Local News

A Grants Pass teenager was arrested for felony assault and impaired driving after he crashed into another vehicle on Williams Highway near Murphy. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the two-vehicle collision at milepost 5 of Highway 238 near Glenwood Street on Saturday at 2:14 p.m.. Troopers said witness statements and evidence at the scene indicated the 18-year-old boy was driving a Dodge Dakota when he rear-ended a Ford Ranger driven by a 68-year-old Murphy man who was slowing to turn into a driveway. According to OSP, the driver of the Ford was immediately transported to Three Rivers Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Dodge showed indicators of impairment and performed poorly in field sobriety tests, so he was placed into custody and taken to the hospital for a legal blood draw. Following the investigation, the young motorist was cited to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and 3rd-Degree Assault. He sustained minor injuries in the crash and was released to the care of hospital staff. Both vehicles sustained heavy damage from the collision and were towed away.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested three other motorist for impaired driving in Josephine County over the weekend. According to OSP, state troopers pulled over a Ford F-250 driven by a 35-year-old Grants Pass man near the intersection of Allen Creek and West Harbeck roads on Friday at 9:37 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the pickup for a traffic violation and the driver appeared to be impaired. After performing poorly in sobriety tests, he was taken to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample exceeding the legal driving limit. The second incident occurred on Sunday at 12:23 a.m. when troopers pulled over a Dodge Durango driven by a 44-year-old Cave Junction woman on Caves Highway near Laurel Road. Troopers said they stopped the pickup for a traffic violation and the driver displayed signs of impairment. She performed poorly in sobriety tests and was taken to the Sobering Center where she provided a breath sample that was more than twice the legal driving limit. The third incident happened on Sunday at 12:11 p.m. when troopers pulled over a GMC Sierra driven by a 59-year-old woman in the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near milepost 64. Troopers said they received multiple driving complaints on the suspect vehicle, which they located on the shoulder of the freeway. The woman -- who showed signs of impairment -- said she ran out of gas. She performed poorly in sobriety tests and was taken to the Sobering Center where she provided a breath sample that was more than twice the legal limit.

 

The Oregon State Police cited a motorist who crashed his vehicle on Williams Highway in the northern Applegate Valley. OSP reports troopers and emergency crews responded to a single-vehicle accident on Highway 238 near Water Gap Road on Saturday around 8:30 a.m.. Troopers said the 25-year-old driver of a Dodge Durango was driving too fast for the conditions and wrecked his vehicle with a trailer in tow. No one was injured. According to OSP, the driver was issued several traffic citations after the wreck. Bulldog Towing responded to pull the pickup and trailer out of the mud. Neither was towed and state property damage was reported to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

 

Search and rescue teams from Jackson and Klamath counties were looking for a Ruch man who went missing while hunting for mushrooms near Lake of the Woods. In a Saturday afternoon press release, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said it was searching for 56-year-old Gerald Severson who was last seen Thursday night near the lake in western Klamath County. Severson is described as a white male, 5-feet-4-inches tall and 140 pounds, with gray hair and blue eyes. He was staying in a cabin on the east side of Lake of the Woods and left to search for mushrooms at about 7 p.m. Thursday. Search and rescue teams started searching for the man on Friday afternoon. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Gerald Severson is encouraged to call 9-1-1 immediately. The area where he was last seen is populated and has multiple roadways. It's possible he could have been picked up. Authorities were very concerned for the safety of Severson and the searchers as weather in the area over the weekend was very poor.

 

A motorist was seriously injured at the beginning of the weekend when they drove a vintage vehicle over an embankment in the Hugo area. Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to the single-vehicle accident on private property in the 1400-block of Three Pines Road on Friday at 5:54 p.m.. Rural Metro officials said arriving units found a 1948 Austin A40 pickup around 50 feet down an embankment and against a tree. Preliminary information indicates someone drove the vehicle out of a garage on the property before losing control. Officials said the unidentified driver sustained serious injuries and was extricated from the vintage truck, which was heavily damaged. The patient was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office was investigating the cause of the mishap.

 

Two motorists were hurt when their vehicles collided on Williams Highway near Murphy. Rural Metro Fire Department, American Medical Response and the Oregon State Police were dispatched to the two-vehicle crash on Highway 238 at Glenwood Street on Saturday at 2:09 p.m.. Rural Metro officials did not provide any details about the accident, but they said both drivers were transported to Three Rivers Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Williams Highway traffic was detoured around side streets while the scene was active. OSP was investigating the cause of the crash that occurred on a stretch of road that is common for crashes.

 

A trespassing complaint at a Cave Junction church led to the apprehension of a fugitive wanted for escaping custody in Washington state. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office reports deputies contacted 38-year-old Kristle Lynne Smart at Immanuel Methodist Church on West Watkins Street in Cave Junction on Friday. Deputies said Smart was reported to be trespassing at the church and she was found to be wanted on a Washington Department of Corrections warrant for Escape from Community Custody. She was detained and then taken into custody. Smart was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail without bail. She was awaiting extradition proceedings that will likely send her back to Washington. She was also trespassed from the church for one year.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District extinguished an illegal open burn east of Cave Junction. On Saturday at 1:26 p.m., IVFD crews responded to the incident in the 3900-block of Caves Highway. Arriving units found a pile of trash on fire. Witnesses said one person was seen leaving the area and it appeared the home on the property was abandoned. The illegal burn was quickly put out. IVFD officials said the property owner will be receiving a citation as trash is never to be burned at any time.

 

The Spring Burn Window is open in the City of Grants Pass, but participants need to acquire a permit and check the weather conditions before burning natural debris. Grants Pass fire officials said the spring burn window started Saturday and it runs through next Sunday, May 12th. City residents can apply for their permits online or in person today through Friday at the Grants Pass Public Safety Station at 800 East Park Street. Burn permits are offered through Grants Pass Fire Community Connect at "sizeup.firstduesizeup.com/cc/grants/auth/signin." Log in and sign up for your permit. Permits are offered in person from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m.. Burning is only allowed if the DEQ Ventilation Index for the Grants Pass Airshed is 400 or greater. It is the responsibility of each person to check the airshed rating before burning. The most up-to-date airshed information is available by calling the Burn Line at (541)-476-9663 or (541)-476-WOOD. Press Option 3 after 7 a.m.. Burn information is also available daily on KAJO Radio often before 7 a.m..