A Washington County jury convicted a 35-year-old Aurora man on Friday, Aug. 7, of stealing more than $50,000 in gold from the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals, ending a multi-county investigation led by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, the agency that patrols the Bethany and Cedar Mill areas.

Vincent Charles Roberts II was found guilty of second-degree burglary, first-degree aggravated theft, first-degree theft and first-degree criminal mischief, according to the Washington County District Attorney's Office. Deputy District Attorney Christina Luedtke prosecuted the case before Judge Kathleen Proctor in Washington County Circuit Court.

Roberts is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Four minutes, one sledgehammer

WCSO deputies responded to a break-in alarm at the museum at 2:21 a.m. on Dec. 24, 2023. Surveillance footage showed the suspect fled with a bag of stolen gold in under four minutes, according to the Hillsboro News Times. Roberts used a sledgehammer to smash display cases and took nearly all the gold from the exhibit, prosecutors said.

The stolen gold and artifacts were valued at more than $50,000, according to OregonLive.

DNA and alert pawn shop owners

The investigation stretched across Washington, Clackamas and Marion counties and into Vancouver, Washington. WCSO detectives learned Roberts traveled to Salem and Woodburn to sell the stolen items at pawn shops, prosecutors said. Shop owners recognized the pieces from an earlier media release and contacted law enforcement.

Detectives recovered suspected stolen museum exhibits from a precious metals buyer near Salem before identifying Roberts as a suspect, according to the DA's office. Investigators also found Roberts' DNA at the museum. During unrelated interactions with law enforcement, Roberts was found in possession of gold pieces belonging to the museum and materials used to melt gold.

A Washington County grand jury indicted Roberts in May 2024. The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office arrested him the following month.

Many gold pieces still missing

At the time of Roberts' arrest in 2024, investigators said many of the historical gold display items had not been recovered. That gap remains heading into sentencing.

The gold is still missing.

Under Oregon law, first-degree aggravated theft is a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000. Second-degree burglary is a Class C felony carrying up to five years and a $125,000 fine.

The Rice Northwest Museum sits on 23 acres in unincorporated Washington County, houses more than 20,000 earth science specimens and draws roughly 25,000 visitors a year.

Residents with information about the missing gold pieces can contact the Washington County Sheriff's Office at 503-846-2700.