Article Preview: Two men suspected of links to Costco diamond thefts plead not guilty - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2016-01-11

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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation  |  Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED   » NEWS NOW   Two men suspected of links to Costco diamond thefts plead not guilty       ...       Ice-fishing clinic planned for Lake of the Woods       ...       UPDATE: Sheriff tells armed group that authorities will escort them out of state, but Bundy scoffs       ...       Two men suspected of links to Costco diamond thefts plead not guilty       ...       Ice-fishing clinic planned for Lake of the Woods       ...       UPDATE: Sheriff tells armed group that authorities will escort them out of state, but Bundy scoffs       ...           Two men suspected of links to Costco diamond thefts plead not guilty Two rings were valued at $37,000 By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 8, 2016 @ 2:12 pm By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 8, 2016 @ 2:12 pm »  RELATED CONTENT • 'Travelers' hit Medford stores for bras, fragrances, diamonds... • Suspects questioned in theft of $30,000 ring from Costco »  Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Two Northern California men suspected of conspiring to snatch $37,000 worth of jewelry from the Medford Costco appeared in Jackson County Circuit Court this week and pleaded not guilty to theft and conspiracy charges. A third conspirator who investigators suspect actually grabbed a pair of rings Dec. 7 is still at large, police say. On Dec. 7, a surveillance camera captured footage of two men Medford police identified as Jimmie Rinard Tiger II, 28, of Richmond, Calif., and Michael Maes, 27, of Stockton, Calif., entering the Costco and pausing to talk near the store's jewelry case. The pair appear to look at rings in the case, an affidavit filed by Medford police says. Tiger left the store, and less than 20 minutes later Maes had a store associate open the case so he could look at jewelry. He grabbed two diamond rings and ran from the store. One of the rings was valued at $32,000 and the other was valued at $5,000. A Costco employee chased Maes and saw him climb into the back seat of a black SUV with California plates parked behind a building near the intersection of Cardinal Avenue and Lear Way. The employee saw the SUV with three people inside "peeling out" and driving over a curb to enter the roadway before speeding off, the affidavit says. When Medford police located and stopped the dark Chevrolet Suburban at Coker Butte Road, officers found a driver identified as Valentino Ruben Maes, 19, and Tiger in the passenger seat. Michael Maes was not in the vehicle, but police found an Oakland Raiders cap that looked like the one he wore during the theft. Tiger was arraigned Thursday in Jackson County circuit court on felony charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree aggravated theft, conspiracy to commit first-degree theft, aggravated first-degree theft and first-degree theft. Tiger was released from jail on Dec. 7 after posting bail. He is next set to appear in court for a pretrial conference Feb. 8. Valentino Maes was arraigned Friday on felony charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree aggravated theft, conspiracy to commit first-degree theft, and misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving. Maes was released on his own recognizance Friday with special permission to leave Oregon to return to his home in California. Both men pleaded not guilty to all charges. Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat. By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 8, 2016 @ 2:12 pm » Comment or view comments   Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ »  STAY INFORMED   Email NewsLetter   Sign Up Today   Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed   Email newsletter   Sign Up Today   Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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