'Prolific' burglar gets 15 years; see which 12 Eugene restaurants, stores he targeted
A Eugene man charged with 22 counts of burglary between March and December 2021, including 12 at Eugene businesses such as Cornucopia and Ta Ra Rin, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The string of break-ins across Oregon took place a year after Eugene resident Thomas Dale Young, 40, was released from jail in 2020, which followed a 10-year prison sentence.
On Sept. 22, 2021, Young broke into at least five Eugene restaurants and was arrested after having just left Ta-Ra-Rin and Papa Murphy’s Pizza on Coburg Road, Eugene Police Department spokeswoman Melinda McLaughlin said. During the investigation, EPD detectives found Young had committed burglaries in other parts of the state, including Medford and Umatilla, she added.
In October 2021, Young was released from jail after receiving a bail reduction and began breaking into and stealing from several more businesses, including taking the safe from Cornbread Café on Oct. 25, before being arrested in Benton County, she said. Young has since remained in jail.
McLaughlin said detectives didn’t have an estimate of the total amount he stole, but she said Young was "prolific" and focused on breaking into many businesses rather than targeting one location with more money.
“Young’s game was in numbers, and the more businesses he broke into, the more money he’d get,” McLaughlin said in an email. “He was focused on tip jars and registers … easy money.”
Young's attorney, John Joseph Kolego, said Wednesday he thinks the sentence was too much given Young's "significant" psychological issues, a main cause of his criminality, he said, that need to be addressed.
"Mr. Young has some mental problems that make him impulsive, so giving 15 years of his life for property crimes does seem excessive," Kolego said. "I understand the need of the community to protect itself, but I don't think 15 years was necessary."
Here is a list of Eugene businesses Young broke into, according to court documents:
Pegasus Pizza, Willamette Street
Laughing Planet, Willamette Street
Friendly Neighborhood Pub, Chambers Street
Ta Ra Rin, Coburg Road
Papa Murphy's, Coburg Road
Cornbread Café, West Seventh Avenue
All-Med, River Road
McMenamins North Bank, Club Road
Tap and Growler, East Fifth Avenue
Steelhead Brewery, East Fifth Avenue
Cornucopia, East Fifth Avenue
Jung's Mongolian Grill, Commerce Street
Here are other locations outside of Eugene targeted:
Blue Valley Bistro, Coburg
Redbarn Dispensary, Gateway Loop, Springfield
76 gas station, West Central Avenue, Sutherlin
NAPA Auto Parts, Sutherlin
Fast Mart, South Front Street, Creswell
B&B Lounge, Melton Road, Creswell
Patty's Cafe, South Mill Street, Creswell
American Dream Pizza, Corvallis
Tommy's 4th Street Bar & Grill, Corvallis
Favorite Mistake bar, Pacific Boulevard, Albany
India Palace, Biddle Road, Medford
Young was sentenced Aug. 19 in Lane County Circuit Court after changing his plea to guilty Aug. 5 for 15 burglary charges in Lane County. The other alleged break-ins and thefts took place in Linn, Benton, Douglas and Jackson counties.
Thefts included stealing $1,000 each from the Blue Valley Bistro in Coburg and a local Fast Mart store, court records show. Young also broke a number of storefront windows, doors and damaged money drawers, which a detective estimated cost a few hundred dollars.
Young also pleaded guilty to two counts each of theft and criminal mischief in Lane County, court records show. The ongoing cases outside of Lane County include other charges such as theft and possessing a burglary tool he allegedly used to enter some restaurants.
Contact reporter Louis Krauss at lkrauss@registerguard.com, call 541-521-2498 or follow on Twitter @louiskraussnews.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Man sentenced to 15 years for burglarizing Lane County restaurants