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Two men tied to Costco diamond thefts plead not guilty Two rings were valued at $37,000 Comment By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 8, 2016 at 2:12 PM Updated Jan 8, 2016 at 2:43 PM By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jan. 8, 2016 at 2:12 PM Updated Jan 8, 2016 at 2:43 PM » RELATED CONTENT • 'Travelers' hit Medford stores for bras, fragrances, diamonds... • Suspects questioned in theft of $30,000 ring from Costco » Social News 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 allegedly 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 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, two men were inside. The driver was identified as Valentino Ruben Maes, 19, and Tiger was 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 Dec. 7 after posting bail. He is 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 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 at 2:12 PM Updated Jan 8, 2016 at 2:43 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » 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. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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