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73 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, August 3, 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 Prime Times 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 July 27, 2004 Attempted murder, arson trial starts By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A year after allegedly setting a fire intended to kill a police witness, three men will stand trial for the crime today. Michael Edward Jason, 34, Steven Michael Keith, 22, and 21-year-old Edward Allen Rider each faces two counts of attempted aggravated murder and one count of first-degree arson. If convicted, the men will spend at least 10 years in prison, the minimum allowed under Oregon’s mandatory sentencing law. The three are accused of starting an early-morning fire on July 26, 2003, at the Central Point home of 38-year-old Tawny Lee Glass. Glass was not home, but a 14-year-old girl was at the house in the 1000 block of Edwina Avenue when the blaze broke out, investigators said. She escaped the fire. Advertisement Glass had been talking to detectives with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department about the suspected embezzling of more than $200,000 from Panther Crushing Inc. and Shenandoah Restaurant and Lounge. Both businesses are owned by William Link of White City. Glass worked for Link as an office assistant and appeared to have been involved in the theft scheme since 1999, investigators said. However, prosecutors never filed charges against her. Investigators arrested Glass’ supervisor, 32-year-old Christina Renee Burcher of Medford, on July 30, 2003. Burcher pleaded guilty last month to charges of racketeering, first-degree theft and first-degree forgery. She was ordered to spend a year and six months in prison. Burcher is set to testify in this week’s trial. Jason was her boyfriend at the time of the arson, according to court records. Jason, Keith and Rider were indicted on the arson in October and have remained in the Jackson County Jail on more than $1 million bail each. Convicted felons, all three men have other criminal cases pending in court. Rider, of Phoenix, and Keith, a Medford resident, were charged in a 2003 burglary at Diamond Showcase on Biddle Road. Jason, no address listed, has a criminal record in Jackson County dating to 1988 and has been charged with tampering with a witness. The trial is scheduled to run through Thursday in Jackson County Circuit Court. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, 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 RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times