Local News

A Grants Pass woman was killed and a Merlin man was injured earlier this week in a motor vehicle accident in Douglas County. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the single-vehicle crash near milepost 28 of Highway 138E at 6:38 p.m. Monday. Troopers said the preliminary investigation indicates a westbound Chevrolet Tahoe driven by 65-year-old Craig Francis Hindle of Merlin crossed the highway for unknown reasons, left the eastbound shoulder and struck a tree. The passenger in the Tahoe -- 34-year-old Scoti Allena Hoadley of Grants Pass -- was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt and was declared deceased at the scene. The driver -- Hindle -- sustained minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital. The highway was not impacted during the on-scene investigation. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. OSP was assisted by the Oregon Department of Transportation.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department is asking for public assistance in locating a robbery suspect. On March 29th around 10:30 p.m., a customer at the A-1 Market & Deli on SW G Street called 9-1-1 to report a possible robbery in progress at the store. GPPD officers responded and confirmed the business had been robbed by a suspect who may have had a firearm in his pocket. The suspect -- who wore dark clothing, white shoes and a dark bandanna over his face -- fled the scene with money and cigarettes before the arrival of law enforcement. Due to the nature of the call, GPPD utilized a K-9 unit and an unmanned aerial vehicle to search for the suspect, but they were unable to locate him. The suspect was described as a white male of average height. A surveillance video posted on the GPPD Facebook page shows the suspect as he entered the store. The hope is that someone who knows the suspect can identify him based on his clothing, movements and mannerisms. If anyone has information about the robbery or the identity of the suspect, they are encouraged to call the GPPD Major Crimes Unit at (541)-450-6260.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a well-known offender on outstanding warrants while performing a welfare check at the Oregon Department of Human Services Office this week. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident involving 38-year-old Kelcey Edwin Cummings at the DHS office on NW Hawthorne Avenue on Wednesday. Police said the office manager called 9-1-1 to report a male subject with his shorts down around his ankles kept falling down and they were concerned for his welfare. They said it appeared the man was under the influence of either drugs or alcohol. Responding officers contacted Cummings and said he showed multiple indicators of impairment. They also discovered that he was wanted on outstanding warrants for Fentanyl Possession, 2nd-Degree Theft, 3rd-Degree Theft and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. Cummings was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants. He was being held in lieu of posting $15,000 bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving and more after he crashed into a house on the west city of the city and fled on foot this week. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the incident in the 700-block of Lincoln Road late Wednesday night. Police said a nearby resident heard the crash and called 9-1-1 to report a vehicle struck a house and the male driver ran away. Fortunately, the only person in the house was not injured and there was little to no damage to the structure. Responding officers observed a man they later identified as "Terry Grigsby" running south from the crash scene on Wagner Meadows Road. Upon contact, he admitted to drinking alcohol and displayed several signs of impairment. A witness told officers they saw him driving at a high rate of speed right before the crash. While escorting Grigsby to a patrol vehicle, officers said he went unconscious and had to be transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center. While there, a legal blood sample was obtained that documented a high level of impairment. Grigsby was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Driving While Suspended and Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage. He was cited to appear in court and released, but his vehicle was impounded.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District reports no one was hurt in a motor vehicle accident in downtown Cave Junction yesterday. On Thursday at 11:56 a.m., IVFD crews and the Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Redwood and Caves highways. IVFD officials reported no injuries and said the occupants arranged for their own towing services. The Oregon State Police was conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners is set to make appointments to two advisory groups during its weekly business session this morning. The Board will open the meeting with three Administrative Action items to consider approval of participation in the County Assessment Function Funding Assistance (CAFFA) Grant as well as plat maps for two residential developments. The Commissioners will then consider resolutions making appointments to the Josephine County Airports Advisory Board and Josephine County Budget Committee. Several other appointments initially on the agenda were postponed. There will also be Requests and Comments from Citizens in which participants are given three minutes to address the Board on virtually any topic pertaining to Josephine County. Today's public meeting begins at 10 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department is alerting the community to an increasing number of fraudulent debit card uses in the region. Typically, a criminal will place a "skimmer" at the location of a debit card terminal to read the digital information from the card as the victim uses it to make a purchase or withdrawal. The criminal then imprints the stolen information onto the magnetic strip of a "dummy" card that is then used to withdraw cash as if it were the original card. The "skimmers" are usually disguised in a way that makes them very difficult to identify. If you come across a debit card terminal that "doesn't seem right," listen to your instincts, find a different terminal and report your suspicion to the business. Even bank ATMs and gas pumps have been targeted with "skimmers" in some places. If you think you have been a victim of "ghost withdrawals" from your account, please gather documents from your bank and call your local law enforcement agency to report the potential fraud and theft. GPPD officials said we don't need to live in fear, but we do need to live aware.

 

Over the last two months, Josephine County Animal Control has responded to eight calls regarding foxes that have been potentially rabid. Three of these incidents included attacks against people who have subsequently been advised to immediately seek medical treatment. Four were attacks on dogs and cats, and one was a sick fox observed near a local residence. The most recent took place on April 5th. Josephine County and the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife have sent five of the foxes to the Oregon State Health Authority for testing and they were confirmed as positive for rabies. The other three foxes were not recovered. The Sheriff's Office would like everyone to be vigilant and keep themselves and their pets away from any wildlife that may acting out of the ordinary. Anyone who has an encounter with an animal not acting normal is encouraged to get to a safe space and keep their pets in secure areas. Please contact Animal Control or the ODFW if a wild animal is observed exhibiting strange behavior.

 

The Trail Blazers Foundation has awarded 13 grants totaling $100,000 to schools throughout Oregon and southwest Washington through its "Take It To The Court for Education" school grant program. The grants will be distributed to schools in 12 counties, reaching from the northeast in Umatilla County to the southwest in Jackson County. The grants will directly support a variety of academic, arts, athletic and community programs. Locally, the Kids Unlimited Academy of Jackson County was awarded a grant for its "Food for Thoughtfulness" program, which encourages culinary skills, career training and entrepreneurial development. Grants were also awarded to Oakland Elementary School in Douglas County and Chiloquin Junior/Senior High School in Klamath County. School representatives were invited to the Moda Center in Portland on Sunday for a pregame celebration with Foundation Board members and Trail Blazers staff prior to an on-court recognition during halftime.