Local News

A Grants Pass teenager is facing a felony assault charge after crashing a vehicle into a traffic control device and injuring his passenger while under the influence of an inhalant in the Redwood area last night. The Grants Pass Police Department reports officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to the single-vehicle wreck at the intersection of Redwood Avenue and Willow Lane on Thursday at 10:08 p.m.. Police said 18-year-old Kaiden O'Duane was driving a Mazda sedan westbound on Redwood Avenue approaching the Willow Lane intersection when he collided with a pole supporting the overhead traffic light. Found inside the vehicle was a canister of nitrous oxide, an inhalant which the driver reportedly used prior to the crash. According to the report, O'Duane and his unidentified passenger were extricated from the wreckage and transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for evaluation. The passenger was then transferred to Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford for treatment of moderate injuries. O'Duane displayed symptoms of impairment related to the collision and a search warrant was obtained for a legal blood draw. He was subsequently charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Felony 3rd-Degree Assault. Since he was hurt in the crash, he was cited and released to the care of hospital staff. The heavily damaged Mazda was towed to the impound yard. City street crews were notified about minor damage to the traffic light pole.

 

Grants Pass Police assisted the Oregon State Police in arresting an impaired driver in the Redwood area yesterday. According to the Police Department, state troopers in an unmarked patrol car pulled over a vehicle driven by 27-year-old Chandler Lee Menke for a traffic violation on Redwood Avenue near Annabelle Lane around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Police said Menke displayed numerous indicators of impairment and performed poorly in field sobriety tests. They said he refused to provide a breath sample, so a search warrant was obtained and he was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw that documented heavy impairment. After providing a breath sample that was nearly three times the legal driving limit, Chandler Menke was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. An empty bottle of vodka was found inside his vehicle, which was impounded.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving after receiving a traffic complaint on Interstate 5 north of Grants Pass late yesterday. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Chevrolet Silverado driven by 70-year-old James Matteucci in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 62 on Thursday at 4:27 p.m.. Troopers said Matteucci was the subject of a traffic complaint for failing to drive within his travel lane. They located the suspect vehicle and observed bad driving. Upon contact with the driver, he showed signs of impairment. Matteucci admitted to consuming alcohol in Salem prior to driving to the Grants Pass area. An investigation was performed and he was arrested for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. After providing a positive breath sample, Matteucci was lodged at the Josephine County Jail and his pickup was impounded. A dog in the vehicle was taken to the Animal Control shelter.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a young woman on a felony warrant after performing a patrol check at a city park yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 18-year-old Makailah Gayle Dunham at Riverside Park on Thursday at 4:02 p.m.. Police said they contacted Dunham and ran her name through dispatch, which showed that she was wanted on a Grants Pass felony warrant for 2nd-Degree Assault and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. She was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail. Meanwhile, Lisa Lawrence was trespassed from Riverside Park for 30 days after being cited for Scattering Rubbish and Improper Utilization of Park Space. Earlier in the day, officers cited seven people for various violations in the park and all were trespassed for 30 days. A total of 29 tents were posted for Illegal Camping and a load of trash was collected for disposal.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a woman on an outside felony warrant after contacting her in the Cloverlawn area of Grants Pass last night. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies arrested 41-year-old Cynthia Amber Pettit at the corner of Cloverlawn Drive and Wallace Lane at 7:26 p.m. Thursday. Deputies said they were alerted to a suspicious female subject in the area, which drew their response. They said the woman initially refused to identify herself due to the fact that she was wanted on a Polk County bench warrant for failing to appear for two counts of Contempt of Court. Cynthia Pettit was lodged at the adult jail facility where she awaited transfer to the Polk County Jail in Dallas.

 

A Cave Junction man was cited for causing a motor vehicle accident on Rogue River Highway near Grants Pass late yesterday. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle collision on Highway 99 near Royal View Lane on Thursday shortly before 6 p.m.. Troopers said an investigation indicated a Subaru driven by 30-year-old Brendon Lee Collins had slowed to make a turn onto Royal View with other vehicles behind slowing as well. They said 36-year-old Martin Blake Addley was driving a Toyota Tacoma when -- for unknown reasons -- he swerved onto the shoulder and collided with the rear passenger-side door of the Subaru as it completed its turn. Both drivers sustained minor injuries, but refused medical treatment at the scene. The Subaru sustained major damage and was towed, while the Toyota sustained moderate damage and was able to be driven away. Following the investigation, Addley was cited for Following Too Closely.

 

US Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon is praising the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining for holding a recent hearing on the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination (SRS) Act. SRS is bipartisan legislation that Senator Wyden co-sponsors with Senators Mike Crapo of Idaho, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and James Risch of Idaho. The legislation would invest in rural communities across Oregon and the nation for essential services such as education, road maintenance, search and rescue, wildfire prevention and watershed restoration by reauthorizing the SRS Act through 2026. Since Wyden first authored the program in 2000, Secure Rural Schools has provided nearly $4 billion to Oregon counties. To preserve this vital lifeline for rural communities, he said SRS must be reauthorized in fiscal year 2024. In a written statement, Wyden said the Secure Rural Schools program has been important for rural counties in Oregon and nationwide, but lapses in Congressional action have left rural counties dangling on an annual fiscal cliff. Wyden called the reauthorization of SRS "critical and necessary" to support essential services in rural communities. After the Senate Subcommittee held the hearing on his bill, he said "reauthorization of SRS is one step closer to the finish line."

 

A Jackson County man with a lengthy criminal history has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography online using Tumblr, a microblogging and social networking website. The US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon reports 50-year-old Thomas Ray Taylor of Eagle Point was sentenced this week to 120 months in prison and five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $27,000 in restitution. According to court documents, the Eagle Point Police Department in November 2018 received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a local resident was suspected of uploading images and videos depicting child sexual abuse. In March 2019, investigators met Taylor at his place of employment and seized his cell phone. Taylor admitted to viewing child pornography and told police about several digital devices he possessed. Later that same day, police executed a search warrant at Taylor's residence and seized multiple devices. A forensic examination later confirmed that he possessed more than 1,000 illicit images and videos, some of which he shared online.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man for attacking his roommate at a residence about four miles west of Grants Pass this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 48-year-old Anthony Michael Donlan for the incident that occurred at a mobile home park in the 4500-block of Lower River Road on Wednesday evening. Deputies said they received a call from a 63-year-old man who stated that Donlan beat him up with a shovel and had him trapped in the house. They said the victim sought refuge in the office of the park and was applying direct pressure to a wound on his head. The man said he also sustained bruises on his arms, face and chest. Upon arrival, deputies interviewed both parties, observed the victim's injuries and placed Donlan into custody. The victim received medical treatment at the scene, but he was not transported to the hospital. There was no evidence that a shovel was used in the attack, nor was there any evidence the suspect prevented the victim from leaving the residence. Anthony Donlan was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 4th-Degree Assault. Donlan was flagged as hostile to law enforcement and a two-officer contact after he allegedly threatened to shoot deputies.