Local News

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters worked diligently to protect citizens and structures last week. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 564 calls for service along with 305 officer-initiated calls last week that resulted in 33 arrests, 35 citations, 77 warnings and eight highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 97 traffic stops in the city and they made 21 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS). The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) made contact with 13 potential troublemakers while arresting three people, citing five more and warning five others. The CRT unit also trespassed three individuals from homes and businesses. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 86 calls last week including 29 for emergency medical service, three for reports of fire or smoke, eight lift assists, four rescue situations, five assists to other agencies and six false alarms. The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded a total of 1,056 emergency calls last week.

 

The Rogue Community College chapter of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges is bringing its popular $1 clothing sale to RCC's Redwood and Riverside campuses this week. The event is open to the public, with proceeds benefiting student scholarships through the RCC Foundation. Most items will be priced at just $1, and all clothing and accessories have been donated by community members. The fundraiser will take place in the RCC Student Center at the Redwood Campus in Grants Pass on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.. The event will take place in the Higher Education Center at the Riverside Campus in Medford on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.. Held in honor of Earth Day, the biannual fundraiser promotes sustainability while supporting education. The American Association of Women in Community Colleges has contributed to student scholarships and RCC programs since 2006.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners this morning failed to approve a small funding request from Friends of Country Living, even though the money would have come from the state and not county coffers. No motion was made to approve the funding request by the group that strives to improve and protect the livability of the small community of Sunny Valley. For the second straight week, Commissioner Chris Barnett was absent and "excused." Friends of Country Living made the request to erect a kiosk near the Sunny Valley Covered Bridge to explain its history and weight-load limitations to passersby. Public Works Director Rob Brandes spoke on behalf of the group and told Board Chair Andreas Blech and Commissioner Ron Smith that he fully supported their request for $2,000, which he explained would come from the Oregon Department of Transportation with no funding taken from the General Fund. The public comment period developed into a "Good Friday" religious debate with a woman presenting Easter-themed cupcakes to the Board followed immediately by a man who made his regular objection to what he called "religious dogma that is promoted by the Commissioners." A Grants Pass City Council member followed that up with praise for the Board reinstating prayer at the start of their meetings. Other speakers included a man who supports the Friends of Country Living group and a woman who supports the Josephine Community Library District.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a well-known criminal offender for multiple crimes after he threatened officers with a hammer when they tried to arrest him for violating a court order. The Police Department reports officers eventually arrested 30-year-old Kraig Dean Toothman for the incident at and near the NE 7th Street "resting" site on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.. Police said they contacted Toothman at the temporary campsite and told him he was under arrest for two counts of Contempt of Court. They said he fled on foot and they chased him down at the corner of NE A Street and Dean Drive near the high school. GPHS was placed in a "secure" status during the incident. Toothman reportedly pulled out a hammer and threatened officers with it before he was Tased and placed into custody. He was found to be in possession of a glass pipe containing methamphetamine residue. The hammer was seized as evidence and the pipe was seized for destruction. Toothman was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Menacing, Resisting Arrest, Escape, Meth Possession and two counts of Contempt of Court. He was being held without bail pending his court arraignment.

 

Grants Pass Police assisted the United States Postal Inspection Service by arresting two local felons late yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers first served a federal search warrant at a home in the 300-block of NE Beacon Drive on Thursday at 5:15 p.m.. Police said they contacted 30-year-old Killian Reese Mavity during execution of the warrant and found him to be in possession of a baggie containing two capsules filled with suspected cocaine. Mavity was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Cocaine Possession and Probation Violation related to previous arrests for Felon in Possession of Body Armor, Felon in Possession of a Weapon and Possession of Methamphetamine. He was being held on a no-bail detainer. A short time later, officers served a second federal search warrant at a home in the 1400-block of SE Cherry Lane. Police said they contacted 31-year-old Dominick Jeffrey Aragon at that residence, placing him into custody for Felony Probation Violation related to past arrests for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, 1st-Degree Burglary and 1st-Degree Theft. Aragon was also lodged in jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department has jailed a woman for multiple fraud crimes following a recent investigation. The Police Department reports detectives arrested 29-year-old Briana Lee Beal in an unspecified location on Wednesday afternoon. No details about the investigation have been released, but Beal was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for suspicion of felonies including 1st-Degree Forgery, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, Identity Theft and Parole Violation plus a misdemeanor charge of Criminal Conspiracy. Beal was being held without bail pending her arraignment in Circuit Court.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for old and new crimes last night after he caused a disturbance in the downtown area. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident involving 43-year-old Dennis Wilson Campbell near the corner of SE 6th and H streets on Thursday around 9:30 p.m.. Police said Campbell was reported to be walking down the middle of 6th Street and obstructing traffic. They detained him and discovered that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Resisting Arrest. During a consent search, Campbell was found to be in possession of two loaded syringes and some white powder that tested positive as methamphetamine. The meth and drug paraphernalia were seized for destruction. Campbell was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus new charges of Disorderly Conduct, Criminal Mischief and Meth Possession. He was being held without bail.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department was investigating a suspicious tent fire at a downtown resting site for the city's homeless population. GPPD officers and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to the tent fire in the southeast corner of the resting site near the police station on NE 7th Street on Wednesday at approximately 9:30 p.m.. Police said no one was injured in the fire, but the tent and a portion of the nearby fence covering were destroyed. None of the surrounding tents or any residential properties in the area were damaged. GPPD said it is taking this incident very seriously, given the potential for great bodily harm. It is unknown whether the fire resulted from a criminal act, an accident or an unattended heating device. The investigation is ongoing.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a Cave Junction man for smashing a window on a vehicle parked along Redwood Highway yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to a vandalism complaint in the 25,600-block of US Highway 199 on Thursday shortly before the noon hour. Deputies said witnesses reported that 72-year-old Larry Lee Warnicke used a tire iron to smash the windshield on a 1989 Chevrolet Suburban at that location. The caller told dispatchers they had a past history with the suspect, though they did not provide any specifics. According to the report, the incident was captured on video surveillance and damage to the vehicle was estimated to be around $500. Deputies contacted Warnicke at his residence and he admitted to the vandalism. He was cited to appear in court on May 7th for 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief.