Local News

After a two-day trial, Romualdo Angulo Balero, 35, was convicted by a jury of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

According to the Jackson County District Attorney's Office, at sentencing, it was recommended to Presiding Judge David Hoppe that Balero be sentenced to the maximum allowable sentence of 158 months in prison, the first 90 months of which to be served day-for-day pursuant to Measure 11, with 3 years of post-prison supervision upon release.

Judge Hoppe followed the recommendation, sentencing Balero to that maximum sentence. The conviction stems from a May 5th, 2024 shooting near the Falcon Street entrance to the Colonial Mobile Estates in White City.

Just after 11 p.m., the victim, who had been riding his bicycle home from Stop 'n Go, was approached by Balero who pointed a gun at him and fired 10 rounds, striking the victim twice, once in each of his forearms.

Witnesses helped Jackson County Sheriff's Office deputies locate Balero in the area, and investigators recovered the firearm he discarded as he fled. His fingerprints were found on the magazine, and casings at the scene were matched to the gun. Investigators could find no connection between Balero and the victim, nor any reason for why Balero targeted him.

At the time of the shooting, Balero was on post-prison supervision and had only been out of prison for about a year for a 2017 stabbing of a separate, unrelated victim.

 

The 2026 Terrapin Roadshow is on its way to Rogue Community College this weekend.

The Roadshow is a traveling outdoor concert series presented by Terrapin Crossroads with Paper Moon, reviving the spirit and community of the former San Rafael music venue founded by Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead.

The concert will be held in the Marjorie Holzgang Concert Bowl at 3345 Redwood Highway this Saturday and Sunday (August 1st and 2nd). The doors open at 4 p.m., with the show starting at 5 p.m.

The lineup includes Grahame Lesh, Scott Law, Garrett Deloian, Holly Bowling, Danny Luehring, Kanika Moore, and Sunshine (Garcia) Becker.

Tickets for the event can be purchased by following this link: https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/35669/terrapin-roadshow. Children ages 5 and under are free, and youth tickets are available for ages 6-16.

The event will be held rain or shine. No outside food or beverages are allowed, and there will be no ins and outs, so please plan accordingly.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department is asking for the public's assistance in locating Anthony Teal, a 36-year-old male.

He is wanted for numerous charges from incidents this morning. The involved crimes include Robbery, Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, Elude, Strangulation, and Menacing.

Teal is 5-foot-eight, approximately 170 to 200 pounds, with green eyes and a beard. He was last seen wearing a light gray shirt, black shorts, and black shoes. He fled on foot in the 1600 block of Leonard Road before police arrived in the area.

If you see Teal, do not approach him. Please call 911 and report the location so law enforcement can apprehend him. A press release will be made public later today.

 

The Board of Commissioners agreed to allow 4H Building Fund Reserves continue for a year during their Legal Counsel Update.

During the 10 a.m. meeting in the BCC Conference Room, the board also made a motion favoring an amendment to a Housing Rehabilitation Grant Contract estimated at about $14,000, as well as the approval of Conflict of Interest. The motion passed unanimously.

An amendment to the Subrecipient Agreement between Josephine County and Home Bridging for the 2024 Housing Repair and Rehabilitation Program was brought to the board. A motion to approve the amendment passed 3-0.

Further discussion on a 2025 Housing Rehabilitation Grant Contract and Subrecipient agreement that same year between the County and Home Bridging will be brought to the next Weekly Business Session August 5th.

The board then discussed an Information Technology Personnel Policy regarding Artificial Intelligence and the usage of Chatbots. Legal Counsel recommended the policy to get ahead of AI as a tool. This will be an ongoing discussion before adoption of the policy.

Following an Executive Session, the board approved without objection for the Property Manager to move forward with an addendum on the Dimmick Campus Property.

 

A man was arrested Wednesday on an Oregon Parole Board warrant after he and two others were reported to Grants Pass Police for drug usage.

Dispatch was alerted to the incident occurring outside the Pregnancy Care Center by an employee of the establishment. It was reported the individuals were behind the building smoking out of a metal pipe around 9:38 a.m.

The employee requested a response from law enforcement and that the subjects be trespassed from the 714 SE 8th Street business. Upon arrival, officers located and contacted two individuals. One of them would not identify herself, and after further discussion with staff, no probable cause was developed.

The other suspect, Michael Johnson, was found to be wanted on a warrant for Damage of Property. Both individuals were trespassed from the business, and Johnson was taken into custody.

He was lodged by police in the Josephine County Jail on his Parole Board warrant, but was conditionally released.

 

Firefighters made further, steady progress on the East Evans Creek Fire as crews worked through the fire area extinguishing remaining hotspots. According to the Oregon Department of Forestry's latest update, overnight relative humidity recoveries reached the 80 to 90 percent range, and cooler temperatures created favorable conditions for mop-up operations. The fire remains at 15,580 acres and is 78% contained. An infrared-equipped Unmanned Aircraft System mapped areas of lingering heat across the fire, helping firefighters quickly locate hotspots not visible from the ground. On the south side of the fire in the Dry Creek area, the aircraft identified a few hotspots within the 300-foot mop up zone, where crews quickly extinguished the remaining heat. Light interior smoke will continue as isolated pockets of heavy fuels slowly burn within the fire perimeter. Firefighters are conducting daily reconnaissance of the fire, backhauling hose and equipment from areas where it is no longer needed, and completing suppression repair. Chippers also remain active, processing brush and small trees removed during suppression activities.

 

Grants Pass Police officers arrested a man for a drug charge and Parole Violation detainer following a brief search.

The suspect was initially contacted while leaving a camp set up at 1506 NW 6th Street around 11:41 a.m. He was identified as Ian Hogue, and according to the police report, 10 minutes later, he circled the nearby Iguana Comics while officers attempted to relocate him.

Hogue's parole officer requested a detainer if police contacted Hogue again, and he was later seen near the church parking lot by the Oregon State Police office at 1360 NE 9th Street.

Officers contacted Hogue while he was sitting on a curb, and he was placed into custody. During a consent search of his person, officers located a glass bulb pipe with a burnt residue that tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine.

Hogue was subsequently transported to and lodged in the Adult Jail Facility on his detainer and a charge of Meth Possession. He was provided a property receipt for his backpack, and jail logs show the District Attorney hasn't filed Hogue's drug charge.

 

Two women were contacted on irrigation district property, and one of them was arrested by Grants Pass Police.

Officers located the two subjects on the access road north of the La Quinta Inn and Suites. They were resting in an irrigation ditch before being contacted. One of the women was identified as Kayanna Snyder, and law enforcement reached out to her parole officer.

A Parole Violation detainer was requested, so Snyder was taken into custody at the scene. Officers transported her to jail for lodging.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman wanted on a theft warrant late Tuesday night.

The suspect, Casey Thomas, was observed by law enforcement inside a business at 2482 Williams Highway around 11:28 p.m. She was known to have a Police Department warrant out for her arrest, so she was taken into custody.

Her warrant charged her with three counts of First Degree Theft, and a single Theft in the Second Degree charge. Officers lodged Thomas in the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility.