Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended two fugitives wanted on local and statewide warrants in separate incidents yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports the first incident occurred on Thursday at 3:14 p.m. when deputies arrested a 41-year-old man in the 900-block of Skylark Lane. Deputies said a corrections officer requested assistance with picking up the man who was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for Probation Violation related to an arrest for 4th-Degree Assault. He was placed into custody and lodged in jail on a no-bail detainer. The second incident happened on Thursday at 7:02 p.m. when deputies arrested a 48-year-old woman at a transient camp located on federal land in an unspecified area of Josephine County. Deputies were performing a patrol check on the camp when they contacted the woman and learned that she was wanted on an Oregon State Parole Board warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a conviction for Crimes Against a Person. She was placed into custody and lodged in jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on a statewide felony warrant at a home in the southeast part of the city early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a trespassing complaint involving the 42-year-old male subject in the 200-block of Euclid Street at 6:15 a.m. Thursday. Police said the homeowner reported the man was passed out on their porch, he was not supposed to be there and he was wanted on a statewide warrant. Officers arrived on scene, contacted the man and confirmed that he was wanted on an Oregon State Parole Board warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a past conviction for Possession of Dangerous Drugs. K-9 Mario was deployed for containing the man and gaining compliance. He was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorcyclist for riding without a license after a traffic stop near Riverside Park yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over the motorcycle rider near the corner of East Park Street and Acacia Lane on Thursday at about 1:20 p.m.. Police said they stopped the 54-year-old man because the motorcycle he was riding had no license plates. They said the man claimed to be a "sovereign citizen" and refused to provide any form of identification. According to the report, the man accused officers of violating the law by stopping him because he does not have to comply with legal statutes of the United States. Officers disagreed and arrested the man for Failure to Carry and Present a Valid Operator's License. He was lodged in jail and his motorcycle was impounded.

 

A Cave Junction resident may be fined for violating fire season restrictions after his lawnmower caught on fire yesterday. On Thursday at 3:47 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District and Oregon Department of Forestry were dispatched to a small vehicle fire on a Caves Highway property near Laurel Road. IVFD officials said firefighters quickly extinguished the lawnmower fire with minimal spread to some nearby dry grass. Officials said ODF was handling the investigation.

 

Grants Pass Police incarcerated a man for a total of six crimes this week following a domestic violence incident at a residence near Riverside Park. The Police Department reports officers arrested the 37-year-old male subject for the incident at a home in the 1300-block of SE Vista Drive on Wednesday. Police said the subject contacted a woman at her residence despite a court order protecting her from him. They said he walked into her home as she was leaving. After a verbal altercation, he grabbed a black Glock BB gun out of his vehicle, pointed it in her direction, and threatened to kill her and himself with the weapon. According to the report, the man then left the scene in a vehicle and was located a short time later parked across the street at the city park. He was placed into custody and the BB gun was seized as evidence. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon, Domestic Menacing, Stalking Order Violation, Criminal Mischief and Criminal Trespass. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for punching a vehicle while demonstrating aggressive behavior in the downtown area this week. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the incident at the corner of SE 6th and I streets on Wednesday afternoon. Police said a 39-year-old male subject caused public alarm, annoyance and inconvenience when he engaged in tumultuous and violent behavior. They said he walked into traffic and punched a vehicle, intentionally ran into a person with his shoulder and then challenged a Dutch Bros employee to fight with him. Officers arrived on scene and placed the man into custody. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and was being held without bail.

 

A burglar alarm at a downtown Grants Pass pawn shop led to the arrest of a well-known criminal offender early yesterday. Grants Pass Police responded to an audible alarm at the Cash Connection store on SW 6th Street just before midnight on Wednesday. Police said multiple units established a perimeter around the pawn shop gated area where the alarm company stated they observed a female subject within the outdoor fenced yard. Multiple subjects were detained on the sidewalk near the business. A review of video surveillance showed only one of the subjects had entered the fenced area -- a 34-year-old female subject who is well-known to law enforcement from previous arrests. The suspect told police she was looking for cigarettes. She was placed into custody and lodged in jail without bail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. The other subjects were warned for trespassing.

 

Several lightning-caused fires remained active on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest on Thursday. The Donomore Fire in the Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District is burning along the Oregon-California border four miles south of Dutchman Peak. It was mapped at about 35 acres including numerous spot fires identified during the initial attack. There was minimal growth on the wildfire as crews established containment lines while extinguishing heat near the lines. Resources included four crews, multiple engines, the Galice Wildland Fire Module, one bulldozer, two water tenders and various aircraft. An unmanned aerial system drone will be used today to identify heat signatures or spot fires in the area. The Springs Fire in the High Cascades Ranger District was mapped at less than one-quarter of an acre when smokejumpers and an engine responded yesterday. The Spruce Fire is fully-contained at 1/100th of an acre. The Bear Fire in the Wild Rivers Ranger District was contained at one-quarter of an acre. The Comm Fire was also contained at one-quarter of an acre. A new start near Silver Creek was reported yesterday, with a helicopter and rappellers ordered. On the Gold Beach and Powers Ranger Districts, the Snow Fire was burning in very rugged and remote terrain that is inaccessible by ground. Rappellers were inserted by helicopter. The Buck Fire is estimated at one acre, with containment and mop-up efforts underway.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District and Oregon Department of Forestry extinguished two small vehicle fires in the Cave Junction area on the same night this week. On Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., IVFD and ODF responded to a single-vehicle fire on Golf Club Drive at Redwood Highway near the Illinois Valley Golf Course. IVFD officials said the occupant was able to get himself and his dog out of the vehicle before the flames started. They said the blaze was put out and the cause was under investigation. On Wednesday at 7:09 p.m., IVFD and ODF responded to a second small vehicle fire in the 500-block of Martin Road. Officials said the fully-engulfed vehicle spread flames to nearby brush and ODF crews were able to stop further spread of the fire into the surrounding wildland while IVFD crews doused the burning vehicle. According to IVFD, they were able to utilize more personnel on these two fires due to a recent Oregon State Fire Marshal Wildland Staffing Grant.