Local News

In order to reduce the threat of wildfire while restoring forest function, the Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management plans to begin prescribed burning this month. With the increased temperatures, fuels are starting to dry out enough to allow spring prescribed burning operations on about 1,500 acres of BLM-administered lands in southwest Oregon. Residents can expect to see smoke in the Applegate Valley, near Grants Pass and north of Butte Falls. Burning will start one week after warmer weather sets in. Prescribed burning applies low-intensity fire to the forest floor, which reduces the severity of future wildland fires. Prescribed burns are thoroughly planned and require a strict approval process for smoke management, fire safety and ecological outcomes before professional staff apply fire on the ground. The Medford BLM District completed 3,700 acres of handpile burning over the winter. Handpile burns occur when debris is manually piled up and then burned. The material comes from hazardous fuels reduction projects and commercial timber operations that occur on BLM lands.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners on Thursday proclaimed May 4th to be "Sanctity of Human Life and Respect for Life Day." Josephine County Right to Life is inviting the public to join them in their annual "March for Life" in Grants Pass on Sunday. Participants will gather at the Josephine County Courthouse at 1 p.m. and the southbound march through downtown Grants Pass will commence at 1:30. The March for Life will wind up at the Main Pavilion of Riverside Park for "live" worship music, speakers and refreshments. There will be prayer with local pastors and pro-life messages from local and state representatives. Right to Life organizer Steve Raycraft said "join us to pray to end abortion and renew your commitment for life because everyone deserves an advocate." For more information, contact Raycraft at "sraycraft54@gmail.com" or call (541)-621-2538. You can also contact Rick Nelson at "gpcats@charter.net."

 

The new director of Josephine County's newest department played a large role in today's weekly business session of the Board of Commissioners. Josephine County Community Justice Director Scott Hyde testified on three Administrative Action items on the meeting agenda. Hyde has been the head of Community Corrections and he recently assumed the Juvenile Justice directorship. Hyde presented a Community Justice Vehicle Purchase request for four new Ford Explorers totaling $162,066. He testified that budget adjustments were made to help pay for the new vehicles that will replace three Jeep Cherokees and one Ford Crown Victoria that are 6 years old. The Board unanimously approved the request. Hyde also presented a five-year contract with the Oregon Department of Human Services worth $884,406 for a juvenile justice residential treatment program along with a two-year contract renewal with the Oregon Youth Authority that will bring more than $400,000 to the County for an extended detention program. The Board also unanimously approved the intergovernmental agreements. Drug Prevention Coordinator Shawn Martinez also presented three Administrative Action items to the Commissioners, but she was not as fortunate. The Board failed to make any motions on grant agreements with the Mobile Integrative Navigation Team (MINT), Max's Mission and the HIV Alliance. All three organizations had made funding requests for disbursed opioid settlement money totaling $1.3 million.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a Williams man for violating a court order yesterday after he called 9-1-1 to report a domestic disturbance. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 74-year-old Robert Elvin Larsen for the incident in the 300-block of Kincaid Road on Wednesday shortly after 2 p.m.. Deputies said Larsen called 9-1-1 to report that his wife had assaulted him. They said there had been multiple hang up calls from the same number earlier in the day. An investigation determined that Larsen and his estranged wife live in separate residences on the same property. Upon arrival, deputies contacted Larsen's wife who told them her husband was in a rage that morning and had thrown her into a fence before leaving. She also showed them a valid no-contact order prohibiting her husband from approaching her. Larsen admitted that he knew about the court order when he went to his wife's home. He was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Contempt of Court. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving in the Redwood area last night after he punched another motorist in the face. The Police Department reports officers responded to the reported assault at the intersection of East Park and 7th streets on Wednesday around 9:15 p.m.. Police said the victim called 9-1-1 to report a motorist later identified as 48-year-old Thomas Daniel Negrette, Sr., exited his vehicle at the stop light and punched him twice before he could roll up the window. The victim was not seriously hurt and followed the suspect whom he believed was under the influence of alcohol. Negrette reportedly drove west while swerving all over Redwood Highway before he turned onto Redwood Avenue and entered the Redwood Center. The victim followed him while maintaining contact with dispatchers. He observed the suspect enter the Redwood Market and exit the store with a beer in his hand. Officers swooped in and contacted Negrette who displayed signs of impairment, but refused to answer questions or participate in field sobriety tests. A search warrant was obtained and he was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw that documented his impairment. Negrette was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Physical Harassment. His Chrysler 300 was towed.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a local warrant after finding him hiding at his grandmother's house late last night. According to the Police Department, officers located 25-year-old Alex Ushaiah Tallman at a home in the 700-block of NE 10th Street at 11:22 p.m. Wednesday. Police said they were looking for Tallman because he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for Probation Violation related to an arrest for Domestic Menacing. They saw the suspect enter the driveway of the residence and moved in for the arrest. Tallman's grandmother answered the door and claimed her grandson had escaped out a window. She consented to a search of her home and officers found Tallman hiding inside a closet. Tallman was placed into custody and lodged in jail on the outstanding warrant.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman on two outstanding warrants yesterday after they found her hiding inside a vehicle at a city park. According to the Police Department, officers located 20-year-old Kassandrea Faith Electra Caryn Sinks slumped down in the rear seat of a vehicle at Baker Park on Wednesday at 10:44 a.m.. Police said Sinks was wanted on a Grants Pass felony warrant for failing to appear in court for Identity Theft and 2nd-Degree Theft as well as a Medford Police Department warrant for Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine. Once Sinks was located, she was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a woman on a local warrant while investigating a trespassing complaint at a North Valley area convenience store early yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to the incident at the Li'l Pantry Market & Deli on Monument Drive on Wednesday around 5:30 a.m.. Deputies said a store employee called 9-1-1 to report a female subject later identified as 40-year-old Jenifer Renae Scott was loitering inside and outside the market for more than two hours. The caller said they had been asking her to leave for a half-hour, but she refused to do so. Upon arrival, deputies contacted Scott and discovered that she was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Methamphetamine Possession and Possession of a Schedule 2 Controlled Substance. Scott was lodged in jail on the outstanding warrants and she was trespassed from Li'l Pantry.

 

The Medford Police Department has made an arrest in its April 25th homicide investigation. Last Friday at about 2 a.m., MPD officers responded to a report of a person down near Lowe's Home Improvement store located on Delta Waters Road. Upon arrival, officers discovered 36-year-old Rory James Pomeroy suffering from life-threatening traumatic injuries. He was treated at the scene and transported to a local hospital by Mercy Flights ambulance. Officers and detectives immediately began investigating the incident and quickly identified a possible suspect who was located and detained in the vicinity. Both the victim and suspect are believed to be experiencing homelessness and were staying in the area. Due to insufficient evidence, the suspect was interviewed and released. Later on Friday, MPD was notified that Pomeroy had died from his injuries. A forensic autopsy was conducted by the Jackson County Medical Examiner's Office on Monday which determined the cause of death to be homicide. On Tuesday, MPD detectives recovered what is believed to be the weapon used in the homicide from a nearby storm drain. On Wednesday at about 9:30 a.m., detectives located and arrested 34-year-old Christopher Shane Boyce at a residence on Upton Road in Central Point. He was lodged at the Jackson County Jail for suspicion of 2nd-Degree Murder and 1st-Degree Manslaughter. The case was referred to the Jackson County District Attorney's Office for prosecution. This remains an active investigation.