Local News

A man passed all points of sale at Safeway with stolen goods, leading to their arrest for theft and trespass charges by Grants Pass Police Tuesday.

Dispatch was notified by an employee of the 115 SE 7th Street grocer at 8:50 p.m. that the previously trespassed suspect, Sean MacDowell, was yelling by the bathrooms, claiming someone was dying inside.

The bathroom was confirmed to be clear by employees, and MacDowell proceed to exit the building, still yelling and screaming, with what appeared to be bottles of wine in his pockets. He was described to dispatch as having a salt and pepper pony tail and wearing an Oregon State Beavers sweater.

A response from law enforcement was requested, and officers located MacDowell in the alley between G and H Streets and 6th and 7th Streets. He was found to be in possession of just over $54 worth of merchandise, including summer sausage, deli meats, and one bottle of wine.

Officers took MacDowell into custody and transported him to the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility. He was lodged for Second Degree Trespass, and Third Degree Theft.
A man passed all points of sale at Safeway with stolen goods, leading to their arrest for theft and trespass charges by Grants Pass Police Tuesday.

Dispatch was notified by an employee of the 115 SE 7th Street grocer at 8:50 p.m. that the previously trespassed suspect, Sean MacDowell, was yelling by the bathrooms, claiming someone was dying inside.

The bathroom was confirmed to be clear by employees, and MacDowell proceed to exit the building, still yelling and screaming, with what appeared to be bottles of wine in his pockets. He was described to dispatch as having a salt and pepper pony tail and wearing an Oregon State Beavers sweater.

A response from law enforcement was requested, and officers located MacDowell in the alley between G and H Streets and 6th and 7th Streets. He was found to be in possession of just over $54 worth of merchandise, including summer sausage, deli meats, and one bottle of wine.

Officers took MacDowell into custody and transported him to the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility. He was lodged for Second Degree Trespass, and Third Degree Theft.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended two suspects camping near the railroad tracks in the 4000 block of Foothill Boulevard.

Both suspects were reportedly camping near Tom Pearce Park Tuesday morning at 8:33 when police units parked in front of the incident location. Deputies contacted William Contos and Courtney Hall, and proceeded to take them into custody.

They were charged with a count each of First Degree Criminal Mischief, Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree, Offensive Littering, and Depositing Trash within 100 Yards of Water. Both were lodged in the Adult Jail Facility.

 

Officers with the Grants Pass Police Department arrested and trespassed a man from A-1 Market for a probation violation and trespassing charge.

The suspect, identified as Nicholas Knowles, was reported at the 605 NE 7th Street business by the store's owner. Dispatch learned Knowles had been previously trespassed from the property, and was told to leave twice by staff.

Police arrived and contacted Knowles outside by the ice machine. He was found to have been consuming intoxicants, which was a violation of his probation. Law enforcement took Knowles into custody and transported him to the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility.

He was lodged on a detainer and Second Degree Criminal Trespass charge. The police report stated Knowles may be in violation of his sex offender registration requirements. Charges will be referred to the District Attorney's Office.

 

Evergreen Federal Bank has donated $40,000 to the Mid Rogue Foundation in support of the Hillcrest Veterans Village.

A news release from the bank highlighted the initiative and its focus on providing permanent, high-quality housing and specialized services for veterans in Josephine County. Doug Walker, President of the Mid Rogue Foundation and project manager said the organization is "excited to move forward with this much-needed project."

The development is currently under construction on NE Hillcrest Drive in Grants Pass, and will include 36 one and two-bedroom apartments, some ADA-accessible, along with a community room, conference space, and offices for service providers and on-site staff.

According to the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs, local veterans face an elevated risk of homelessness, often due to a gap between military service and stable housing. Hillcrest Veterans Village is designed to address this need by offering affordable housing amid rising community housing costs.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man that smashed out a window at Affordable Truck and RV Tuesday.

An employee of Bi-Mart called 911 to report the incident at the 324 Redwood Highway business, saying someone was breaking windows and throwing things. Employees at the lot confronted the suspect before he ran off towards Paradise Auto.

Officers responded and contacted the suspect, David Dues, before calling Affordable to gather more information about the crime and see if employees wished to pursue charges. Dues reportedly caused about $200 in damages, and the general manager wanted him not only charged, but trespassed from the business.

Law enforcement took Dues into custody. He was transported to and lodged in the Josephine County Jail for charges including Second Degree Burglary, Second Degree Criminal Trespass, and Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree.

 

A fence-climbing burglary suspect was reported to 911, leading to her arrest by Grants Pass Police Tuesday night.

The 911 Dispatch Center was alerted to the woman attempting to jump a fence in the 1300 block of Rogue River Highway. The caller said the suspect was asking people to pass items over the fence.

An officer checked the area and observed the woman, later identified as Mary Chen, still inside the gated property, but she walked away behind cars when the patrol vehicle pulled up to the gate. It was reported to the officer that Chen wasn't supposed to be on the property.

Law enforcement learned Chen had entered a building on the property and proceeded to take clothing valued at about $100. She attempted to exit the property over the fence by using a ladder, but was unsuccessful. Security camera footage further confirmed the attempted theft.

Chen was taken into custody but was uncooperative. She was transported by police to the Adult Jail Facility where she was lodged for Second Degree charges of Burglary, Theft, and Criminal Trespass. She was further trespassed from the incident location and the Union Avenue Rogue Credit Union.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two suspects in downtown resting sites, both who had been issued exclusion orders from the sites.

The first suspect, Joshua Smith, was located at Resting Site 6 North by law enforcement Tuesday around 9:36 a.m. He had been excluded from the 714 NW 6th Street site for 30 days by one of the responding officers, so he was taken into custody for Second Degree Trespass.

There was probable cause for Smith to be charged with First Degree Trespass and Theft in the Third Degree, and he was also trespassed from all A-1 Markets per a previous case. Officers lodged Smith in the Josephine County Jail on his three charges. He was also issued a 90-day exclusion order from the site.

That same day, around 12:23 p.m., officers responded to Resting Site Six North where Samantha Crutcher was located. She had been previously issued an exclusion order from the 704 NW 6th Street site, and was subsequently taken into custody.

Officers lodged Crutcher in the Josephine County Jail for Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree. She was also issued a 180 day exclusion from the site.

 

The Board of Commissioners met in Executive Session Tuesday and for their Weekly Business session today.

The session at 3:30 p.m. yesterday centered on the case of Robert Brandes vs. Josephine County and Andreas Blech. Following the session, the board received an update from Legal Counsel, and the meeting was adjourned at 4:37 p.m.

Today at 9 a.m., the board, with no administrative actions to consider, began their Weekly Business session with Public Comment. Topics included Memorial Day remembrance, health clinics at schools, Pipe Fork preservation, and business growth assistance.

A motion to approve the consent calendar passed 2-0, as Commissioner Ron Smith was absent. Commissioner Gary Richardson then addressed inspections he and Commissioner Colene Martin did on county facilities, saying they used the tools the law gives to work efficiently on behalf of the public.

He continued by asking each department to organize information for upcoming budget meeting presentations, and that Thursday's meeting will cover Public Works, Transit, Recreation, and the Airport presentations. He highlighted Grab-n-Go Binders, Pet Kits, Go Kits, and other emergency preparedness tools, and encouraged citizens to sign up for citizen alerts.

Commissioner Martin again highlighted remembrance for Memorial Day weekend, then adjourned the meeting.

 

The next round of unofficial results are in for the 2026 Primary Election in Josephine County as of 12:30 a.m. today. Current Commissioner Colene Martin and Former Commissioner John West had the highest numbers, 46.46% and 29.34% respectively, for County Commissioner Position 1. Chad Hansen and Mark Jones had the two highest voter numbers at 33.62% and 21.65% respectively for Commissioner Position 2. All four will progress to the November election. Dwayne Yunker won the majority vote for Republican State Representative with 62.44% against Councilman Seth Benham. Yunker will face off against Susan Fischer-Maki in November. County Clerk Rhiannon Henkels will continue in her current position with 64.22% of the vote, as will Legal Counsel Wally Hicks, who ran unopposed. Dustin Calvo had the highest number of votes for County Treasurer at 42.31%, with Simon Hare coming in at 37.73%. The two will move forward to the November election.