“$5,000 reward offered in West Linn home invasion that led to jewelry store robbery”

$5,000 reward offered in West Linn home invasion that led to jewelry store robbery

Posted: 23 Feb 2011 06:06 PM PST

Published: Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 5:53 PM Updated: Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 6:00 PM

WEST LINN -- A $5,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest in a home-invasion robbery that led to a jewelry store heist last year.

La Rog Brothers Jewelry, which operates stores in Clackamas and Tigard, has posted a reward in connection with the March 2010 tandem robberies.

Meanwhile, a recent case in Kennewick, Wash., was so similar that La Rog Brothers is coordinating with Kennewick police and the victims there so rewards in that case will be offered at the same time. Kennewick authorities released police-artist sketches of the suspects in hope that someone might recognize them.

In West Linn, police are hunting three robbers who bulled their way into the home of Becky and Rick Rogoway. They then tied up Becky Rogoway and forced her husband to drive them to his Clackamas-area jewelry store. The robbers ransacked the store and fled in Rick Rogoway's car.

Rick Rogoway, co-owner of La Rog Brothers Jewelry, is a fourth-generation jeweler with deep roots in the Portland area.

No one was injured in the incident.

In Kennewick, three gunmen went to the home of Touchstone Jewelers owner Mark Welsh on Feb. 9 and tied up his family. They then forced Welsh to take them to his closed store, where they stole jewelry and other merchandise. No one was injured.

There is a $5,000 reward for the Kennewick case, with an additional $1,000 from the Tri-Cities Crime Stoppers.

Both the West Linn and Kennewick cases are similar to earlier robberies in Oregon.

In November 2009, a jewelry store owner returned from work to his Beaverton home to find his family tied up by armed robbers who demand access to his store, Ari Diamonds, at Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway and Scholls Ferry Road. The robbers stole the jeweler's car, looted the store and fled. The car later was found a couple miles away.

In December 2008, two armed men wearing ski masks and black clothing ambushed a couple at the man's home in Oregon City. They used a gun to threaten the couple and got keys and alarm codes to the family's jewelry store, Affordable Jewelry & Precious Metals in downtown Portland. The robbers then tied up the couple and left. By the time the couple broke free, the store had been burglarized without anyone tripping the alarm.

"We've been looking for connections in all of these cases," said Sgt. Neil Hennelly, West Linn police spokesman. "Now, with a reward offered, maybe someone will send us a good tip."

Hennelly urged anyone with information to call West Linn police at 655-6214. Confidential text messages can be sent to CRIMES (274637 on a cell phone keypad), with the keyword "WLPD" as the first word in the message.

-- Rick Bella

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