3 suspects 'cased' home, detectives say.

Byline: Rebecca Nolan The Register-Guard

Sheriff's investigators have learned that the three men arrested Tuesday after a violent home-invasion robbery in Elmira targeted the house because of property and cash they knew were inside.

"We have reason to believe that these suspects put a substantial amount of time into casing this place, and they were looking for cash and other high-end value items," Lane County sheriff's Lt. Randy Smith said Wednesday. "They had spent some time watching it."

Smith said detectives were still investigating whether drugs were involved in the crime.

The suspects, Nicholas William Pearson, 20, Jarrod Michael Swisher, 26, and Jesse Michael Smith, 26, all were arraigned Wednesday in Lane County Circuit Court on charges of attempted murder and first-degree robbery and burglary. Pearson and Smith also were charged with unlawful use of a weapon.

All three were being held in the Lane County Jail.

The men are accused of forcing their way into a house at 90266 Sheffler Road shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday armed with a shotgun, a handgun and a Taser and wearing camouflage clothing and masks over their faces. One of the men wore a bulletproof vest.

They tied up the three people inside and ransacked the house, taking cash, computers, a wallet and a purse. They confronted a fourth person, the homeowner, when he arrived home in his pickup truck. He, too, was tied up.

As they rifled through a car outside, the homeowner broke free and chased after them.

Two suspects shot at the homeowner at least 12 times, sheriff's investigators said. None of the bullets hit their mark.

The victims included the homeowner's elderly uncle and aunt visiting from Georgia, as well as the man's female roommate. They called 911 for help at 11 a.m., and the call was transferred to the sheriff's office. Deputies were dispatched at 11:04 a.m. The first deputy to arrive waited for a cover officer before approaching the house.

When they approached, the homeowner was standing in the driveway. He pointed the deputies to a clearing in the nearby woods. The deputies arrested the first suspect 34 minutes after they were dispatched. They found the second man a few minutes later.

A Springfield police dog and handler tracked the third man down a short time later. Deputies used the Springfield dog instead of the sheriff's own K-9 because the Springfield handler was on duty at the time and could respond more quickly, Smith said.

On Wednesday, Explorer Scouts and the sheriff's search and rescue team recovered two guns believed used in the crime, a 12-gauge shotgun and a 9mm handgun, the lieutenant said.