KRRM - Local News

ODF Complex Incident Management Team 3 Assumes Command of Largest Local Fires

Oregon Department of Forestry Complex Incident Management Team 3 assumed command of the majority of lightning-caused fires in Southern Oregon early today. More firefighters, crews and additional resources continue to arrive and will rotate out some existing local district personnel, allowing them to be ready to respond to potential new fire starts. Capitalizing off cooler overnight temperatures, firefighters made great progress across all fires in Jackson and Josephine counties, holding the majority of them within their current footprints and minimizing growth. Today, crews will continue to provide aggressive, direct suppression on fires and push forward to build lines as hot and windy conditions persist in the region. The largest incidents across the district include the Neil Creek Road Fire south of Ashland and west of Interstate 5. Firefighters continue to build and hold lines around the estimated 250-acre blaze. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office and Emergency Management have placed surrounding residents on a Level 2 "Be Set" evacuation notice. Both northbound and southbound I-5 have been narrowed to single travel lanes between mileposts 8.5 and 10.5. The Deming Gulch Fire northeast of Buncom is currently estimated to be 250 acres while the Heppsie Mountain Fire near Lake Creek remains at 40 acres. The nearby Poole Hill Fire was stopped at 11.5 acres. The North Fork Deer Creek Fire in the hills east of Selma is completely lined and holding at 42 acres. The Jim Me Peak Fire south of Applegate continues to hold within its footprint at 70 acres and the Palmer Peak Fire near Applegate is estimated to be 90 acres. There was no acreage estimate provided for the Holcomb Peak Fire southwest of Williams. A number of other small fires are staffed across the district. Due to the large amount of fires,

Posted on 7/10/25 11:33AM by Sam Marsh

Grants Pass Police Collared Man on Statewide Warrant at Downtown Resting Site

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on a statewide felony warrant at a downtown resting site early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 41-year-old Bobby Joe Swearingen at the NE 7th Street homeless encampment on Wednesday at 6:16 a.m.. Police said they spotted Swearingen during a patrol check and were aware that he was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a 2022 conviction for Unlawful Use of a Weapon. According to the report, Swearingen tried to run away from officers and briefly scuffled with them before he was placed into custody. He sustained some scrapes during the incident, but refused medical attention. Swearingen was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus a new charge of Attempted Escape. He was being held on a no-bail detainer. He was also trespassed from the resting site for 30 days.

Posted on 7/10/25 11:31AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Man for Aggressive Behavior near City Hall and Courthouse

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for his boorish behavior near City Hall and the Josephine County Courthouse yesterday. The Police Department reports officers were alerted to the incident involving 39-year-old Matthew Richard Williams near the corner of 6th and A streets at 4:06 p.m. Wednesday. Police said they arrested Williams due to his aggressive and tumultuous behavior in public. Witnesses reported that he was screaming and mentioning guns, but he was not armed when officers placed him into custody in front of the Anne Basker Auditorium. According to the report, Williams had been warned by police for his outlandish conduct earlier in the day -- but he "persisted in causing alarm to the good citizens of Grants Pass." City officials said utility customers were afraid to walk by him. Williams was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and he was being held without bail.

Posted on 7/10/25 11:30AM by Sam Marsh

GP Motorist with Felony Suspended License Incarcerated after Failing to Yield

A Grants Pass motorist with a felony suspended license made the mistake of cutting off a police patrol vehicle in the north part of the city early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers arrested 55-year-old Jonathan Ray Grijalba for the incident that occurred at Li'l Pantry Market & Deli on NW Vine Street on Wednesday shortly before 9 a.m.. Police said Grijalba pulled out in front of a patrol vehicle while failing to yield while entering the roadway. They said the suspect was pulled over in the nearby McDonald's parking lot and he was found to be driving with a suspended license. Grijalba's license was suspended at the felony level and he had no emergent reason to be driving, so he was placed into custody. Grijalba was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Aggravated Driving While Suspended and his vehicle was impounded.

Posted on 7/10/25 11:29AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Arrested Motorists on Outstanding Warrants after Tuesday Traffic Stops

The Oregon State Police arrested two motorists on outstanding warrants during separate traffic stops on the same day this week. OSP reports the first incident occurred on Tuesday at 2:18 p.m. when troopers pulled over a Chevrolet Camaro driven by 55-year-old William Ellsworth Wild of Redmond in the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near milepost 58 in Grants Pass. Troopers said they stopped Wild for driving complaints after they observed behavior consistent with the complaints. They discovered that he was wanted on two outside warrants. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants. He was also cited for the traffic violations and his Camaro was impounded. The second incident happened on Tuesday at 9:17 p.m. when troopers pulled over a Toyota SR5 driven by 48-year-old Travers Wight Davis-Johnson of Cave Junction on Redwood Highway near Waldo Road. Troopers said they stopped Davis-Johnson for traffic violations and discovered that he was wanted on two Josephine County bench warrants for failing to appear in court. He was transported to Grants Pass and lodged in jail while his vehicle was released to family members.

Posted on 7/10/25 11:28AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Man on Deschutes County Warrants during Welfare Check

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on two Central Oregon warrants while performing a Wednesday morning welfare check near the downtown area. According to the Police Department, officers responded to reports of a male subject entering someone's yard and wandering around the neighborhood in the 500-block of NE D Street around 9:45 a.m. yesterday. Police said witnesses reported 30-year-old Jequis Jacori Porter seemed to be under the influence of drugs and they asked for officers to check on his welfare. Upon contact with Porter, officers discovered that he was wanted on two Deschutes County warrants for failing to appear in court for Fentanyl Possession and Criminal Trespass. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail.

Posted on 7/10/25 11:26AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Investigating Theft of Powerline Construction Equipment in Illinois Valley

The Oregon State Police is investigating the theft of thousands of dollars' worth of powerline construction equipment in the southern Illinois Valley. According to OSP, troopers were contacted by a company contracted to build powerline poles between O'Brien and Cave Junction on Wednesday morning. The contractor reported the theft of approximately 5,500 feet of line rope as well as a chain hoist and cable grip. The theft occurred overnight Tuesday. Due to the nature of the stolen rope and other tools, the estimated cost is in excess of $10,000. Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to dial *OSP.

Posted on 7/10/25 11:25AM by Sam Marsh

IVFD & ODF Crews Got Help from Bystanders in Putting Out Small Grass Fire

The Illinois Valley Fire District and Oregon Department of Forestry got some help in knocking down a small grass fire near O'Brien late yesterday. On Wednesday at 4:54 p.m., IVFD and ODF crews were dispatched to the reported fire on Redwood Highway at Lone Mountain Road. IVFD officials said the fire was brought under control within a few minutes of their arrival. They said several bystanders offered assistance with hoses in putting out the flames. Officials said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Posted on 7/10/25 11:23AM by Sam Marsh

Detectives Investigating MPD Officer-Involved Shooting on July 4th at City Park

The Jackson County Major Assault and Death Investigation Unit is investigating a Medford Police Department officer-involved shooting that happened Independence Day at Hawthorne Park. As part of the investigation, detectives with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and Oregon State Police arrived on scene shortly after the Friday morning incident. The Sheriff's Office has taken the lead in the investigation. It is standard protocol for an outside agency to take the lead in officer-involved shooting investigations. At about 8 a.m. on July 4th, an MPD officer encountered a suspect with a felony warrant along the Bear Creek Greenway in the city park. The suspect -- 55-year-old Salvador Alex Sanchez, a Medford area transient -- was wanted for two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon related to an incident that occurred earlier this year. The officer called for backup when Sanchez become uncooperative and armed himself with a large knife. Sanchez ignored several requests to drop the knife and advanced on officers who fired their handguns, striking the suspect. Officers quickly provided aid to Sanchez and a Mercy Flights ambulance transported him to a local hospital where he remains in custody in the intensive care unit. The Jackson County District Attorney's Office this week filed charges against Sanchez for Attempted 1st-Degree Assault, two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Resisting Arrest and Attempted Escape. A Grand Jury is scheduled to consider those charges and to decide whether the use of deadly force against him was justified under Oregon law. The two MPD officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, pending the Grand Jury determination.

Posted on 7/10/25 6:41AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Man for Starting Altercation at Residential Treatment Center

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for violating his probation after he started an altercation with another patient at a residential treatment center. The Police Department reports officers arrested 49-year-old Brent Lee Gordon for the incident at the OnTrack Center on Rogue River Highway on Tuesday night. Police said Gordon had been drinking when he started a verbal altercation with another resident in the common area. They said the other resident escalated the situation by throwing Gordon to the ground and slamming his arm in a door. After the tussle concluded, both parties when back to their rooms. Gordon then emerged from his room with a camping hatchet and paced the kitchen area until he got bored and returned to his quarters. He did not threaten anyone with the hatchet and did not wish to pursue charges against his assailant, but still had to answer some questions from his corrections officer. The officer was not happy to hear that Gordon had been drinking and possessing a weapon, so his client was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Probation Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

Posted on 7/10/25 6:39AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Jailed Corrections Client for Suspicious Activity Outside Pawn Shop

Grants Pass Police jailed a Josephine County Community Corrections client for suspicious activity outside a downtown pawn shop. The Police Department reports officers arrested 36-year-old Justin Harley Bennett for the incident outside The Jewelry Center on SW 6th Street late Tuesday night. Police said the manager of the pawn shop called 9-1-1 after a security company reported alarm hits at the business. The manager said it appeared a male subject was trying to get into the building. Surveillance video showed him near a window. An investigation determined that Bennett was observed on video kicking the front door and hitting the windows. Officers said there was no damage at the scene and entry was not gained, but the man's corrections officer wanted him detained. Bennett was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Parole Violation stemming from a 2022 conviction for an unspecified crime. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

Posted on 7/10/25 6:29AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Woman for Vandalizing Neighbor's Car and Resisting Arrest

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for vandalizing her neighbor's vehicle and then attempting to avoid being placed into custody. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a reported vandalism incident in the 1600-block of Medart Lane around midday Tuesday. Police said they contacted 63-year-old Peri Hana Smith-Day after her neighbor reported that Smith-Day smeared pizza and cigarette butts all over their Buick Enclave before writing on the rear window with a green substance. The message stated: "Ha, no violation, wasting your time." Upon contact, Smith-Day admitting to vandalizing her neighbor's vehicle. She was advised that she was under arrest, but pulled away and tried to avoid apprehension. Smith-Day was arrested and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Resisting Arrest and 3rd-Degree Criminal Mischief. She was being held without bail. According to the report, a male companion of the suspect complained to officers that he felt his friend was being arrested "unjustly."

Posted on 7/10/25 6:27AM by Sam Marsh