Local News

GP Police Apprehended Fugitive on OR and CA Warrants Outside Fred Meyer
Grants Pass Police jailed a man on statewide and out-of-state fugitive warrants after a weekend encounter at Fred Meyer. The Police Department reports officers arrested 40-year-old Eddie Joseph Correia, Jr., at the store on the Grants Pass Parkway on Sunday at 1:09 p.m.. Police said an off-duty officer spotted Correia inside Fred Meyer and called 9-1-1. The officer cautioned responding law enforcement to say nothing over the air as the suspect was known to have police scanners. Correia was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a conviction for Felony 2nd-Degree Assault. He was also wanted on an El Dorado County, California, warrant for Felony Parole Violation for an unspecified criminal conviction. The suspect fought with officers who placed him into custody. Correia was lodged on the warrants at the Josephine County Jail. He was being held on a no-bail detainer and his vehicle was impounded. Charges of Resisting Arrest and Methamphetamine Possession were referred to the District Attorney.
Posted on 1/7/25 6:40AM by Sam Marsh
 

GP Police Arrested Man for Several Crimes after He Fled from Weekend Crash
Grants Pass Police arrested a man for multiple crimes and an outstanding warrant after he crashed his vehicle into a building on Williams Highway near New Hope Road and fled the scene on foot. The Police Department reports officers and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle wreck in the 2500-block of Highway 238 on Sunday at 7:05 a.m.. Police said 27-year-old Michael Dexter Creech was located on Bryn Court after he was observed fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run crash into an occupied auto shop building. No one was hurt after he collided with several mailboxes and into the building, causing more than $10,000 in damage. Creech was found to be in possession of foil with burnt residue that field-tested positive as fentanyl. He was also wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for Probation Violation related to an arrest for Fentanyl Possession. Creech was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus new charges of Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage, 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief, two counts of 3rd-Degree Criminal Mischief, Fentanyl Possession and Careless Driving. He was being held on a no-bail detainer and his vehicle was towed.
Posted on 1/7/25 6:39AM by Sam Marsh
 

GP Police Snared Pair on Local Warrants after Suspicious Activity Report
Grants Pass Police arrested two men on outstanding warrants after investigating a report of suspicious activity in the north part of the city. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a call in the 100-block of NE Hillcrest Drive on Sunday at 3:07 p.m.. Police said a Starbucks worker called 9-1-1 to report three male subjects behind Paradise Car Wash -- one of them walking around with a rubber mallet. The caller said it appeared the group was looking break into a vehicle and/or steal something. Officers arrived on scene and contacted the men including 49-year-old Demetrius Elward Hughes and 38-year-old Charles Lee Shull. They quickly discovered that Hughes was wanted on a Josephine County warrant for failing to appear in court for Criminal Mischief, Criminal Trespass and Petty Theft. Shull was wanted on a Jackson County warrant for failing to appear in court for 1st-Degree Theft. Hughes and Shull were lodged in jail on their outstanding warrants. All three men were trespassed the business.
Posted on 1/7/25 6:37AM by Sam Marsh
 

GP Police Incarcerated Woman for Stealing Merchandise from Walmart
Grants Pass Police arrested a woman last weekend for stealing merchandise from Walmart. The Police Department reports officers were alerted to a shoplifting complaint at the store on NE Terry Lane on Sunday around 2:45 p.m.. Police said Walmart loss prevention reported a total of two people were involved in the caper including 27-year-old Mariah Rena Earls and a man identified as Colin Hissong. The couple had 5-year-old and 1-year-old children with them when they walked past all points of sale with approximately $150 in stolen items. Hissong fled on foot and police were unable to find him. Earls was stopped at Fred Meyer with the children. She was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft. The Oregon Department of Human Services took temporary custody of the young kids. Family members drove to Grants Pass from Medford to take custody of the children. They did not have proper equipment to transport the little girl, so a booster seat was purchased for them.
Posted on 1/7/25 6:30AM by Sam Marsh
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OSP Nabbed California Man for DUII in Weekend Stop on I-5 in North GP
The Oregon State Police arrested a California man for impaired driving after a weekend traffic stop on Interstate 5 in the Grants Pass area. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by a 32-year-old man from Delhi, California, in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 54 on Sunday around 1 a.m.. Troopers said they stopped the vehicle for a traffic violation and the driver showed strong signs of impairment. After performing poorly in field sobriety tests, the man was transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was more than twice the legal driving limit. The suspect was lodged at the Sobering Center for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His vehicle was towed to a local impound yard.
Posted on 1/7/25 6:28AM by Sam Marsh
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Deputies Put Dent in Poor Driving Behaviors during DUII Holiday Effort
The Josephine County Sheriff's Office put a dent in poor driving behaviors during the DUII High Visibility Enforcement holiday campaign. According to the Sheriff's Office, one motorist was arrested for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and one motorist was cited for Reckless Driving. In addition, deputies issued one citation and 25 warnings for Speeding, one citation for Driving While Suspended, one citation for Driving Uninsured, 19 warnings for Equipment Violations and eight other miscellaneous warnings. Four deputies participated in the holiday season targeted enforcement, which was funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Posted on 1/7/25 6:18AM by Sam Marsh
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BLM Announces Temporary Closure of East Applegate Ridge Trailhead
The Bureau of Land Management has announced it will close the East Applegate Ridge Trailhead access from Sterling Creek Road from January 13th through January 31st for public safety. The road will reopen on the weekends to provide access to the trailhead. A private landowner is exercising a right-of-way grant to haul timber across a BLM road that is the route to access the trailhead. The timber is being removed from private lands in the area. BLM Ashland Field Manager Lauren Brown said the closure is necessary to ensure the safety of the public and heavy equipment operators. She said they will reopen the road as soon as it is safe to do so. The western access to the East Applegate Ridge Trail on Highway 238 will remain open. Other trails in the area offer a great alternative including the Jack-Ash Trail Sterling Mine Ditch Trail, Enchanted Forest Trail or Tallowbox Trail.
Posted on 1/7/25 6:17AM by Sam Marsh
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New Board of Commissioners Votes 3-0 to Terminate GP Library Lease Agreement
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The Josephine County Board of Commissioners voted yesterday to invoke a 30-day termination notice on the Josephine Community Library District in order to force it to renegotiate the lease on the building it uses in Grants Pass. During a General Discussion on Monday afternoon, Ron Smith was elected Chair of the Board of Commissioners and Chris Barnett will serve as Vice-Chair, but it was recently recalled Commissioner John West who clearly ran the meeting. West opened the discussion on the library lease by stating that is was JCL's choice not to attend. He said the county library became a "community library" when the district was approved by voters in 2017 and, as such, it no longer is protected by the Josephine County Charter. West said the Charter does not say the county has to supply maintenance and other services to the library district for free. He said that the $1 per year lease has been in effect for several years, adding that the county spends around $22,000 a year for maintenance and the building needs over $120,000 for roof repairs and an HVAC system replacement. The current building lease agreement with Josephine Community Library District expires at the end of 2025, but West told his new colleagues that the agreement has a one-party termination clause that allows it to give a 30-day notice to end the lease. He said that will force the district to renegotiate what he called "fair market rent."
Posted on 1/7/25 5:52AM by Sam Marsh
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New GP City Council Calls Special Meeting Today to Reverse Work of Former Panel
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The newly-minted Grants Pass City Council has called a special meeting for today in which it plans to reverse much of the work done by the previous municipal policy-making panel. Grants Pass Mayor Clint Scherf and Councilors Indra Nicholas, Victoria Marshall, Erich Schloegl and Kathleen Krohn were sworn into office during a brief Monday workshop session. Today's Council Action items include resolutions adopting allowable locations for camping, revoking the grant agreements between the City of Grants Pass and the Mobile Integrative Navigation Team (MINT) for a navigation center and shelter, suspending the Caveman Pool project and reallocating the funds to Public Safety, and shutting down the Collaborative Economic Development Committee, Housing Advisory Committee and Sustainability & Energy Action Committee. The Council also plans to convene as the Urban Renewal Agency to suspend the use of URA funds to pay for the Caveman Pool project. There will be a public comment period in which citizens can testify either for or against these actions. Today's Special Meeting starts at 3 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.
Posted on 1/7/25 5:49AM by Sam Marsh
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National Weather Service Posts Air Stagnation Advisory This Week for SW Oregon
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The National Weather Service has posted an Air Stagnation Advisory for southwest Oregon that will run through the rest of this week. The Air Stagnation Advisory for Josephine, Jackson, Douglas and eastern Curry counties will be in effect from 10 a.m. today until at least noon Friday. According to the NWS, strong valley inversions will result in weak winds, poor mixing and ventilation. This will lead to stagnant air conditions that will trap pollutants near the surface. Poor air quality may cause issues for people with respiratory problems. Those with respiratory illnesses should follow their physicians' advice for dealing with high levels of air pollution during periods of stagnant air. Mixing and ventilation should be better at the south end of the Rogue Valley from around Talent to Ashland due to stronger southeast winds.
Posted on 1/7/25 5:47AM by Sam Marsh
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Deputies Collared Man on Local Felony Warrant in Cave Junction on Friday
The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a man wanted on a local felony warrant in Cave Junction late last week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 25-year-old Andrew Benito Cruz-Martinez near the corner of West Watkins Street and South Hussey Avenue on Friday afternoon. Cruz-Martinez was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a 2020 conviction for 2nd-Degree Arson. Cruz-Martinez was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.
Posted on 1/6/25 10:31AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Snared Man for Parole Violation after He Tried to Steal Gasoline
Grants Pass Police arrested a man for violating his post-prison supervision by attempting to siphon gas from vehicles at an auto shop in the Cloverlawn area. The Police Department reports officers responded to a theft complaint at Ray Houck Automotive in the 2600-block of Cloverlawn Drive on Saturday shortly after 2 a.m.. Police said the property owner called 9-1-1 to report a male subject who was seen trying to siphon gas from vehicles parked overnight at the auto repair facility. The crime was captured on surveillance video that was shared with responding officers. According to the report, 39-year-old Jason Allen Eldred was contacted in his vehicle with multiple gas cans and a hose in his possession. He admitted trying to siphon gas, but was unsuccessful. He also admitted to driving to the location and he was found to have a suspended license. He was identified as a convicted felon. Eldred was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Parole Violation and Driving While Suspended. He was being held on a no-bail detainer and his vehicle was impounded.
Posted on 1/6/25 10:30AM by Sam Marsh
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