Local News

An ongoing issue regarding a neighbor yelling at and threatening the reporting party resulted in an arrest by Josephine County Sheriff's deputies Sunday afternoon.

Dispatch was notified of the neighbor's presence in the 200 block of S Junction Avenue in Cave Junction at 11:43 a.m. The caller reported the suspect, later identified as Susan Couch, had been screaming at her and her family while on their property for hours.

Couch was captured on a recording walking onto the property after being told not to. She then struck the reporting party twice before being escorted back to her property by force by the caller's husband. A short time later, Couch returned to the driveway of the caller's home and punched the husband.

She appeared to be intoxicated and was uncooperative with arriving law enforcement. Couch admitted to hitting the reporting party, saying she didn't think it was wrong to do so. Deputies transported her to jail where she was lodged for two counts of Harassment and Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree.

 

Following two reports of the same man looking around properties on McCarter Lane, Grants Pass Police arrived at the scene and lodged the suspect on drug charges.

One call to 911 reported the suspect was in her driveway around 3:37 p.m. She was worried the man would take her motorcycle, and dispatch advised her to stay inside her home with the door locked. Another caller in the neighborhood said the same suspect appeared to be under the influence and was trying to take a moped.

Police arrived and contacted the suspect, Anthony Retamoza. He quickly approached an officer who held him at taser point, leading to his compliance. He was detained and a search of his person was conducted.

Law enforcement found a bag with a white crystal residue that field tested positive for methamphetamine. Also located was foil with a white powdery residue, which yielded a positive result for the presence of fentanyl.

Retamoza was unaffiliated with the initial residence, and was clearly under the influence. Police lodged him in the Josephine County Jail for the crimes of Meth and Fentanyl Possession. He was also trespassed from the residence.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two men during an area check of Bi-Mart, one for methamphetamine possession and trespassing, the other for a warrant and trespassing.

Sunday at 2:01 p.m., law enforcement contacted three suspects by the 230 Redwood Highway business. Prior to being detained, one of the suspects, Ryan Burrows, dropped a glass pipe with residue while standing. The pipe was field tested and produced a positive result for the presence of meth.

Jesse Rosario was also identified and found to have an active warrant for his arrest out of the Police Department. Both men had been previously trespassed from the store, and were subsequently taken into custody.

Police lodged Burrows in jail for Meth Possession and Second Degree Criminal Trespass. Rosario was lodged for the same trespass charge, and his warrant, also for Second Degree Criminal Trespass.

 

Construction of the sewer extension for the Fruitdale Towne Home Project will began today and will continue through Tuesday, November 10th, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

According to the City website, Fruitdale Drive is closed today between Carnahan Drive and Mt. Baldy Road while a new manhole is constructed on the north side of Fruitdale. Tomorrow, sewer main installation will continue, requiring work across both travel lanes on Fruitdale Drive.

Westbound traffic will be detoured via Mt. Baldy Road, while eastbound traffic will be detoured via Carnahan Drive. Both detour routes will connect to Rogue River Highway.

Residents will continue to have access to their homes throughout construction. Local traffic will be accommodated as needed. Emergency vehicles will not be allowed through. Detours will be in place, and motorists are advised to avoid the area and find alternate routes.

Please use caution in the construction area and follow all posted traffic control signs and directions from flaggers and work crews. For more information, contact the City of Grants Pass at 541-450-6110

 

Law enforcement, while conducting a patrol check at Riverside Park Sunday afternoon, apprehended a woman with drug paraphernalia.

The suspect, recognized as Rose McLaughlin by the Grants Pass Police officer, was observed near the river's edge actively smoking something from a glass pipe with a glass bubble at the end. Upon noticing the presence of police, McLaughlin reportedly threw the pipe into the river.

The officer was unable to recover the pipe, but McLaughlin was taken into custody at the scene around 1:11 p.m. She was taken to the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility for lodging on charges including Tampering with Physical Evidence, and a detainer per her parole officer. She was also issued a 30-Day Exclusion from Riverside Park.

 

Grants Pass Police lodged a woman causing a disturbance outside a Taco Bell for disorderly conduct.

The suspect was reported to be outside the 195 NE Terry Lane drive-thru yelling, screaming, and throwing sticks at cars around 9:26 a.m. The caller described her as wearing a black hat, blue jacket, and black pants, and that she began grabbing rocks and throwing things at cars on the Parkway.

Dispatch was told the suspect went into the nearby Walmart parking lot, and was circling someone's SUV. Law enforcement soon contacted and detained the woman, identified as Natasha Taylor, outside the Taco Bell. She was making nonsensical statements to the officer, and was taken into custody for Second Degree Disorderly Conduct.

Taylor was then transported to the Josephine County Jail where she was lodged and later released due to a lack of jail resources.

 

A man wanted on three out-of-county warrants was apprehended by Grants Pass Police following a trespass report at Parker's Place Village.

Three individuals were reported to dispatch Sunday at 8:06 a.m. The caller requested they be trespassed from the property, and that a vehicle parked at the scene be removed.

Officers arrived and contacted Michael Chezem. He was found to be wanted on three valid and serviceable warrants out of both the Clackamas and Multnomah County Circuit Courts. He was wanted for Assault on a Police Officer, Interfering with Public Transportation, Harassment, and Third Degree Theft.

The warrants were confirmed, and Chezem was taken into custody. He was lodged in the Adult Jail Facility and given a trespass warning. The other two individuals at the scene were also trespassed.

 

Oregon Community Foundation is investing more than $5.3 million in 259 organizations through its Community Grants program. The funding supports nonprofits serving all 36 counties of Oregon.

The Fall 2026 Community Grants support a wide range of causes in Oregon: arts and culture, economic vitality, a healthy environment, housing, education and culturally responsive work. Community Grants is Oregon Community Foundation's broadest competitive grant program and often serves as an entry point to philanthropy for nonprofits seeking support from foundations.

This cycle, 67 volunteer community reviewers from across the state worked alongside Oregon Community Foundation staff to evaluate applications and help inform recommendations. In Southern Oregon, funding is going towards the Maslow Project in Medford, the Ashland Family YMCA, and the Illinois Valley Family Coalition in Cave Junction

For nearly three decades, Community Grants have supported nonprofit organizations serving communities in all 36 counties of Oregon. The program continues to prioritize organizations serving people and communities that have historically experienced significant bias, discrimination or underinvestment.  
  
On top of the funding from this specific program, Oregon Community Foundation donors are helping expand the impact by recommending more than $1 million in additional grants to organizations that applied during this year's Fall Community Grants cycle, helping more local solutions take root in communities across Oregon.

Applications for the 2027 Spring Cycle of OCF's Community Grants Program will be accepted November 17 through December 15, 2026.

 

Deputies with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man trespassing at a residential property Sunday afternoon.

According to the deputy report, Dip Dagget Mulch had been trespassed through the courts from a property in the 100 block of Forest Creek Road. Per neighbors in the area, Mulch was actively moving property onto the premises.

Deputies detained him around 2:22 p.m., and took him into custody for Second Degree Criminal Trespass, and Criminal Mischief in the First Degree. He was transported to and lodged in the Josephine County Jail.