Local News

Rural Metro Fire responded on behalf of the Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District to a rollover crash on Interstate 5 near milepost 80 Tuesday around 4:15 p.m.

Crews joined the Glendale Oregon Rural Fire District, American Medical Response, Oregon State Police, and Oregon Department of Transportation in response to a single vehicle that had rolled over.

The driver was unable to get out, but Rural Metro Firefighters were able to quickly extricate the driver by removing the roof and windshield. Patient care was transferred to Glendale Ambulance and AMR. The driver reportedly suffered from serious injuries and was transported to a Medford trauma hospital.

The freeway was temporarily affected by traffic control during the incident, but has since been reopened.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners approved an M&M Services, LLC contract at the start of today's Administration Workshop.

Public Works was approved 3-0 to sign a contract in the amount of $102,400 for the project, with the first payment of the Fuel Tanks and Pumps decommissioning to be $76,800. The tanks and pumps have been removed from the site, with gravel being used to fill the holes left behind.

Following an analysis report, holes from the removed pumps will be filled as well. The project was estimated to be about three quarters of the way done. All personnel requisitions and actions were approved.

The board then met at 2:30 p.m. in Executive Session to consider the dismissal or discipline of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against the Information Technology and Emergency Management Director. Legal Counsel provided an update to the board, and the meeting adjourned.

 

Oregon State Police were kept busy over Memorial Day weekend with, not only DUII reports and traffic stops, but wanted and suspended drivers.

Beginning Friday the 22nd around 4:45 p.m., troopers initiated a traffic stop on a white sedan on Northwest 6th Street and Northeast Midland Avenue. The driver, Esai Alvarez, 23, of Grants Pass, was identified and found to be suspended at the Misdemeanor level. He was arrested and cited in lieu of custody, and his vehicle was towed from the scene. Two passengers in the vehicle were cited as well.

Troopers then arrested a woman for a Linn County warrant following a Saturday traffic stop. She was observed driving a green Chevy Suburban after violations were observed by law enforcement at the corner of NW 6th Street and NW A Street around 1:44 a.m. She was identified as Katie Tomlinson, 32, of Lebanon. After her warrant was confirmed, she was arrested and transported to the Josephine County Jail where she was lodged but later released due to a lack of resources. Her vehicle was recovered by a friend.

A speeding vehicle was then stopped by troopers Monday at 3:43 p.m. They contacted the driver, Jose Lapizco Jr., 24, of Medford, and found him to be driving while suspended. His vehicle was released to a friend, and Lapizco Jr. was transported to the Adult Jail Facility where he was lodged until being released on his own recognizance.

That same day, OSP again initiated a traffic stop on a speeding white Ford Expedition on Interstate 5 around 5:12 p.m. The suspect, Gina Kinnie, 58, of Grants Pass, was stopped near milepost 58. She provided the trooper with a photo of an ID card as proof of her being insured.

The DMV showed, however, that the insurance had been terminated in February. While Kinnie told law enforcement she was insured by the same company under the same policy, the trooper verified she was not. Kinnie was cited for Giving False Information Regarding Liability Insurance, and released.

 

Josephine County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man after he was observed driving westbound on Merlin Road at speeds estimated around 100 mph Sunday at 12:03 a.m. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies activated their emergency lights and siren, at which point the tan GMC Suburban accelerated in an attempt to elude law enforcement. The vehicle turned onto Merlin Avenue, failed to stop at a stop sign, and continued onto Pleasant Valley Road where a pursuit was initiated. The vehicle continued fleeing northbound on Pleasant Valley Road at lower speeds before yielding in the 1100 block of Pleasant Valley Road. A felony stop was conducted and the driver, identified as Job McGhee, was taken into custody without incident. Deputies located a loaded semi-automatic shotgun in the front passenger seat of the vehicle during an investigation. It was also determined the driver was intoxicated at the time of the incident.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a reportedly intoxicated man Monday after three calls to 911 regarding his behavior.

Dispatch was alerted around 4:15 p.m. about the suspect screaming outside his property in the 200 block of NE Mead Street. He had made threats to the first caller, and egged another caller's car, causing public alarm.

Officers arrived and located the suspect, Phillip Johnson in his residence. He was cooperative when taken into custody on a charge Second Degree Disorderly Conduct.

Johnson was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center where he was medically cleared for his intoxication level. Johnson was lodged in jail, and his dog was secured in the incident location awaiting care from the suspect's father.

 

A man throwing items towards the Redwood Highway was apprehended by Grants Pass Police, who later lodged him on an Offensive Littering charge Monday.

The suspect was reported by a caller in line at the 1620 Allen Creek Road Dutch Bros. around 9:56 a.m. Dispatch was told the suspect, wearing white shorts and a black tee shirt, was throwing things into the road, affecting traffic in the process.

An additional call to dispatch corroborated the first caller's claims, and officers soon arrived to contact the suspect. He was identified as Kenneth Strate, and he proceeded to tell officers that he woke up behind a Miller Paint truck nearby to find his shoes were missing.

He reportedly became upset and began throwing items. Some of those scattered items went into the inbound lane on the south side of the highway, blocking the south lane and posing a traffic hazard. Officers advised Strate to pick up his items, to which he obliged.

He was subsequently taken into custody and transported to the Josephine County Jail for Offensive Littering. Officers collected Strate's items and placed them into safekeeping.

 

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office has updated the evacuation levels for the Blackwell Fire. The agency's Facebook post at 8 a.m. today downgraded the Level 2 for Zone JAC-229 to a Level 1. The Level 1 evacuation notice for Zone JAC-231 has been canceled. Firefighting efforts and the weather were cited as reasons for the changes. All road closures have been lifted. Residents who were initially evacuated by first responders may now return home unless they feel unsafe doing so. Use caution as firefighters continue their work. The Sheriff's Office is encouraging the public to Know Your Zone. Visit protect.genasys.com to learn more.

 

Two suspects were apprehended Monday by Josephine County Sheriff's deputies for out-of-county warrants.

Law enforcement contacted Michael Inch at the corner of Sylvan Drive and Allen Creek Road around 2:35 a.m. He was wanted on a Marion County Sheriff's Office warrant for Failure to Perform the Duties of a Driver.

Deputies took Inch into custody and transported him to the Josephine County Jail where he was lodged. He was later transported to another agency.

That same day, around 9:07 a.m., deputies pulled over a Nissan Versa driven by Danielle Thompson at the Provolt Recreation Site, 14,171 Williams Highway. She was found to be wanted for a warrant out of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office for charges including DUI, Reckless Endangering, and Reckless Driving.

Her identity was confirmed, and deputies proceeded to transport Thompson to the Adult Jail Facility. She was lodged on her misdemeanor warrant.

 

Monday's wind caused challenges for local first responders as they scrambled to deal with several incidents.

According to Rural Metro Fire, wind caused trees and limbs to fall on powerlines in the New Hope, Sunny Valley and Greens Creek Road areas, causing power disruptions and small fires. All fires are now fully extinguished.

Wind is also being considered a contributor to incidents on the Rogue River during Boatnik races that caused two jet boats to flip and eject their pilots. Pre-staged rescue crews assigned to the races determined there were no injuries.

Rural Metro stated wind is reported to be what accelerated the Blackwell Fire in Central Point to push to 30 acres yesterday afternoon. All regional firefighters including Rural Metro Fire's Battalion 5 and Water Tender 7541 were mobilized to respond.