Local News

A woman running around the Walmart parking lot was reported to dispatch Thursday around 5:28 p.m.

The manager of the 135 NE Terry Lane store said the suspect almost got hit by vehicles while outside, before she entered the store. She appeared to be under the influence, and left the building towards the Grocery Outlet while holding a makeshift broom.

It was requested she be trespassed and that a welfare check be conducted. Officers arrived to find the suspect, Tesla Jinks, in an unplated vehicle, and contacted her. It was learned she had thrown a rock under a moving car at one point, and officers took Jinks into custody.

While being detained, she resisted arrest and spit in one of the officer's eyes. She was transported to jail for numerous charges including Second Degree Criminal Trespass, Aggravated Harassment, Resisting Arrest, two counts of Second Degree Disorderly Conduct, and a warrant out of the Josephine County Sheriff's Office for Theft and Burglary charges.

Officers also trespassed Jinks from the Walmart and the Humane Society.

 

Grants Pass Police officers apprehended a woman Thursday after she stole items from Bi-Mart.

The suspect, Braylyn McElmurry, was reported to dispatch around 1:14 p.m. after she stole almost $10 worth of merchandise from the 230 Redwood Highway store. She had passed all points of sale before being apprehended by staff, with whom she was cooperative.

A police response was requested, and upon arrival, officers took McElmurry into custody. Her parole officer was contacted, and a detainer was requested. Following transport to the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility, McElmurry was lodged for her detainer, and a charge of Third Degree Theft.

 

During the Labor Day Races, the Rogue River will be closed in designated areas and during designated times.

According to the Josephine County Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol, all spectators will remain off the water until the races are over. They will also remain 50 feet from the waterway at all times.

The river closures will take place Saturday, September 5th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Matson Park to Griffin Park, and Sunday, September 6th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Baker Park to Griffin Park.

Movement on the water is restricted to law enforcement, rescue personnel and authorized race officials during the closures. Private boats are not allowed to assist with crash or rescue operations for safety reasons.

Boats can be anchored on the shoreline if it is deemed safe by race officials and law enforcement. All users shall be off the water and in an approved area one hour prior to the start of the race.

Any unauthorized boats on the water during the closure may be cited for Reckless or Unsafe Operation and are subject to a $440 fine. Law enforcement will be patrolling the waterways during the race events.

 

Grants Pass Police responded to a disturbance Wednesday afternoon, and arrested a man for a restraining order violation and parole violation detainer.

A call to 911 around 3:14 p.m. reported the incident occurring in an upstairs residence at the Riverwood Apartments complex. The neighbor reported the disturbance, believing there to be drugs involved.

One of the involved individuals was known to have a valid restraining order against him from the other involved party, who shut and locked the door after she realized police had arrived at the apartment. More resources were called in to assist.

According to the police report, upon entering the residence, officers learned the suspect was upstairs. He was advised to come down, and was promptly taken into custody for his Restraining Order Violation, and a detainer per his parole officer's request. He was lodged in the Adult Jail Facility.

 

Bi-Mart loss prevention reported a shoplifting incident to Grants Pass Police Wednesday afternoon.

Brandon Michael Ginger stole boxes of ammunition from the 230 Redwood Highway store. Loss prevention was able to apprehend Ginger after he passed all points of sale without paying, but he used physical force to retain the property and flee the scene.

Dispatch learned Ginger had gone behind the nearby Paradise Auto building, and loss prevention wished to pursue for theft and trespass charges. Arriving officers were able to locate Ginger on the South Y thanks to security footage, and took him into custody.

He was transported to jail for lodging on Second Degree Theft and Third Degree Robbery charges. His charges were not filed by the District Attorney according to jail logs.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man who had stolen a vehicle, was wanted out of Colorado, and was out of compliance with his sex offender registration Wednesday.

A call to 911 reported the suspect took the caller's mother's vehicle around 10:30 a.m. He had told them he would return it, but hadn't done so by the time of the call around 8:16 p.m. The red Chevy Equinox was reported as stolen, and the suspect was identified as Patrick Caven.

He was found to have a valid, extraditable warrant out of Colorado for Bribery, and was an out of compliance sex offender in both Colorado and Oregon. He was also involved in a prior disturbance in the 1900 block of Cloverlawn Drive that same day.

Following a lengthy search, Caven was located and arrested around 3:16 a.m. He was trespassed from the Cloverlawn Drive location, and transported to the Josephine County Jail.

Officers lodged Caven for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, and his warrant.

 

Grants Pass Police lodged two suspects found passed out in their vehicle for drug charges this morning.

A 911 caller observed the man and woman hunched over in the front seats of a four door sedan with no plates around 1:51 a.m. The vehicle was parked at the corner of Tussey Lane and W Park Street, and officers arrived to find drug paraphernalia in the car.

Both suspects were breathing and soon became conscious. One suspect, Aria Echavarria, was detained and escorted to the patrol vehicle. A consent search of her person located a glass pipe with a white crystal substance in her left pocket. It field tested positive for the presumptive presence of Methamphetamine. A folded piece of foil with white powder inside was found in her right pocket, which returned positive for fentanyl.

The other suspect, Sean Peters, was also contacted. Upon opening the driver's side door of the sedan, clear baggies with white powder and residue were identified in the door. All bags were tested and came back positive for the presence of meth.

Deputies lodged both suspects in jail for Possession of Meth charges, with an additional Fentanyl Possession charge against Echavaria.

 

Dispatch was alerted to a woman trespassing and causing a disturbance with sparklers on someone's property, leading to the suspect's arrest.

Wednesday at 12:49 a.m., the 911 caller said the suspect was walking around his property in the 3500 block of Redwood Avenue with a flashlight, lighting sparklers, and yelling. It was determined the suspect was a female wearing a backpack, shorts, and flip-flops, and armed.

She was soon reported to be standing in the middle of the roadway, then headed south towards a property in the 1500 block of Southgate Way before walking up on the home's porch. Deputies with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrived and detained the woman, who refused to identify herself.

She was revealed to be Julianna Murphy, and trespassed from both properties. Deputies transported her to the Josephine County Jail on charges of Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree, and two counts of Second Degree Trespass.

 

Rogue Community College will serve as the Southern Oregon delivery hub for a new advanced manufacturing initiative funded through a $5 million U.S. Small Business Administration grant awarded to Oregon State University.

According to a release, the grant will establish the Pacific Northwest Institute for Advanced Manufacturing, a statewide initiative designed to provide free training and technical assistance to eligible small manufacturers. RCC’s role will focus on serving manufacturers in Jackson and Josephine counties through hands-on training at college facilities in White City, Grants Pass and Medford.

Of the $5 million award, $770,000 is designated for RCC’s role in the project. The 12-month initiative is part of the SBA’s Empower to Grow Program and is expected to serve about 100 firms and 400 participants statewide.

RCC will use its welding, manufacturing engineering technology, CNC machining and metrology programs to support local employers and workers. It will also work with regional partners, including Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Inc., Rogue Workforce Partnership, industry advisory groups, chambers of commerce and employers in the Rogue Valley’s aerospace, and engineered-wood sectors to recruit participating manufacturers.

Beyond the grant period, RCC plans to continue building its role as an advanced-manufacturing and workforce-development hub for Southern Oregon through curriculum integration, trained faculty, employer-supported cohorts, transfer pathways and ongoing industry partnerships.

For more information about RCC manufacturing and technical training programs, visit roguecc.edu.