Police arrested the second half of a crime duo they believe responsible for a series of strong-arm robberies in downtown Medford.
Steven Leslie Myrick, 17, faces robbery and theft charges for his part in a purse-snatching that occurred at the corner of Fifth and Grape streets and a strong-arm robbery of a Mail Tribune employee in the parking lot behind the newspaper at 111 N. Fir St., police said.
Officers arrested Christopher Wayne Gibson, 20, earlier this week. They allege he pulled a knife on the employee as she was leaving work April 5.
"We found that Myrick was there immediately before the robbery, but he left prior to the incident," Medford police Sgt. Mike Budreau said.
The investigation revealed the two were originally planning on robbing a Bonsai Teriyaki restaurant employee, but gave up when the man entered the restaurant before they could approach him. Bonsai Teriyaki sits in the parking lot behind the Mail Tribune.
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Two days earlier, on April 3, they reportedly stole a purse from an elderly woman at the corner of Fifth and Grape streets. In this case, one of the suspects distracted the woman, while the other stole the purse from her car, Budreau said.
In addition, Gibson and Myrick were linked to an April 1 strong-arm robbery at Eighth and Main streets. In this case no weapon was used when they took money from the male victim.
"We are confident that everyone involved in these crimes has been arrested," Budreau said. "We have no obvious motive for the robberies. It just seems that they resorted to robbery for whatever reason. We haven't proven drugs to be a factor."
Budreau said such robberies are uncommon in downtown Medford. The area remains a safe place, he said.
"We will focus our efforts to make sure it stays that way," Budreau said.
Gibson is a familiar face for Mail Tribune workers. Four years ago he was arrested in a stolen car by police during a dramatic traffic stop at Fifth and Grape streets behind the newspaper. The officers held him at gunpoint, resulting in an award-winning picture taken by a Mail Tribune photographer.
He was later convicted of vehicle theft and sentenced to prison.
Gibson remained lodged in the Jackson County Jail late Friday on charges of first-degree robbery, second-degree robbery, unlawful entry into a motor vehicle, third-degree theft and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery. He was held on $1 million bail.
Myrick was lodged in the Jackson County juvenile detention center.
Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail cconrad@mailtribune.com.
