Local News

ODOT Announces Major Project on Highway 99 Rogue River Bridge in Gold Hill
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The Oregon Department of Transportation has announced a major construction project on the Highway 99 Rogue River Bridge in Gold Hill will start next year. ODOT will be improving the historic 1927 bridge that crosses the Rogue just east of Gold Hill. This bridge receives heavy pedestrian traffic as it also provides access between the city and a mobile home park. It needs repairs to stay open. An ODOT contractor will widen the existing 20-foot-wide bridge deck to 24 feet and upgrade the existing timber walkway for pedestrians to make it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The goal is to remove the posted weight restriction, improve safety and mobility for all modes of transportation on this critical crossing into Gold Hill and the Sams Valley area. The new bridge deck will be wider and stronger to accommodate freight, transit, emergency vehicles and the traveling public. ODOT crews performed a bridge inspection last night in preparation for the work. Construction is expected to begin in Spring 2026 and run through Summer 2027. Motorists can expect a full bridge closure throughout most of the project.
Posted on 4/2/25 6:14AM by Sam Marsh
 

City of GP Calling for Artists for 22nd Annual Art Along the Rogue Festival in October
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The 22nd Annual Art Along the Rogue Chalk-Painting and Music Festival will happen the first weekend of October, but the City of Grants Pass is searching for artists right now. Join other chalk artists and turn the area of 5th and H streets into an outdoor display of art. This year's theme is "Time Warp: When Past Meets Future." The Art Along the Rogue Committee will review artist applications to determine who might receive a modest stipend. One or two "premier" artists will be chosen to work on a 12-by-12-foot square. Up to 10 "featured" artists and amateur youth teams will be picked to work on 10-by-10-foot squares. All other artists will work on 8-by-8-foot squares at the "volunteer" level. Since its inception in 2003, Art Along the Rogue has become one of Grants Pass' premier community events and one of the leading street chalk and music festivals in Oregon, attracting thousands of people to the city every fall. For more information, please contact Mike Zacchino at (541)-450-6511 or by email at "mzacchino@grantspassoregon.gov."
Posted on 4/2/25 6:12AM by Sam Marsh
 

Deputies Incarcerated Wolf Creek Man for Assaulting & Mistreating His Father
The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a Wolf Creek man early yesterday for assaulting and mistreating his father. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 35-year-old Jared Lee Gunn for the incident at a home in the 400-block of Warner Road on Monday around 8:30 a.m.. Deputies said they responded to the incident location after a property owner called 9-1-1 to report that her tenant was being assaulted and shoved down by his son. The caller told dispatchers she has heard screaming in the past and witnessed the son become violent with his father. Upon arrival, deputies contacted Gunn and his father who complained of pain in his right leg after being pushed down. The father seemed reluctant to press charges against his son, but he admitted that the man had hit him with a baseball bat in the past and he did not report it. The son has been acting as a caregiver for his father. Following the investigation, deputies placed Gunn into custody, transported him to Grants Pass and lodged him at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Criminal Mistreatment and misdemeanor 4th-Degree Domestic Assault. He was being held without bail.
Posted on 4/1/25 11:34AM by Sam Marsh
 

Deputies Snared Man for Stealing Pickup from Elderly Stepfather in Wolf Creek
The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for stealing a vehicle from his elderly stepfather in remote location near Wolf Creek yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to the incident in the 700-block of King Mountain Trail on Monday afternoon. Deputies said a preliminary investigation determined that 60-year-old Douglas Don Cleveland, II, had forced his way into his father's home recently and refused to leave. The father woke up early yesterday to find his GMC Sierra had been taken by his stepson. He did not have permission to drive the pickup due to a drug issue. According to the report, Cleveland had been arrested with a stolen vehicle at the Manzanita Rest Area off Interstate 5 in late February. Deputies located the stolen pickup later in the day in an unspecified location and placed Cleveland into custody. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. He was being held without bail.
Posted on 4/1/25 11:33AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Collared Man Wanted on State Felony Warrant in Downtown Contact
Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on a statewide felony warrant in the downtown area late yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers arrested 32-year-old Clifford Ray Rapstine, Jr., near the Purple Parrot on SE J Street on Monday at 4:50 p.m.. Police said they contacted Rapstine during a patrol check and discovered that he was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Felony Parole Violation related to a past conviction for an unspecified crime. Rapstine started walking away from officers when they questioned him, but he eventually surrendered to them and was placed into custody. During a consent search, he was found to be in possession of "lots" of drug paraphernalia. Rapstine was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. Additional charges of drug possession were referred to the District Attorney's Office for consideration.
Posted on 4/1/25 11:31AM by Sam Marsh
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OSP Arrested Bend Man for Parole Violation after Riverbanks Road Traffic Stop
The Oregon State Police arrested a Bend man for violating terms of his post-prison supervision during a weekend traffic stop on Riverbanks Road. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Dodge Avenger driven by 29-year-old Brandon Keith Campbell near milepost 21 of State Route 260 on Sunday at 5:13 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the vehicle for a traffic violation and quickly learned that Campbell was in violation of the terms of his parole from an unspecified criminal offense. He was placed into custody without incident. Campbell was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. The Avenger was left in the possession of his passenger, a 23-year-old Cave Junction woman.
Posted on 4/1/25 11:29AM by Sam Marsh
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OSP Arrested Felon for Drug & Weapon Crimes after Freeway Driving Complaint
The Oregon State Police arrested a man for drug and weapon crimes following a driving complaint on Interstate 5 in northern Josephine County last night. According to OSP, state troopers and emergency crews responded to the incident in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 76 on Monday around 7:15 p.m.. Troopers said they arrived on scene and found 45-year-old Patrick Gary Pettit suffering from an unspecified medical episode. They said he is a convicted felon and he was found to be in possession of a gun and narcotics. Pettit was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for an evaluation. He was charged at the hospital with Felon in Possession of a Firearm and a misdemeanor drug crime. He was cited and released to the care of doctors.
Posted on 4/1/25 11:27AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Assisted Community Corrections with Arrest of Man on Local Warrant
Grants Pass Police assisted Josephine County Community Corrections with the arrest of a man on an outstanding warrant early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 47-year-old Damien Demetrius Scissom at a home in the 1,000-block of NW C Street on Monday at 10:27 a.m.. Police said corrections officers were performing a home visit with another resident at that location. They advised GPPD that Scissom was there and he was wanted on a Jackson County warrant for failing to appear in court for Larceny. Scissom was located on the property and placed into custody without incident. He was lodged in jail on the outstanding warrant.
Posted on 4/1/25 11:26AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Jailed Felon for Parole Violation after He was Found with Gun & Drugs
Grants Pass Police jailed a felon for violating terms of his post-prison supervision after they found him passed out in a vehicle with a gun, ammunition and drugs. The Police Department reports officers arrested 29-year-old Vinnie Dale Shuler near the corner of SW Spruce and Bridge streets on Monday around 4:30 a.m.. Police said they responded to perform a welfare check on a male subject who was sleeping in a parked vehicle with drug paraphernalia in plain view. They woke up the man and directed him out of the vehicle after he locked the glovebox. During a consent search of the vehicle, multiple drug items were located and Shuler admitted to fentanyl use. He was found to be in possession of fentanyl and refused to open the glovebox, so his corrections officer was contacted. The box was searched and a 9-millimeter firearm and ammunition were found and seized. Shuler was confirmed to be a convicted felon prohibited from possessing guns or narcotics. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Fentanyl Possession plus the resulting Felony Parole Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.
Posted on 4/1/25 6:38AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Collared Man on State Felony Warrant after Incident at WinCo Foods
Grants Pass Police incarcerated a man on a statewide felony warrant following an incident at a local supermarket early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers were performing a patrol check at WinCo Foods on Monday at 4 a.m. when they contacted 36-year-old Adam Joseph Jansen in the parking lot off NE Terry Lane. Police said Jansen was identified near Starbucks after a female in the parking lot of WinCo reported that he followed her to her vehicle. They said he denied following the woman and then proceeded to disclose that he had missed a check-in with his corrections officer. Further investigation revealed that Jansen was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a previous conviction for Indecent Exposure. Jansen was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. Jail records show he was also arrested for Parole Violation in February and November of last year.
Posted on 4/1/25 6:30AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Arrested Motel Manager for Harassing Woman after Parking Mishap
Grants Pass Police arrested a motel manager for allegedly becoming violent with a woman who accidentally parked there to have lunch at a nearby restaurant. The Police Department reports officers responded to the disturbance at the Grants Pass Travelodge on NW Vine Street on Sunday afternoon. Police said a woman told them she parked at the Travelodge by accident when she went to the Black Bear Diner to have lunch with a friend. The woman stated she got out of her vehicle and was yelled at by the motel manager to move her vehicle. The woman advised she was yelled at by multiple people at the motel and coffee was thrown at her vehicle. She called the motel to complain not realizing that the motel manager -- 56-year-old Christine Jeanne Bruner -- was also the one who answered the phone. Bruner got her number from caller ID and started calling her and threatening her. While investigating the incident, officers learned that Bruner gave her patrons the woman's phone number and asked them to call her. She also posted the woman's number on Facebook. In one of the calls, the woman was threatened with death. Bruner was arrested and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Harassment. She was initially held without bail, but was released later in the day.
Posted on 4/1/25 6:29AM by Sam Marsh
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Deputies Snared Man for Allegedly Trespassing & Threatening Others in Selma
The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for allegedly trespassing on a remote property in the Selma area last weekend. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 500-block of Squaw Mountain Road on Sunday at about 5:45 p.m.. Deputies said they received a call regarding a male subject who broke a front door and entered a home without permission. Once inside, the caller advised the man threatened them with his dog and told them he would kill them. Both the caller and her husband were armed, so the intruder left the house and returned to his property. Upon arrival, deputies contacted 71-year-old Jose Antonio Curtis in his driveway. Curtis was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged in jail for 1st-Degree Criminal Trespass. He was being held without bail.
Posted on 4/1/25 6:19AM by Sam Marsh
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