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CLOUDY Temp: 61 °F Wind: WNW at 5 mph Monday, September 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection 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 Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 13, 2003 Teenagers found guilty in robbery trial By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Jurors convicted two teens Friday of robbing a Medford man earlier this year at gunpoint. Thomas John Maya, 19, and 17-year-old Austin Hernandez will hear their sentence Sept. 26 at 8:30 a.m. in Jackson County Circuit Court. However, both face a minimum prison term of five years and 10 months according to Measure 11, Oregon’s tough-on-crime-law. Hernandez was tried as an adult under that law. Hernandez and Maya assailed Robert Stieber near the railroad tracks crossing Jackson Street around 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 6. Stieber testified that he was headed home from Safeway with a fried chicken TV dinner when he saw the two running toward him, one brandishing a shotgun. Hernandez tapped Stieber’s temple with the gun, told him to lay down or he’d kill him and demanded his money, Stieber told the court. The two men took Stieber’s wallet — containing about $10 — and ran south along the tracks. Stieber was not injured. Advertisement Police quickly arrived, responding to an earlier call from a neighborhood resident who said he was walking his dog when he saw two young men, one with what appeared to be a shotgun hidden under the sleeve of his sweatshirt. The witness testified that he heard the shotgun being cocked and fired shortly after he saw the two. Officers arrested Hernandez and Maya about two blocks from the robbery scene. Maya walked behind a parked van when officer Tony Young ordered him to stop. Young testified that he heard the clatter of metal dropped onto the pavement when Maya passed behind the van. Officers later found a 12-gauge shotgun, Stieber’s wallet, a duffel bag and Maya’s cell phone on the ground behind the van. Maya emerged from behind the vehicle with his hands up and was arrested, Young said. Hernandez walked toward Young’s parked patrol car and also was taken into custody. When interviewed by police, Maya admitted that the shotgun and cell phone belonged to him and that officers would find his fingerprints on Stieber’s wallet. He said he didn’t know how those items got under the van. Hernandez and Maya had been walking around west Medford after leaving a party where they had been drinking, according to court testimony. Maya’s defense attorney, Bob Abel, argued that Maya was too intoxicated to know what was going on that night and that he never intended to rob Stieber. Maya’s blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal driving limit of .08 percent. Maya did not testify on his own behalf. Hernandez testified that he was drunk, too, and didn’t remember many things that happened that night. He denied ever seeing or touching the shotgun and said he didn’t know how a spent shotgun shell got into his pocket. When he was arrested, Hernandez told police to call his mother, probation officer and attorney. The jury of eight women and four men unanimously voted to convict Hernandez and Maya on a single count each of second-degree robbery. Family members and friends gasped and burst into tears when the verdict was read. The two were led from the courtroom amid a chorus of "I love you, boys." Hernandez and Maya will remain in the Jackson County Jail until their sentencing. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] 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