Attempted theft of lottery machine from Ashland Albertsons leads to arrest by Ashland police

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September 1, 2022

Medford man held on numerous charges, including string of thefts in Medford

By Stephen Floyd, Ashland.news

The attempted theft of more than $7,000 in merchandise from an Ashland grocery store has led to a  slew of new charges against a California man with a lengthy criminal record.

Brandon Thomas Hoage, 37, of Medford, has been accused in a new case of stealing cash, jewelry and other items from multiple Jackson County businesses during the last 10 months.

This is in addition to 18 prior criminal cases filed in Jackson and Josephine counties against Hoage since 2017 related to theft, heroin possession and other charges.

He is currently held, as of Thursday afternoon, in the Jackson County Jail without bail and is due in court Sept. 12 for a pre-trial hearing before Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Paul Moser.

Hoage was arrested Aug. 23 by the Ashland Police Department following an incident Aug. 12 at the Albertsons on Ashland Street.

He was allegedly caught on camera placing $7,248 in merchandise, including a lottery machine, in a shopping cart, then leaving the store. Hoage allegedly admitted the theft to police and returned some of the stolen property.

Subsequent investigation revealed Hoage was suspected of stealing, then selling, thousands of dollars in merchandise from from Zales Jewelers, in Medford, on Nov. 23, 2021, and again June 23; unlawfully entering and stealing more than $1,000 in cash from a Del Taco in Medford June 8, July 27 and Aug. 13; and stealing more than $1,000 in items from a Safeway in Medford Aug. 17. During the Aug. 13 theft at Del Taco, Hoage allegedly physically harassed a Medford woman, though her connection to the incident was not detailed in court records.

He has pleaded not guilty to six counts of first-degree theft, three counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of second-degree theft, and single counts of harassment and second-degree theft. He faces up to five years in prison on his highest count, however prosecutors have declared their intent to seek a stiffer penalty than normal because of Hoage’s repeated offenses.

His prior arrests include charges of stealing, then selling, blue jeans from Sears and Wal-Mart in 2019, assaulting security staff at a Bi-Mart while attempting to shoplift an inflatable paddle board in 2018, and stealing numerous firearms from a private individual and attempting to pawn them in 2017. In 2018 he was accepted into Jackson County Drug Court, but after 10 months he was terminated from the program for numerous violations and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Email Ashland.news reporter Stephen Floyd at [email protected].

Nov. 29 update: Brandon Thomas Hoage’s city of residence corrected, according to information submitted by family.

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Bert Etling

Bert Etling is the executive editor of Ashland.news. Email him at [email protected].

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