be headed back to New York to face first-degree robbery charges, officials said. Chandler was arrested last weekend after sheriff’s deputies were called to Gold Hill to investigate a report of a disturbance involving an armed man, Jackson County sheriff’s Capt. Joe Puckett said. Deputies contacted Jeremiah Griffin, a dispatcher at the Southern Oregon Regional Communications Center, who ran Chandler’s criminal history and immediately realized he wasn’t looking at a run-of-the-mill rap sheet. "I found some suspicious things — things that just didn’t match up," Griffin said. "It was a slow morning and I had some extra time, so I just kept searching, and found he had all these different (names)." Advertisement He discovered Chandler had apparently used the name Green Lee Griffin during the 1990s. Before then, the suspect was known as Harold Chandler, a man for whom a felony warrant was issued in 1971 by the Nassau County (N.Y.) Police Department. After police confirmed the warrant, Chandler was arrested and taken to the Jackson County Jail, where he remained late Friday on $250,000 bail. Nassau County police Sgt. Bill Miller said the arrest prompted his office to reopen an investigation into a 1965 incident where five gun-toting men, including Chandler, are suspected of robbing a Long Island supermarket. Miller said police hope to interview a witness to the robbery and have Nassau County prosecutors authorize Chandler’s extradition to New York. "If so, we’re going to be headed out to your neck of the woods," said Miller, adding that he’s never been involved with a case where a suspect was arrested on an outstanding warrant after more than three decades. "This is about the oldest one I’ve ever seen," he said. "Thirty-nine years is a long time." Puckett said Oregon police must not have realized who they were dealing with in 1972 when Chandler was arrested in Salem on unknown charges. Chandler dealt with Southern Oregon authorities twice in 2001 for minor offenses, court records show. In April 2001, he received a speeding ticket in Josephine County. Later that year, Jackson County deputies cited him on a misdemeanor wildlife violation, for which Chandler was eventually fined and had his hunting license suspended. "It looks like the guy has been overlooked three or four times in Oregon," said Puckett, noting that police were thankful Griffin, the dispatcher, "went the extra mile" to help them crack the case. "It’s nice to be able to get somebody off the road who’s wanted for armed robbery," Griffin said. "He certainly tried to avoid the system." Puckett said Chandler also faces a local charge of menacing for last weekend’s incident in Gold Hill. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities