Local News

Deputies Arrested Man for Causing Disturbance at RV Park in the Illinois Valley
The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for causing a disturbance at an RV park in the southern Illinois Valley yesterday. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies arrested a 39-year-old male subject for the incident at the Lone Mountain Resort in O'Brien on Tuesday at 2:06 p.m.. Deputies said a resident of the resort reported that the subject appeared to be under the influence of narcotics when he threatened to shoot him in the head. The caller told dispatchers the subject also threw several large rocks at him, but he was not injured. He described the subject as "yelling and being disorderly." Upon arrival, deputies looked for the suspect in and around the O'Brien General Store. They eventually located him near milepost 35 of Redwood Highway and placed him into custody. He had a small amount of methamphetamine visible in his pocket -- it was seized for destruction. The suspect was transported to Grants Pass and booked into the Josephine County Jail for Menacing and Disorderly Conduct. He was being held without bail and he was trespassed from the RV park.
Posted on 9/18/24 11:26AM by Sam Marsh
 

GP Police Snared Well-Known Felon for Parole Violation after Downtown Binge
Grants Pass Police arrested a "frequent flyer" for violating terms of her post-prison supervision by drinking alcoholic beverages in the downtown area. The Police Department reports officers arrested 34-year-old Morgan Delin Weber near the corner of SE 7th and G streets on Tuesday at 11:57 a.m.. Police said Weber was located after an earlier call for service in which her corrections officer requested she be placed on a detainer. They said she was visibly intoxicated, with the smell of alcoholic beverages emanating from her body. Officers placed Weber into custody as she attempted to bite them. She was taken to the Josephine County Jail where she attempted to kick deputies and was placed in a spit hood as well as a restraint chair. She was being held on a no-bail detainer. Jail records show Weber has been arrested for violating her parole 12 times since September 2023.
Posted on 9/18/24 11:25AM by Sam Marsh
 

GP Police Arrested Two Man for Trespassing on Railroad Property in the City
Grants Pass Police arrested two men for trespassing on railroad property in the city early yesterday and one of them for narcotics possession. According to the Police Department, the first incident occurred on railroad property near NE Spalding Avenue on Tuesday around 9 a.m.. Police said 45-year-old Daniel Beier was observed by a railroad work crew in the same general area as a homeless camp that went up in flames earlier this summer. The subject tried to hide in the bushes, but the work crew pointed him out to responding officers. Beier was placed into custody and found to be in possession of more than two grams of methamphetamine. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 1st-Degree Criminal Trespass and Meth Possession. He was being held without bail. The second incident occurred on railroad property behind the downtown Safeway store on Tuesday at 10:20 a.m.. Police said 51-year-old Robert Lee Doyle was found sleeping on railroad property near the supermarket and he had been trespassed from that location in April. He was jailed for 1st-Degree Criminal Trespass and was also being held with no bail.
Posted on 9/18/24 11:23AM by Sam Marsh
 

OSP Nabbed Motorist for Impaired Driving after SE Grants Pass Traffic Stop
The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving last night during a traffic stop in southeast Grants Pass. OSP reports troopers pulled over a maroon Nissan 350Z driven by a 49-year-old female subject near the corner of SE Grandview Avenue and Drury Lane on Tuesday at 10:39 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the vehicle for a traffic violation and the driver showed signs of impairment. They said she performed poorly in field sobriety tests and was transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where she provided a breath sample that exceeded the legal driving limit. The suspect was lodged at the Sobering Center for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Endangering of her 52-year-old male passenger. Her car was impounded.
Posted on 9/18/24 11:21AM by Sam Marsh
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Josephine County Sheriff's Office Releases More Details about Violent IV Crash
The Josephine County Sheriff's Office has released additional information about a violent motor vehicle crash that seriously injured two people in the Illinois Valley earlier this week. On Monday at 5:21 p.m., deputies, the Illinois Valley Fire District and American Medical Response were dispatched to the single-vehicle wreck in the 2200-block of Holland Loop Road. The caller reported a vehicle had struck a power pole and that someone was still trapped inside the vehicle. Emergency crews arrived to find the vehicle on its roof, with an occupant trapped inside. Another occupant had been ejected. A nearby power pole had been sheared off at the base and power lines were hanging in trees. According to the report, the occupant trapped inside the vehicle was extricated by IVFD crews. Both occupants were transported to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center -- one by Mercy Flights helicopter and the other by AMR ambulance. Both occupants were reported to be in "stable" condition by hospital staff. Josephine County Sheriff's Sergeant Jason Stanton said witnesses reported the vehicle passed another vehicle in a no passing zone at a high rate of speed, lost control on a corner and crashed into the power pole. He said the crash remains under investigation.
Posted on 9/18/24 6:46AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Corralled Felon for Parole Violation during RR Highway Patrol Check
Grants Pass Police arrested a felon for violating his post-prison supervision during a southeast-city patrol check this week. According to the Police Department, officers spotted 44-year-old Nicholas John Knox Knowles in the 1100-block of Rogue River Highway on Monday afternoon. Police said they were familiar with Knowles from previous law enforcement encounters and knew that he was wanted by Josephine County Community Corrections for Felony Parole Violation. He was contacted and then placed into custody without incident. Knowles was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.
Posted on 9/18/24 6:44AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Collared Man on Two Local Warrants after Dollar Tree Investigation
Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on two local warrants this week while investigating a report of suspicious activity at the north Dollar Tree store. The Police Department reports officers were alerted to possible drug dealing taking place in a vehicle parked at the store on NW 6th Street on Monday afternoon. Police said witnesses reported several people were walking up to a small white pickup and then leaving. The vehicle contained two men and a woman including 31-year-old Dakota Alan Ree. There was no evidence of narcotics trafficking. A routine records check showed that Ree was wanted on two Grants Pass warrants for 2nd-Degree Theft and 3rd-Degree Theft. He was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail.
Posted on 9/18/24 6:43AM by Sam Marsh
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Rafters Get Stuck on Rocks near Argo Park on Rogue for 2nd Time in Three Days
For the second time in three days, rafters getting stuck on the rocks near Argo Park on the Rogue River mobilized rescue crews from multiple agencies. On Monday afternoon, Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to reports that rafters were in distress and one person was possibly missing. Rural Metro officials said everyone was accounted for, there were no injuries and all the rafts were recovered, although some gear was lost in the river. An engine from the Oregon Department of Forestry that regularly patrols the Galice area assisted with the incident. Officials said both rafting mishaps involved miscalculations made by experienced rafters. They said water levels at this time of year are low, exposing more rocks and making some usual waterway paths unsafe.
Posted on 9/18/24 6:41AM by Sam Marsh
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Board to Continue Cleaning Up County Code & Consider Rural Fire District Start
The Board of Commissioners will continue its effort to clean up the Josephine County Code and start the process of forming a rural fire protection district during its weekly business session this morning. The Board will hold four public hearings on ordinances that will either amend or repeal chapters of the County Code. One of them is the second reading and adoption of an amendment relating to emergency medical services. The others are on the first readings of ordinances that would repeal chapters pertaining to ballot measures, genetically engineered plants and loitering near the county jail. The second readings are set for October 2nd. Under Administrative Actions, the Commissioners will consider an order that would initiate the formation of a rural fire protection district and set the first public hearing. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.
Posted on 9/18/24 6:31AM by Sam Marsh
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GP City Council Set to Consider Supplemental Budgets & Award Tourism Grants
The Grants Pass City Council is scheduled to consider a resolution supplementing the Fiscal Year 2025 budget during its regular meeting tonight. Following a public hearing, the City Council will vote on a resolution that amends the current budget and makes appropriations. The lone Council Action Item is a resolution awarding funds for the Fall 2024 cycle of the Sustainable Tourism Grant Program. The panel is also slated to appoint two members to the Urban Area Planning Commission. Following the public comment period, the City Council will consider the Consent Agenda which contains items considered to be routine in nature. This one includes a resolution adopting allowable locations for camping in accordance with recently passed ordinance. Mayor Sara Bristol will then adjourn the Council meeting and convene a meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency. As members of the agency, Councilors will mull over a resolution supplementing its current fiscal year budget. Tonight's meeting begins at 6 in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.
Posted on 9/18/24 6:29AM by Sam Marsh
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Former Montessori School Teacher Indicted on 23 Charges of Child Exploitation So Far
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A former Montessori school teacher in Ashland is now facing a total of 23 charges involving child exploitation. On Tuesday, a Jackson County grand jury convened to consider additional charges against 68-year-old Craig Albert Johnson of Ashland who allegedly exploited students at the Children's World Montessori School. The case came to light on July 19th when the Central Point Police Department received a report of potential sexual exploitation of a 5-year-old girl. The complaint led to the arrest of Johnson and the involvement of the Ashland Police Department. During the course of the investigation, Ashland Police Chief Tighe O'Meara said detectives learned additional instances of child exploitation had occurred at the Montessori school, which is fully cooperating. He said the number of known victims in the Ashland area remains six at this time. Johnson was indicted yesterday on 14 counts of Using a Child in a Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct, six counts of Attempted Use of a Child in a Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct, two counts of Encouraging Child Sex Abuse and one count of Invasion of Personal Privacy. Chief O'Meara said the investigation is ongoing and additional updates will be provided as deemed appropriate. Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact APD Detective Lacie Six.
Posted on 9/18/24 6:19AM by Sam Marsh
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Commission and Fair Board Hosting Town Hall for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Groups
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The Josephine County Board of Commissioners and Josephine County Fair Board are hosting a town hall meeting tomorrow evening to hear from members of local agriculture and nutrition organizations. The town hall will take place Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Fairgrounds Floral Building at 1451 Fairgrounds Road in Grants Pass. Josephine County Recreation Director Tamra Martin said the goal of the town hall is to provide a platform for the affected clubs and programs to discuss what is needed for support to find a path forward, which may include physical space, financial and/or educational partnerships. That path must be found after the Board of Commissioners defunded the 4-H Extension Service District this summer. Josephine is the only county in the state without services provided by the Oregon State University Extension Service. Designated speakers from area agriculture and nutrition education groups have been asked to share information with board members during the town hall meeting. While the town hall meeting is open to the public, there will not be a public comment opportunity during the town hall.
Posted on 9/18/24 6:17AM by Sam Marsh
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