KRRM - Local News

Deputies Collared Man on State and Local Warrants after Merlin Trespass Call

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a man wanted on state and local warrants while investigating a trespassing complaint in the Merlin area early yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested a 47-year-old male subject in the 3,000-block of Merlin Road on Wednesday at 10:17 a.m.. Deputies said a woman who is a friend of the property owner called 9-1-1 to report seeing a man walking from the shop area while carrying a large black case on his shoulder. The caller said the man left the property and walked toward Merlin. She wasn't sure if he had stolen anything, but knew he was not supposed to be there. A short time later, the subject returned to the property and went to a trailer in the back. That's where deputies contacted him and discovered that he was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a burglary conviction as well as a Josephine County warrant for 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. The suspect was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

Posted on 8/15/24 11:30AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Pair on Variety of Charges after Walmart Shoplift Complaint

Grants Pass Police arrested two people on a variety of charges following a theft complaint at Walmart early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the shoplifting call at the big box retailer on NE Terry Lane on Wednesday at 9:39 a.m.. Police said Walmart loss prevention reported that a man and woman had taken more than $200 worth of items including electronics, clothing and a gun-cleaning kit. The pair reportedly ran through the parking lot toward the Parkway and they were eventually detained near Parkway Christian Center. The 44-year-old male subject is a convicted felon and he was found to be in possession of a dagger. The 28-year-old female subject was found to be in possession of an 8-gram chunk of methamphetamine. The weapon and meth were seized as evidence as the suspects were placed into custody. The man was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon, Escape and 2nd-Degree Theft. The woman was jailed for Escape, 2nd-Degree Theft and Meth Possession. Both were held without bail.

Posted on 8/15/24 11:29AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Hitchhiker on Local Warrant after He Became Ill in Transit

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a local felony warrant after he became ill while hitchhiking from the City of Rogue River early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers placed the man into custody upon his release from Three Rivers Medical Center on Wednesday at 12:14 p.m.. Police said they received a call from the driver of a Volkswagen Jetta who had picked up the 29-year-old male subject on Foothill Boulevard. The caller said the subject told them he was hitchhiking from Rogue River to Grants Pass. The man reportedly became sick and was transported by ambulance to the local hospital. Officers investigated the incident and determined that the male subject was wanted on a Grants Pass felony warrant for failing to appear in court for 1st-Degree Theft, Resisting Arrest and Escape. After he was medically cleared from the hospital, he was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on $25,000 bail.

Posted on 8/15/24 11:28AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Nabbed Man on Local Warrants during Riverside Park Patrol Check

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on two local warrants during a patrol check at Riverside Park late last night. According to the Police Department, officers contacted a 55-year-old male camper at the city park on Wednesday around 11:30 p.m.. Police said a routine records check showed the camper was wanted on a Josephine County warrant for failing to appear in court for 4th-Degree Assault and a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Theft. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on $75,000 bail. While at the park, officers contacted another camper who was found to be in possession of methamphetamine. He was cited to appear in court for Possession of a Controlled Substance and then trespassed from the park for 30 days. According to the report, the man told officers he had purchased the meth in the park just prior to their contact with him.

Posted on 8/15/24 11:26AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested 2 Campers and Cited 3 Others during Patrols of City Parks

Grants Pass Police arrested two people and cited three others during city park patrol checks on Wednesday. At Tussing Park, officers contacted a 41-year-old woman who had returned to the park just two days after she had been trespassed for 30 days. She was lodged in jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. At Fruitdale Park, officers contacted a 37-year-old man who was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for 3rd-Degree Theft. He was lodged in jail. Another man was found lying in a puddle of his own urine on the walking path next to a scooter. He was cited for Public Urination and Restricted Parking before being issued a 30-day exclusion. At Morrison Centennial Park, a man and woman were cited for Possession of Fentanyl. A citizen observed the pair using drugs in the men's restroom and was concerned about children playing in the park. The pair was trespassed for the next month.

Posted on 8/15/24 11:25AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Asking Any Additional Victims of GP Child Sex Abuser to Come Forward

The Oregon State Police recently arrested and charged a Grants Pass man with child sex abuse offenses and the agency is asking additional victims to come forward. Last week, 30-year-old Justin Lee Concha was arrested and charged with multiple sex offense crimes and detectives believe additional victims are likely. Concha is suspected of attempting to meet underage juveniles for the purpose of sex. He has been charged with five counts of 1st-Degree Encouraging Child Sex Abuse, five counts of 2nd-Degree Encouraging Child Sex Abuse and one count of Sexual Assault of an Animal. According to OSP, Concha sometimes uses an alias of "Jay Leslie Frost." Anyone with information on Justin Concha pertaining to this case is encouraged to contact OSP's Southern Command Center at 1-(800)-442-2068.

Posted on 8/15/24 6:17AM by Sam Marsh

Interstate 5 Traffic Stop by OSP Nets 60 Pounds of Fentanyl Headed to Portland

A Southern Oregon traffic stop by an Oregon State Police K-9 unit this week netted 60 pounds of fentanyl-laced pills destined for Portland. On Monday at 8 a.m., an OSP K-9 trooper stopped a commercial motor vehicle on Interstate 5 in Jackson County for a traffic violation. During a consent search of the vehicle's cab, the trooper located two five-gallon buckets with blue pills suspected of being laced with the deadly narcotic fentanyl. Two suspects -- 42-year-old Daniel Pena Gragoso and 28-year-old Josue Itzel Gomez, both of Mexico -- were arrested and charged with Possession and Delivery of Fentanyl and lodged at the Jackson County Jail. According to OSP, the seized narcotics were in the form of approximately 276,000 individual pills.

Posted on 8/15/24 6:16AM by Sam Marsh

Two People Hurt in Motor Vehicle Crash on Redwood Highway in Cave Junction

Two people were injured in a motor vehicle accident on Redwood Highway in Cave Junction last night. The Illinois Valley Fire District, American Medical Response, Josephine County Sheriff's Office and Oregon Department of Transportation were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash in the 25,600-block of US Highway 199 on Wednesday at 7:11 p.m.. Arriving units found two vehicles off the side of the highway, with one on its side, one on its wheels and both with major damage. Bystanders assisted in the removal of several occupants before emergency first responders arrived on scene. They also found a dog that had gone missing. IVFD officials said a total of seven people were evaluated by medics and two were transported by AMR to Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass. Jerry's Towing arrived and removed the vehicles from the crash scene. The Sheriff's Office was investigating.

Posted on 8/15/24 6:15AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Man for Assaulting Co-Worker at Local Manufacturing Plant

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for assaulting a co-worker at a local manufacturing plant this week. The Police Department reports officers responded to a reported incident at Rogue Valley Door on NE Beacon Drive on Tuesday morning. Police said a female employee called 9-1-1 to report an incident between two workers. The caller advised one of the workers head-butted the other, and she requested both law enforcement and medical response. An investigation determined that a 29-year-old male subject bumped into the other man while walking down a hall and the subject grabbed the man by his upper shoulder, pulled him forward and head-butted him. Some type of verbal dispute had escalated into a physical altercation. The workers were separated by others. Upon arrival, officers interviewed both parties and witnesses before placing the male subject into custody. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 4th-Degree Assault plus a Felony Parole Violation. He was being held without bail.

Posted on 8/15/24 6:12AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Man for Intentionally Setting Fire Inside Building at Church

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for intentionally setting a fire inside a building at a local church this week. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a trespassing complaint at Parkway Christian Center on NE Beacon Drive on Tuesday morning. Police said they received a call regarding a male transient who threw a piece of cardboard that was on fire into a bucket inside the building, which was being used to distribute food to the needy. They said he knew people were inside the building. After the 38-year-old man set the fire, he attempted to lock the door as he left and fled the area. He was located at WinCo Foods and placed into custody a short time later. The suspect did not explain why he set the fire. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Arson and 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was being held without bail.

Posted on 8/15/24 6:11AM by Sam Marsh

Reports of Rafter in Trouble on Rogue River near GP Prompted Big Response

Reports of a rafter in trouble on the Rogue River near Grants Pass prompted a large response of rescue crews from multiple agencies late yesterday. Rural Metro Fire Department reports they were alerted that a subject had gotten stranded in the rapids above Chinook Park on Wednesday at 4:34 p.m.. As units were converging on both sides of the river, the subject was able to swim to shore. After a medical evaluation, it was determined no injuries were sustained. Rural Metro officials said the areas above and below Chinook Park are a frequent site of water rescue incidents. They said the proper use of a life jacket is the best way to be prepared in case you fall out of a boat or raft. Officials said the large response of emergency crews is common for this type of incident. They said it's literally an "all-hands-on-deck" situation.

Posted on 8/15/24 6:03AM by Sam Marsh

Board of Commissioners Approves Limited Power of Attorney for Property in CJ

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners approved the use of limited power of attorney for land use and development of a county-owned property in Cave Junction during its weekly business session on Wednesday. The Board voted 2-0 to approve the power of attorney for a real property at 232 West Stevenson Street in Cave Junction. Commissioner Herman Baertschiger was absent. Before approving the Consent Calendar item, both Commissioner John West and Commissioner Andreas Blech declared potential conflicts of interest because both buy and sell real estate in Josephine County. The West Stevenson Street property includes a 1,290 square foot home built in 1973 with three bedrooms and two bathrooms on .29 of an acre. Josephine County residents were reminded that public comments on the Oregon Department of Forestry's draft fire hazard map are due on Sunday. Commissioner West announced that a Zoom meeting has been scheduled for August 26th from 1 to 3 p.m. for residents to ask questions to state officials about the map. He urged participants to turn in their questions prior to the meeting.

Posted on 8/15/24 6:01AM by Sam Marsh