Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man doing drugs outside Platinum Financial Monday afternoon.

The manager of the 752 NW 6th Street business reported two men sitting against the back wall of the building with a white bag and tin foil at 3:05 p.m. He requested the suspects be trespassed.

Upon arrival, officers warned both men trespass, but detained one of them, identified as Justis Cory. His Parole Officer was contacted and issued a detainer. Officers took Cory to the Josephine County Jail where he was lodged.

 

Deputies with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man wanted on a kidnapping warrant early Monday morning.

At 12:44 a.m., deputies contacted the suspect, Anthony Hindle, inside an unplated black Toyota Tundra at the 397 Old Highway 99 Shell station. He had a parole board warrant for Kidnapping in the Second Degree out for his arrest.

Hindle was taken into custody. After his warrant was verbally confirmed, he was transported and lodged in the Josephine County Jail.

 

The Medford Police Department is reminding the public to be on the lookout for scam text messages claiming to be from the IRS, tax preparation services, or financial institutions.

Should you receive a suspicious text message, do not respond or click on any links. These scam texts will often claim you owe taxes, traffic fines, or are owed a refund, and threaten arrest, fines, or legal action if you don’t act immediately.

They'll also create urgency with short deadlines or “final notice” language and contain links asking you to “verify” personal or financial information. MPD says you can protect yourself from scams by not responding to suspicious texts, never sharing personal information via text, not clicking on links or attachments in the texts, blocking scammers, and reporting IRS-related scams to reportphishing@irs.gov.

Legitimate agencies will never demand payment through gift cards, cryptocurrency, or suspicious links, so be cautious of any messages that demand immediate action or ask for personal information or payment.

If you believe you may have clicked a link or provided personal information, contact your financial institution immediately and report the incident to local law enforcement.

 

Grants Pass Police received a report of a gunshot in the 500 block of SE J Street Saturday around 11:42 p.m.

Officers responded to the scene and confirmed a firearm had been discharged. After conducting a search of the neighborhood, it was confirmed no one was injured.

GPPD Detectives responded to the scene to assist with collecting evidence and interviews. Due to the seriousness of the crime, the detectives and patrol officers spent the next eleven hours investigating.

At about 1:22 pm, a 15-year-old male juvenile was taken into custody. He was lodged at the Juvenile Justice Center for Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, and Reckless Endangering.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Grants Pass Police Major Crimes Unit at 541-450-6260.

 

Josephine County Sheriff's Deputies and Oregon State Police troopers responded to the A-1 Market for a reported robbery Sunday at 2:05 p.m.

The suspect had entered the 4203 Upper River Road store and grabbed several items off of the shelves, after having been in the store an hour earlier with no money.

The store clerk attempted to stop the man from leaving with the items, but the suspect displayed a knife and held it to another customer. The suspect was allowed to leave.

No one was injured during these events, and the suspect was last seen fleeing on Upper River Road. The area was searched but the male was not located. The case is under investigation.

The suspect is described as a white male, about 40 to 50 years old, with grey hair who was last seen wearing a red hat, blue sweatshirt, and blue jeans. If captured, he will be charged with First Degree Robbery, Third Degree Theft, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Menacing.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 541-474-5123.

 

Applications are being accepted for a position on the Urban Tree Advisory Committee.

This position is for a vacancy. The term will expire on September 30th, 2027.

The purpose of the committee is to review, develop, and implement programs and activities that promote, protect, and enhance the urban forest as a part of the Tree City, USA program.

Applications are available at the City Administration Office, 101 N.W. A Street, or online at www.grantspassoregon.gov/committee-application. Applications must be received by 5 p.m., February 27th.

Applications will be reviewed by the committee on March 9th, and appointments will be made at the City Council meeting April 1st.

 

Oregon State Police responded to a fatal hit-and-run on the northbound shoulder of Interstate 5 near the Exit 24 on ramp. On Saturday at 7:20 a.m., the preliminary investigation indicated the pedestrian, Anthony Jonathan Byam, 34, of Phoenix, had been struck by a vehicle that did not stop. Byam was declared deceased at the scene. An investigation into the hit-and-run crash is ongoing. The highway was not impacted during the on-scene investigation. OSP was assisted by the Jackson County Fire District and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

 

County Courthouse offices closed today due to a power outage that was restored at 12:13 p.m, KDRV reported according to Pacific Power. In a press release, Kassie Austin, Chief Administrative Supervisor, said office closures located at 500 NW 6th Street included Human Resources, Finance, the Board of Commissioners, Clerk, Treasury, Veteran Services, Legal Counsel, and the Assessor. The City of Grants Pass Facebook page said that due to this outage, the City Council Workshop scheduled for 11:45 a.m. was canceled.

 

A man trespassing at Resting Site 6 South was apprehended by Grants Pass Police.

On Sunday at 10:51 a.m., officers had arrested the suspect, Justis Cory, after observing him at the 704 NW 6th Street site via surveillance footage. He had been previously trespassed from the location.

After notifying his Parole Officer, Cory was arrested for a detainer and Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree. During a consent search and following a positive field test, officers located about 2 grams of methamphetamine on Cory's person.

He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail with an additional charge of Meth Possession, but was later released due to lack of resources at the jail. Cory was trespassed from the resting site for 90 days.