Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a motorist for impaired driving after a weekend traffic stop in the Redwood area of Grants Pass. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies pulled over a vehicle driven by a man they identified as 28-year-old Israel Francisco Morales near the corner of Willow Lane and Kellenbeck Avenue on Sunday at 2 a.m.. Deputies said they stopped Morales for a traffic violation and he displayed signs of impairment. They obtained a search warrant and transported him to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw that documented his impairment. Morales was lodged in jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His vehicle was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police cited four people and evicted three of them for city ordinance violations in downtown resting sites early yesterday. The first incident occurred at the NE 7th Street campsite where officers cited Ryan Burrows and Carol Ann Taylor for Scattering Rubbish and Utilization of Space. Both were trespassed from the resting site for 30 days. Officers said Burrows was found sleeping in another tent while his tent was empty but surrounded by bicycle parts and trash. They said Taylor was lying in a pile of trash. She was contacted while yelling with three lit candles. When told to put out the candles, she threw them into the walkway. The second incident happened at the NW 6th Street campsite where officers cited James Brockman and Caitlyn Fossen for Utilization of Space. Brockman was issued a 30-day exclusion notice due to repeat violations. Officers said Brockman's tent was oversized with numerous broken wheelchair parts outside. They said Fossen had two tents and two kennels with additional property outside the tents. She was warned that another citation would lead to an exclusion.

 

The Oregon State Police on Monday afternoon released information about a fatal vehicle versus pedestrian crash that happened last week in Cave Junction. Last Tuesday at 5:40 a.m., state troopers and emergency personnel responded to the incident on US Highway 199 near milepost 26. OSP said the preliminary investigation indicated a pedestrian -- 31-year-old Kale Phillip Luke -- was walking on the highway when he was struck by a southbound Ford Escape driven by 39-year-old Andrew Vendrick of Santa Rosa, California. Kale Luke was declared deceased at the scene while Vendrick was uninjured. Troopers said the highway was not impacted during the on-scene investigation. OSP was assisted by the Illinois Valley Fire District and Oregon Department of Transportation.

 

Smoke alarms alerted residents to a house fire in the southeast Grants Pass area early yesterday. On Monday at 3:11 a.m., the Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center dispatched six units from Rural Metro Fire Department, two units from Grants Pass Fire & Rescue and one ambulance from American Medical Response to a structure fire in the 4700-block of Cloverlawn Drive. Rural Metro officials said arriving units found a large two-story residence with fire in a basement bedroom. They said a fire extinguisher that was used by an occupant was instrumental in slowing progression of the blaze until firefighters arrived. All four occupants and some of their dogs were able to escape without injury, but two dogs did not survive the fire. The cause of the fire was under investigation. The American Red Cross was notified to provide assistance to the family.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for hitting a motorist with his vehicle and fleeing the scene after he was involved in a weekend crash in the south part of the city. The Police Department reports officers tracked down and arrested 67-year-old Alan Dorsey Long on SW Ramsey Avenue near Three Rivers Medical Center on Sunday at 11:07 a.m.. Police said Long was driving a pickup with a load of firewood in the back when he rear-ended another vehicle at the intersection of Williams Highway and West Harbeck Road. They said the female driver of the other vehicle tried to exchange information with Long and Long refused. He reportedly struck the woman two more times with his vehicle and then reversed down West Harbeck and struck a second vehicle before fleeing the scene. Witnesses followed Long to the hospital where he was located and placed into custody by law enforcement. The woman he struck was transported by ambulance to the hospital where she was treated for minor injuries. Long was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 2nd-Degree Assault, Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Felony Hit-and-Run and two counts of Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage. He was being held without bail and his pickup was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for becoming physically aggressive with staff at a local treatment center last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the incident at Options Crisis Resolution Center on SW Ramsey Avenue on Sunday around 8 p.m.. Police said Options staff members reported 46-year-old Eric Delbert Rossiter was combative and struck an employee who didn't want to pursue charges. But while he was walking away, Rossiter made threats to harm the public. Officers located Rossiter in the Williams Highway Shopping Plaza and he became aggressive toward them. He walked toward officers while holding what appeared to be a metal cylinder in a threatening manner that placed them in fear of physical injury. He was detained at Taser point and dropped the cylinder, but refused other commands and started moving away from officers, placing the public at risk. A Taser was deployed and Rossiter was placed into custody without further incident. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Menacing and Disorderly Conduct. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for confronting employees while he was trying to steal merchandise at Tractor Supply last weekend. The Police Department reports officers responded to a theft complaint at the store on NE 7th Street on Sunday around 9:30 a.m.. Police said 38-year-old Joseph Daniel Tully attempted to take merchandise from Tractor Supply and when confronted by employees, he acted in a violent manner by raising his face and running toward the cash register in a threatening way. On his way out of the store, he stole a flower basket valued at $27. Officers searched the area and found Tully inside the secured gate of the food bank area of Seventh Day Adventist Church. He struggled with law enforcement before they were able to place him into custody. Tully was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Resisting Arrest, Disorderly Conduct and 3rd-Degree Theft. He was being held without bail.

 

With warmer and drier weather this spring, the possibilities increase that outdoor burns may escape control without warning. Regardless of the rain and snow this past winter, it doesn't take long for warm and dry weather to make light vegetation very flammable. An escaped debris burn scorched a quarter-acre last weekend in the New Hope area and a vegetation fire also burned one acre near O'Brien. That's why Rural Metro Fire Department says it is important that anyone who is conducting a debris burn take several precautions to prevent losing control. While most people conduct open burns successfully across Josephine County, there are a few basic reminders. Keep piles small and manageable. Burn early in the day when winds are low and humidity is high. Stay in attendance with the burn, with a cell phone in hand or pocket. Have tools available such as a shovel, hoe or Pulaski to contain fire spread should it occur. Provide a reliable water source such as a charged garden hose with an attached nozzle. Rural Metro officials said when these fire prevention steps are in place, escaped fire occurrences are significantly reduced. Please burn responsibly and safely.

 

The Grants Pass City Council has no scheduled workshops or meetings this week, but the panel will hold a Strategic Planning Session on Wednesday. Grants Pass Mayor Clint Scherf and the eight Council members will gather for the session tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. at the Grants Pass Police Station on NE 7th Street. Following a welcoming introduction and lunch, the City Council will embark on its Strategic Planning Session which is divided into five sections. They are "Review Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats" followed by "Vision, Mission and Values," "Review Committee Goals, "Level of Service " and "Strategic Goals and Initiatives." Each of the City's advisory commissions and committees put together a list of goals for 2025 and submitted them to the Council. In years past, the Grants Pass City Council's Strategic Planning Session was held closer to the beginning of the year. The municipal policy-making panel will soon be starting the budget process for the next fiscal year and their strategic plan will align with the spending plan for 2026.