Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a sex offender late last night for not complying with his registration requirements. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 44-year-old Joseph Michael Correia at the corner of Merlin Avenue and Pleasant Valley Road at 10:18 p.m. Monday. Deputies said they spotted Correia while patrolling the Merlin area. They said a routine records check revealed that he was wanted for Felony Failure to Report as a Sex Offender. According to the Sheriff's Log, Correia has a history of assaultive behavior and he is a risk to escape. However, he was placed into custody without incident. Correia was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail without bail. He was scheduled to be arraigned in Circuit Court this afternoon.

 

An investigation into a hit-and-run crash that occurred last week in west Grants Pass resulted in the arrest of the alleged offender last weekend. Grants Pass Police were alerted to the incident that occurred in the 900-block of SW Laurel Street last Thursday afternoon. Police said a motorist later identified as "Kevin Haugen" crashed his white Ford Explorer into a vehicle parked in front of the victim's residence. The suspect left the scene without stopping and did not attempt to contact the victim. According to GPPD, the incident was caught on video from a surveillance camera which led them to the suspect's home in the 1900-block of Rogue River Highway on Sunday afternoon. Haugen admitted to hitting the parked vehicle and driving away. He was cited to appear in court for Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage and No Insurance.

 

No one was injured in a collision between two trucks in north Grants Pass early yesterday. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency crews responded to a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of NE 7th Street and Hillcrest Drive on Monday shortly after 8 a.m.. Troopers said evidence at the scene and video surveillance indicates a white Dodge Ram pickup driven by a 60-year-old man failed to stop at a stop light and struck a gray Dodge Ram pickup driven by a 29-year-old man. No injuries were reported, but both vehicles were towed from the scene. Although video evidence showed the white Dodge had a solid red stop light on 7th Street, it was unclear in the OSP report if any citations were issued. Both drivers were given a copy of the crash report.

 

Grants Pass Police cited a motorist last weekend after she crashed into two parked vehicles in a northwest city neighborhood. According to the Police Department, officers and emergency crews responded to the three-vehicle collision in the 1,000-block of NW Washington Boulevard on Sunday around 4:45 p.m.. Police said an investigation determined that 33-year-old Tarren Thomas was driving a Lincoln SUV north on Washington Boulevard when she wrecked into a Honda CRV and a Ford Focus parked along the curb. They said they contacted Thomas at the scene and there were no signs of impairment. Thomas was subsequently cited to appear in court for Failure to Maintain Lane and No Insurance. Her SUV sustained moderate damage and it was towed away. Crash reports were supplied to all the involved parties.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving in Josephine County last night. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Dodge Journey driven by a 35-year-old male subject in an unspecified location on Monday at 9:06 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the Dodge for traffic violations and the driver showed strong signs of impairment. They said the driver performed poorly in field sobriety tests and was transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was more than twice the legal driving limit. The suspect was lodged at the Sobering Center for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His vehicle was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man wanted on a local warrant during a weekend patrol check at convenience store. According to the Police Department, officers contacted 38-year-old Austin Bently Bowman at A-1 Market & Deli on SW G Street on Sunday afternoon. Police said they observed Bowman outside the store and knew that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for probable cause of 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was immediately detained. After the warrant was confirmed, Bowman was cited to appear in court and then released.

 

The Oregon State Police placed a Klamath Falls man on a mental hold early today after responding to a report of a disabled motorist on Interstate 5 near Sunny Valley. OSP reports troopers were dispatched to a disabled Dodge Dart in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 70 at 1:09 this morning. Troopers said the 27-year-old male driver of the vehicle made several suicidal statements to dispatchers and he met the criteria for a Peace Officer's Mental Hold. The distraught man was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for the hold and his vehicle was left at the scene at his request.

 

The Oregon State Police jailed a Medford man for several crimes after a weekend traffic stop on the east side of Grants Pass. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Dodge Ram pickup driven by 42-year-old Matthew Roy Barbosa on the Grants Pass Parkway underneath the Interstate 5 milepost 55 overpass around midday Saturday. Troopers said they stopped Barbosa for traffic violations and quickly learned that the pickup had been reported stolen. The suspect was detained and a search of the vehicle located a hidden compartment filled with US currency, a digital scale and drug paraphernalia. The convicted felon was also found with unspecified weapons. According to OSP, Barbosa gave inconsistent statements about how he came to be in possession of the stolen truck and he was placed into custody. The cash, drugs, drug paraphernalia and weapons were seized as evidence. Barbosa was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Methamphetamine Possession and two counts of Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon. He was being held without bail. The stolen pickup was returned to a 65-year-old Grants Pass woman.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man last weekend for stealing merchandise from Walmart and being in possession of a large amount of methamphetamine. The Police Department reports officers responded to a shoplifting call involving 33-year-old Jeffrey Allen McPeake at the store on NE Terry Lane on Sunday around 4:20 p.m.. Police said McPeake stole $121 in items from Walmart by concealing them on his person, taking them past all points of sale and exiting the store without paying. He was located at the nearby Taco Bell and placed into custody. McPeake admitted to the theft and consented to a search of his person. During the search, a container was located that contained a very large amount of a crystal substance that fielded tested positive as meth. He also had packaging materials, multiple knives and the stolen items on his person, which were seized. McPeake was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Delivery of Meth and 2nd-Degree Theft. He was being held without bail. His bicycle and belongings were logged into evidence for safekeeping.