Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested one man on outstanding warrants out of the Portland area and another man for drug possession at a downtown resting site yesterday. GPPD officers were performing patrol checks at the site at 711 NW 5th Street when they first contacted 19-year-old Michael Raymon Chezem in the morning and 26-year-old Bill Deiontre Woods about two hours later. Police said they discovered that Chezem was wanted on a Multnomah County warrant for Felony 3rd-Degree Assault and a Clackamas County warrant for failing to appear in court for Methamphetamine Possession. He was lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail. Officers said Woods was seen holding burnt foil and a smoking device as they walked through Resting Site 5. He was detained and further investigation revealed the foil and smoking device both contained fentanyl residue. He was lodged in jail. Meanwhile, a woman identified as "Shani Fedosky" was cited for Utilization of Space.

 

A Grants Pass man is facing federal charges for trafficking fentanyl and illegally possessing numerous firearms. According to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon, 38-year-old Christopher Smith has been charged by criminal complaint with Possessing with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Approximately one year ago, investigators with the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) task force and US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) obtained information that Smith was actively distributing fentanyl throughout Josephine County from his Lower River Road residence in Grants Pass. On May 9th, investigators executed a state search warrant on Smith's residence where they located and seized approximately 400 grams of fentanyl, two digital scales with fentanyl residue, two 3D printers, two ghost guns, 74 additional firearms and an unmarked firearm suppressor. Smith was present during the search and placed under arrest. He made his first court appearance yesterday before a US Magistrate Judge in Medford. The case was investigated by RADE and DEA. RADE is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program. It includes members from the Grants Pass Police Department, Josephine County Community Corrections, Oregon State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

 

The Grants Pass Police Department assisted Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) with the arrest of a suspect for felony drug trafficking at a north-city motel this week. GPPD officers and RADE detectives arrested 40-year-old Matthew Ryan Barton at the Red Lion Inn & Suites on NW 6th Street on Tuesday morning. RADE has not yet released any details of the investigation that led to Barton's arrest, but he was in possession of large quantities of both methamphetamine and fentanyl when he was placed into custody. The drugs were seized as evidence and for eventual destruction. Barton was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on suspicion of felony crimes of Manufacture, Possession and Delivery of Meth as well as Manufacture, Possession and Delivery of Fentanyl. He was being held without bail.

 

A Josephine County Community Corrections client apparently forgot to check his personal belongings before visiting his probation officer this week. Grants Pass Police arrested 33-year-old Jeffrey Allen McPeake at the Community Corrections Office on NW 4th Street on Tuesday. Police said McPeake's corrections officer conducted a consent search of his client's belongings and found two restricted knives, two sets of brass knuckles and assorted drug paraphernalia with methamphetamine residue. He is a convicted felon and he was detained until officers arrived on scene to place him into custody. McPeake was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for four counts of Felon in Possession of a Weapon, Meth Possession and the resulting Probation Violation related to previous arrests for Delivery of Meth and 2nd-Degree Theft. He was being held without bail and the rest of his property was logged into safekeeping.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for stealing a vehicle out of California early yesterday, but there was no room for him at the Josephine County Jail. The Police Department reports officers contacted 49-year-old John Robert Leblanc near the Garden Grove Apartments on Fruitdale Drive on Wednesday right before midnight and arrested him about 10 minutes later. Police said Leblanc was driving a vehicle that had been reported stolen by the Novato, California, Police Department on May 9th. They said the suspect failed to return the vehicle to a rental company which had sent him demand letters and text messages to which he did not respond. According to GPPD, the stolen vehicle was recovered and the rental company was notified. Leblanc was charged with Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and Possession of a Stolen Vehicle. He was cited to appear in court and released because the jail was not accepting new intakes.

 

Firefighters battled an early morning structure fire yesterday in the southeast part of Grants Pass. On Wednesday at approximately 4 a.m., multiple units from Grants Pass Fire & Rescue and Rural Metro Fire Department were dispatched to the reported fire in the 600-block of Sunset Way. Grants Pass officials said Engine 7308 arrived first and found a fully-involved detached garage on fire at the rear of the residence. They said crews acted quickly, preventing the fire from spreading to nearby homes and successfully containing it to the original structure. Officials said the cause of the fire is currently under investigation, adding that it was the second fire at the same address in the last two weeks.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners is preparing to permanently move its weekly business sessions to Thursday mornings. During its business session this morning, the Board will hold a public hearing to consider the second reading of an ordinance related to Commissioners meetings. The first reading was heard and approved on April 25th. Until this year, the Board of Commissioners had held its public business meetings on Wednesdays at 9 a.m.. Earlier this year, the Commission moved the meetings to Fridays at 10 a.m. before deciding that Thursdays at 10 a.m. was a better time slot. Under Administrative Actions, the Board will consider a request for a fee waiver from the Illinois Valley Fire District. As always, there will be Requests and Comments from Citizens when 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.

 

During the 2025 Local Government Spring Conference, the League of Oregon Cities presented the "Good Governance Award" to the City of Ashland for its Lifelong Learning Courses program. The award -- which recognizes progressive and innovative city operations and services -- was also presented to the cities of Lincoln City and Chiloquin. The City of Ashland has partnered with Southern Oregon University to offer courses through their Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) courses. OLLI at SOU is a member-driven educational community primarily serving adults ages 50 and above. Last fall, the course "Better Together: The Work of the City of Ashland" was held weekly for nine weeks, with 30 OLLI members/residents enrolled. The course provided an overview of the City's essential services and included PowerPoint presentations and discussion followed by questions and answers. Currently, the City is offering the course "Show Me the Money," a deep dive into City finances. A general course on government operations is planned for this fall and one with a specific topic is planned for next spring. Founded in 1925, the League of Oregon Cities is voluntary association that represents all 241 of Oregon's incorporated cities.

 

The Redwood Foundation for Education will award over $700,000 in scholarships this month to graduating high school seniors in Grants Pass, Josephine County, Rogue River and Glendale. Local high school seniors apply for scholarships from the Redwood Foundation for Education each year and they are matched to more than 200 different scholarships administered by the Foundation. In 2025, the Redwood Foundation for Education anticipates providing more than $1.5 million locally through grants and scholarships to support early childhood, K-12, and transitions into post-secondary education and training. Scholarships and grants are made possible through the generosity of the local community. Funds are donated to the Foundation by individuals, businesses and service organizations. The Foundation manages a corpus of $12 million, which continues to grow through donations and bequests. In the last 40 years, the Foundation has invested over $11.5 million into our community through grants, scholarships and projects. For more information, visit "redwoodforeducation.org" or call (541)-476-2196.