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Teenagers enter guilty plea in Medford robbery case By Chris Bristol of the Mail Tribune Two of three teenage boys accused of beating a Medford man and then forcing him to withdraw $1,000 from his bank were convicted Friday. Joshua Allen Jager, 18, and David Gerald Fleming, 16, each pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of second-degree kidnapping. Jackson County Judge Daniel Harris set a tentative sentencing date for Nov. 5. The third defendant in the case, Mathew Lee Stone, who turns 16 today, is set to enter a plea next Friday. Deputy District Attorney Beth Heckert said the attack occurred May 20 at the west Medford home of the victim, who was renting a room to Jager. She described his cohorts, who were both 15 at the time, as runaways. According to Heckert, the defendants bound and beat the victim, stole $25 from his wallet and then accompanied him to a bank, where he was forced to withdraw money from his account. She described the victim as mild-mannered and slightly built, and said the defendants repeatedly threatened to harm him if he reported the crime. The strategy worked for three days before the victim's friends finally persuaded him to call the police, she said. All three suspects confessed to police, she noted. They had spent all the money by the time they were arrested. Second-degree robbery is a Measure 11 offense that normally carries an automatic sentence of 70 months in prison. However, the 1997 Legislature amended the law to give judges some discretion for first-time offenders accused of second-degree robbery, assault and kidnapping where no weapon is used and victims are not badly injured. Heckert said the defendants qualify. As a result, she said, she plans to ask for 34 months, and the defense plans to ask for less. Jager is the son of former Hedrick Middle School teacher Michael Dean Jager, who was placed on administrative leave in March after he was accused of fondling the boy three years ago. Michael Jager's trial was set to begin next Tuesday, but was postponed indefinitely earlier this week. He remains free on bail. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA