Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on three outstanding warrants during a Monday patrol check at a city park. According to the Police Department, officers contacted the 64-year-old male subject at Morrison Centennial Park at 3:30 p.m. yesterday. Police said they placed the man into custody on three Grants Pass warrants for four counts of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. While taking inventory of the arrestee's personal property, officers located a pipe with methamphetamine residue. It was seized for destruction. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants plus related probation violations. He was being held on a no-bail detainer. The man's two tents, bicycle and personal items were logged into evidence for safekeeping. His camp chair was thrown away and a shopping cart at the campsite was taken back to the downtown Safeway.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a young man for not leaving a city park after he had been trespassed earlier in the day. The Police Department reports officers contacted the 19-year-old man at Tussing Park on Monday around 1:15 p.m. and placed him into custody a short time later. Police said the man had been issued a 30-day exclusion at about 8:30 that morning, but he was located sleeping in a tent and making no effort to leave the park when they returned in the afternoon. He was lodged in jail for Criminal Trespass. The man's backpack and mountain bike were placed into safekeeping, but his tent was removed and disposed of because it was filled with drug paraphernalia items. A gray pit bull dog running loose at the park was caught and transported to the Josephine County Animal Shelter. The animal's owner was notified.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving last night following a complaint at a southeast city convenience store. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the Li'l Pantry Market & Deli on Rogue River Highway on Monday at about 9:40 p.m.. Police said a store employee called 9-1-1 to report that a woman was extremely impaired after driving to the business. The worker advised the woman was slurring her words, stumbling around and they could smell alcohol on her. A customer was able to get her keys and convince her to stay at the store. Upon arrival, officers contacted the 57-year-old woman who showed obvious signs of impairment. She proceeded to perform poorly in field sobriety tests and was placed into custody. The suspect was cited to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Reckless Driving before being released to a friend, who also picked up her vehicle and dog.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed an impaired man for multiple crimes last weekend after he crashed a vehicle into a traffic signal pole while fleeing from law enforcement. The Police Department reports officers arrested the 55-year-old male subject at Three Rivers Medical Center early Sunday morning. That's where he was taken following the wreck at the intersection of Rogue River Highway and the Grants Pass Parkway. The Oregon State Police assisted with the arrest. Police said they observed the motorist speeding, failing to maintain a travel lane and nearly crashing while outbound on Highway 99 near Fruitdale Drive. They said he turned around and accelerated to a high rate of speed before a traffic stop was attempted. The man refused to yield while striking curbs, swerving all over the highway and nearly crashing several more times. The pursuit ended when the man lost control of the Mini Cooper he was driving and struck the traffic signal pole, totaling his car. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported by ambulance to the hospital for evaluation. After he showed indicators of impairment, a search warrant was obtained for a legal blood draw that documented a high level of inebriation by alcohol. The suspect was medically cleared and then lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Attempt to Elude Police, Reckless Driving and Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. He was being held without bail and his totaled car was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for several crimes related to domestic violence after he called the police station last weekend. The Police Department reports the 67-year-old man called GPPD headquarters on Sunday around 9:50 a.m.. Police said the man requested to speak with an officer about an investigation into a recent domestic violence incident that allegedly occurred in the 1100-block of NW B Street. The caller was told to come to the police station to speak with the officer in person. He did and he was immediately placed into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on suspicion of Domestic Strangulation, Domestic Menacing, Harassment and Interfering with Making a Police Report. He was being held without bail.

 

A weekend patrol check at a transient camp in the Illinois Valley led to the apprehension of a fugitive wanted for drug possession in Eastern Oregon. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office reports a deputy under contract with the US Forest Service contacted the male subject at a camp along the Illinois River near the bridge on Eight Dollar Mountain Road on Sunday shortly after 11 a.m.. Deputies said they detained the man and a routine records check revealed that he was wanted by the Umatilla County Sheriff's Office for failing to appear in court for Possession of a Controlled Substance. The suspect was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged in jail on the warrant. He was awaiting transfer to the Umatilla County Jail in Pendleton.

 

The Oregon State Police cited a Grants Pass man for shooting and killing a buck deer in the Cloverlawn area last weekend. OSP reports Fish & Wildlife troopers responded to the area of Cheslock Road for an unlawfully harvested buck late Saturday night. Upon arrival, state game troopers made contact with the 25-year-old male suspect who admitted to unlawfully killing the animal out of season and without a license. According to OSP, four witnesses corroborated the suspect's story. The animal was subsequently seized and the suspect was cited for Unlawful Possession of a Buck Deer.

 

Multiple agencies were successful in holding a Ruch area grass fire to just one acre yesterday. On Monday at 11:30 a.m., the Applegate Valley Fire District, Oregon Department of Forestry and Bureau of Land Management were dispatched to the reported fire in the 500-block of Little Applegate Road. ODF Southwest officials said the incident was originally toned out as a smoke investigation, but it was quickly upgraded to a grass fire as crews began arriving on scene. The fire was initially estimated to be a quarter-acre in size. However, shifting winds prompted the blaze to grow slightly before firefighters stopped its spread at one acre. Resources finished up mop-up work in the afternoon, ensuring all hot spots were extinguished. The cause of the fire was under investigation. Officials ask Southern Oregon residents to be aware that fires can easily start and spread in warm and windy conditions. For more information on fire season rules, please visit "swofire.com/public-fire-restrictions."

 

Because Josephine County is observing the Juneteenth holiday on Wednesday, the Board of Commissioners is holding its weekly business session this morning. The Board will open the meeting with a public hearing for the supplemental budget for the current fiscal year. Following the hearing, the Commissioners will decide whether to approve adjustments to the spending plan that ends on June 30th. Under Administrative Actions, the Board will consider a purchase and sale agreement between The Conservation Fund and Josephine County for the Pipe Fork property near Williams. As part of the sale, a contribution agreement covering funds provided by the Williams Community Forest Project must also be approved by the Commission. The proposed sale has been months in the making. As part of the Consent Calendar, the Board is scheduled to make an appointment to the Grants Pass Airport Advisory Board. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.