Medford, Ore. – A total of eight people have been arrested in connection with the “ransacking” of a large Medford home.
While the homeowners were away, a maintenance worker arrived at the mansion in the 5100 block of Aerial Heights Drive Sunday to find it in disarray and occupied by suspected thieves, according to Medford Police.
When police arrived, they say officers arrested two suspects trying to open a large safe. The men were identified by police as 26-year-old Tyson Lee Ceideburg and 53-year-old Allen Mitchell Sr.
Police said “It appears the burglars had taken over the residence for several days with various people cycling in and out, taking anything that wasn’t tied down.”
Police returned to the home at 1:30 Monday morning to check on it again. That’s when they found 46-year-old Kathi Coyle at the mansion. She was arrested.
When the homeowner arrived back at his house on Tuesday, he found two people still there. He told NBC5 News, “I asked them who they were, and they said ‘Oh we were hired to come clean the place off Craigslist.’ And I said, ‘Ok.’ and then I called 911.”
Police told the owner not to sleep in his house, as more people will likely come.
The owner says he feels violated. “When I heard that they found a guy sleeping on my bed, that made me, ‘Ugh don’t want to sleep on that bed again.’”
As the homeowner began cleaning up his residence, arrests continued Tuesday. The homeowner saw a suspicious van near his home, copied the license plate and contacted police. A few hours later, officers found the van on Mace Rd. When they served a search warrant on the van and the home, they found stolen property from the mansion. Amber Russell, 28, and Evan Edgerton, 36, were cited and released for Burglary 1 and Theft 1.
While several pieces of stolen goods were recovered, four vehicles were still missing from the Aerial Heights residence.
A Porsche stolen from the home was recovered Monday in a Wendy’s parking lot on North Pacific Highway and two other vehicles were recovered Wednesday morning.
According to Medford Police, officers spotted the stolen Suburban about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. They lost track of it, but ultimately found it abandoned on Beatty St. When officers searched a nearby home, they say they found more stolen goods. Nearby, they found the third stolen vehicle. Jill Shermett, 36, and Chelsie Cooper, 30, were cited on two counts of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. Shermett was also cited for Burglary 1.
According to MPD, there is only one stolen vehicle that has not yet been found—identified as a black 1972 International truck, Oregon plate JJQ702.
The latest arrest occurred late Wednesday morning at a home on Ruhl Way. Police served a search warrant on a home and found more than 30 pieces of stolen property, most of them home goods. Susan Nettleton, 49, was cited for Burglary 1 and Theft 1.
Medford Police say the investigation into the case is continuing. Check NBC5 for updates.
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