KRRM - Local News

GP Police Jailed Moped Rider for Leading Officers on Chase near All Sports Park

Grants Pass Police jailed a moped rider for leading officers on a pursuit after complaints of suspicious activity at and near Reinhart Volunteer Park. The Police Department reports officers eventually arrested 55-year-old Jeffrey Alan Washburn at the end of Susan Lane on Tuesday at 2:16 p.m.. Police said multiple calls were generated due to Washburn's riding in and about the area of the All Sports Park on Webster Road. They said he tried to access the River House at the park, which is currently occupied by the new Grants Pass Fire Chief's family. They were placed in fear because of his violent and tumultuous behavior. According to the report, Washburn was riding an oversized bicycle with a large motor and he was observed speeding through the park along the baseball fields and playground, scaring citizens and children by screaming loudly. No one was hurt. Lights and sirens were activated by officers, but Washburn failed to stop and made several eluding maneuvers before he was cornered on Susan Lane and placed into custody. Washburn was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Attempt to Elude Police and Disorderly Conduct. GPPD said other charges may be filed against him.

Posted on 11/27/24 12:28PM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Two Women after Reports of Suspicious Activity in SE City

Grants Pass Police arrested two women following reports of suspicious activity on the southeast side of the city yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers arrested 36-year-old Isis Ladonna Dixon and 31-year-old Meagan Marie Deleone after responded to the incident near the corner of Overland and Axtell drives on Tuesday around 3:30 p.m.. Police said they received reports of two female subjects trying to break into a travel trailer, with one of them holding a crowbar in her hands. Officers arrived on scene and contacted the pair who were sitting in a Ford Fiesta with California plates. Both denied knowing who the car belonged to. Dixon initially refused to identify herself and it did not take long for officers to learn why. She was wanted on an Oregon State felony warrant for Parole Violation related to a robbery conviction as well as a Jackson County felony warrant for failing to appear in court for Manufacture, Possession and Delivery of Fentanyl. After the warrants were confirmed, she was lodged in jail on a no-bail detainer. Deleone admitted to taking a key fob from Walmart and told officers she would return it to the police station today. At the request of federal agents, she was cited to appear in court for probable cause of 2nd-Degree Theft and 3rd-Degree Criminal Mischief. She was released from custody.

Posted on 11/27/24 12:26PM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Felony for Parole Violation after He Caused Bar Disturbance

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for violating his post-prison supervision after he caused a disturbance at a local watering hole late last night. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident at Alibi Tavern on NW 6th Street on Tuesday at about 11:30 p.m.. Police said 27-year-old Christian Anthony Bartell consumed numerous alcoholic drinks at the bar and threw a coaster at the female bartender. They said the woman took Bartell's drink, dumped it out and told him to leave. Bartell reportedly became violent and got in the bartender's face, which caused her to cry. The subject then engaged in a verbal altercation with another bar patron and was contacted outside the establishment where he was placed into custody. After Bartell's corrections officer was contacted, he was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Parole Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer. Jail records show Bartell has been arrested four times for violating his parole since January of this year.

Posted on 11/27/24 12:25PM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Nabbed Convicted Sex Offender for Violations after Downtown Stop

Grants Pass Police arrested a convicted sex offender for non-compliance and violating his post-prison supervision after a downtown traffic stop yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a green minivan driven by 31-year-old Jeptha Philip Stricklin near the corner of SE 6th and J streets on Tuesday at 2:54 p.m.. Police said they stopped the minivan because it did not have a front license plate and the registration sticker on the rear plate had been scratched off. They contacted Stricklin and found him to be out of compliance with his sex offender registration and out of compliance with terms of his parole from a 2022 sex abuse conviction. Stricklin was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. He was being held without bail. Jail records show Stricklin has been arrested for violating his parole three times since April.

Posted on 11/27/24 12:24PM by Sam Marsh

GP Motorist Both Hurt and Cited after Crashing into Tree on Riverbanks Road

A Grants Pass motorist was injured and then cited after a crash on Riverbanks Road late yesterday. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the single-vehicle wreck near milepost 20 of State Route 260 on Tuesday shortly before 6 p.m.. Troopers said the 53-year-old male subject was driving a BMW sport utility vehicle too fast for the conditions and crashed into a tree while attempting to make a left turn off Riverbanks. They said he was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries. His wrecked SUV was towed. Following an investigation, troopers cited the man at the hospital for Violating the Basic Rule.

Posted on 11/27/24 12:22PM by Sam Marsh

Authorities Investigating Tuesday Shooting on West Evans Creek Road near RR

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is investigating a shooting that occurred yesterday in rural Rogue River. On Tuesday at 11:16 a.m., Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon received a call about a shooting in the 8100-block of West Evans Creek Road. Sheriff's deputies and the Rogue River Police Department responded to the scene, rendered aid to the victim and arrested the suspect. Jackson County Fire District #1 arrived to take over medical care and transport the victim to an area hospital. The unidentified victim was being treated for their injuries. According to the Sheriff's Office, the unidentified suspect is in custody and there is no danger to the general public. Detectives with the Ashland Police Department are assisting in the investigation, which is open and ongoing. More information will be released at a later date.

Posted on 11/27/24 6:41AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Jailed Man on Statewide Warrant after Downtown Area Patrol Check

Grants Pass Police jailed a man on a statewide felony warrant after a patrol check in the downtown area this week. The Police Department reports officers arrested 50-year-old Brian Jay Steffen at or near the Astro Gas Station on NE E Street on Monday evening. Police said they were on patrol when they spotted Steffen and were familiar with him from previous law enforcement contacts. They also knew that he was wanted on an Oregon State Parole Board warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a previous arson conviction. Steffen was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. Jail records show Steffen has been arrested for violating his parole three times since August.

Posted on 11/27/24 6:40AM by Sam Marsh

Medford Motorist Arrested for DUII after Driving Pickup on Rims near Hillsboro

Hillsboro police this week arrested a Jackson County man for allegedly drunk-driving a pickup truck at nearly 100 mph on its tire rims before crashing it on US Highway 26. Police arrested 35-year-old Skylar Peplinski of Medford on allegations of Reckless Driving and DUII after he allegedly crashed his truck near the Brookwood Parkway on Monday night, the Hillsboro Police Department said in a statement. The Oregonian reports officers responded to the scene after they received calls that a white pickup truck was speeding and driving recklessly on its tire rims, and then received another call minutes later reporting that the driver had crashed. When officers found the man they identified as Peplinski and the crashed truck, his blood-alcohol levels tested at .29% -- nearly four times the legal limit. Peplinski was previously convicted of DUII in 2020 and 2011, and Possession of Methamphetamine in 2017.

Posted on 11/27/24 6:38AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Cited California Trucker for Hitting Parked Vehicle on Interstate 5 Shoulder

The Oregon State Police cited a California truck driver for hitting a parked vehicle on Interstate 5 in northern Josephine County this week. According to OSP, troopers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle crash in the southbound lanes near milepost 75 of I-5 late Monday night. State troopers said a commercial vehicle driven by a 36-year-old Los Angeles man struck a Toyota Highlander that was disabled and parked on the freeway shoulder. The truck driver stated that the vehicle was in his travel lane, but evidence at the scene indicated the Toyota was parked on the shoulder and not presenting a hazard. Both the Freightliner semi-truck and Highlander sustained damage and were towed into Grants Pass. Following the investigation, the trucker was cited for Failure to Drive Within Lane.

Posted on 11/27/24 6:31AM by Sam Marsh

OLCC Ratified Stipulated Settlement Agreements with Local Tavern and Winery

The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) ratified three stipulated settlement agreements for three state licensees during its monthly meeting last week -- including two in Southern Oregon. The Steelhead Tavern between Grants Pass and the City of Rogue River will pay a $5,215 fine or serve a 28-day suspension for two OLCC violations. Roxy Ann Winery/Northwest Wine Brokers in Medford will pay a $1,485 fine or serve a nine-day suspension for one state violation. In other business, a temporary extension was approved by Commissioners for rules exempting CBN from the general requirements for artificial cannabinoids. The rules were set to expire January 2, 2025, and OLCC is not aware of any artificially-derived CBN manufacturers meeting the general requirements. The OLCC vote extends the deadline for CBN manufacturers to meet the general requirements by an additional six months.

Posted on 11/27/24 6:30AM by Sam Marsh

BCC Set to Hold Hearings on Fee Changes and Finalize Sale of The Flying Lark

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners will hold public hearings on orders approving fee schedule changes for various departments and the Board is slated to finalize the sale of The Flying Lark during its business session this morning. The first hearing is for fee schedule changes in 2025 for Airports, Assessor, Public Health, Public Information and the Surveyor while the second hearing is for fee changes in the coming year for Community Development and Planning. Under Administrative Actions, the Board will first consider an order authorizing the sale of county-owned real property not in use for county purposes. Next is an order authorizing the execution of a lease agreement with River Valley Community Church for parking around The Flying Lark. Also on the agenda is consideration of documents for the purchase of The Flying Lark by the local church. As part of the Consent Calendar, the Commissioners are expected to approve an order continuing the date of the second reading of two ordinances pertaining to the Josephine County Rural Fire Protection District. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

Posted on 11/27/24 6:18AM by Sam Marsh

RVTD and City of Grants Pass Awarded Grants to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Electric vehicles, EV charging stations, transit improvements and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure are among the 14 projects across the state to receive funding from the second round of the federal Carbon Reduction Program. The program's second round of competitive grant funding in spring of this year had $11.5 million available for "small and rural" projects in Oregon that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. Eligible projects for the grant were in urban and rural areas of the state with populations under 200,000. Cities, counties, Tribal governments, and local and state transportation agencies were eligible to apply. The 14 projects were split among 13 local agencies and one tribe. They included the Rogue Valley Transportation District (RVTD) and the City of Grants Pass. RVTD was awarded a grant of $1.6 million to purchase five accessible, battery electric paratransit vans to replace gasoline paratransit vans used in its Valley Lift service and vehicle charging infrastructure. The City of Grants Pass was awarded $655,000 for sidewalks, bike lanes and additional improvements to pedestrian safety associated with the Allen Creek Road Improvement Project.

Posted on 11/27/24 6:16AM by Sam Marsh