Local News

A Walmart shoplifter was reported to dispatch, and officers with the Grants Pass Police Department arrested him Tuesday for escape and theft charges.

Asset Protection from the 135 NE Terry Lane store called 911 saying the suspect passed all points of sale with stolen merchandise around 3:01 p.m. He was reportedly verbally aggressive when management tried to stop him.

Dispatch learned that, during a pursuit, the suspect dropped a white bag full of cans in the parking lot before hopping a fence at the corner of Agness Avenue and F Street. The caller wished to pursue charges of theft and trespass.

Officers located the suspect walking on Foothill Boulevard. He was advised he was under arrest, but he ignored and turned toward the officer. A taser was displayed, but the suspect continued walking away.

Following a brief foot pursuit, law enforcement took the suspect, Richard Koep, into custody. It was determined he had stolen just over $244 worth of merchandise from the store. The property was returned, and Koep was lodged in jail for Second Degree Theft and Third Degree Escape.

 

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office announced the Level 1 evacuation notice for Zone JAC 299 has been canceled. Firefighting efforts on the Blackwell fire and cooperative weather conditions were cited as reasons for the cancellation. According to Jackson County Fire District 3, suppression operations continued in coordination with the property owner. The district encourages everyone to be vigilant and careful with fire danger, saying to mow and reduce vegetation around your homes now while there are no restrictions on running powered equipment for mowing and cutting. The Blackwell Fire was a substantial blaze early on in fire season. The response highlighted the strength of partnerships across the region between fire agencies, law enforcement, dispatch, roads, and utilities.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a woman at a local resting site Wednesday and lodged her for both a Parole Violation detainer and a charge of Methamphetamine Possession.

Officers observed the suspect, Melissa Burger, on camera smoking from a pipe in Resting Site 6 North. The footage showed Burger appearing to reach into a tent and smoke something. She proceeded to put something in her pocket that was consistent in size and shape with a thin walled glass pipe common for smoking meth.

Burger was contacted and detained around 10:18 a.m. in the 714 NW 6th Street site, where she admitted to having a meth pipe in her pocket. Officers took Burger into custody and transported her to the Josephine County Jail. She was lodged on a detainer and meth charge, and given a 30 day exclusion order for the resting site.

 

Oregon State Marine Board director Larry Warren presented nine individuals with Life Saving Awards during the Board of Commissioners Weekly Business Session today at 9 a.m. Members of a private rafting group searched for a man missing in the Illinois River Valley February 16th. The missing man was found by the group despite challenging winter conditions, and he was soon rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter. The nine group members were recognized for their heroic actions by Warren, Sheriff Dave Daniel, and the board. Following the presentation of the awards, the consent calendar was approved. Commissioner Gary Richardson highlighted and thanked IVCanDO for distributing Know Your Zone cards to the community, and their partnership with the Energy Trust of Oregon.

 

A contract for legal services leads the agenda for the County Commissioners legal counsel update Thursday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. Commissioners will be voting on a personal services contract with Cauble, Furr and Beguin, L.L.P. to provide legal services for community development and solid waste. Following the vote Commissioners will convene an executive session to deal with a settlement agreement in the Kindred, L.L.C. versus Josephine County. The agenda calls for the legal update to be continued after the executive session at which time the settlement agreement may be released.

 

Rural Metro Fire responded on behalf of the Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District to a rollover crash on Interstate 5 near milepost 80 Tuesday around 4:15 p.m.

Crews joined the Glendale Oregon Rural Fire District, American Medical Response, Oregon State Police, and Oregon Department of Transportation in response to a single vehicle that had rolled over.

The driver was unable to get out, but Rural Metro Firefighters were able to quickly extricate the driver by removing the roof and windshield. Patient care was transferred to Glendale Ambulance and AMR. The driver reportedly suffered from serious injuries and was transported to a Medford trauma hospital.

The freeway was temporarily affected by traffic control during the incident, but has since been reopened.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners approved an M&M Services, LLC contract at the start of today's Administration Workshop.

Public Works was approved 3-0 to sign a contract in the amount of $102,400 for the project, with the first payment of the Fuel Tanks and Pumps decommissioning to be $76,800. The tanks and pumps have been removed from the site, with gravel being used to fill the holes left behind.

Following an analysis report, holes from the removed pumps will be filled as well. The project was estimated to be about three quarters of the way done. All personnel requisitions and actions were approved.

The board then met at 2:30 p.m. in Executive Session to consider the dismissal or discipline of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against the Information Technology and Emergency Management Director. Legal Counsel provided an update to the board, and the meeting adjourned.

 

Oregon State Police were kept busy over Memorial Day weekend with, not only DUII reports and traffic stops, but wanted and suspended drivers.

Beginning Friday the 22nd around 4:45 p.m., troopers initiated a traffic stop on a white sedan on Northwest 6th Street and Northeast Midland Avenue. The driver, Esai Alvarez, 23, of Grants Pass, was identified and found to be suspended at the Misdemeanor level. He was arrested and cited in lieu of custody, and his vehicle was towed from the scene. Two passengers in the vehicle were cited as well.

Troopers then arrested a woman for a Linn County warrant following a Saturday traffic stop. She was observed driving a green Chevy Suburban after violations were observed by law enforcement at the corner of NW 6th Street and NW A Street around 1:44 a.m. She was identified as Katie Tomlinson, 32, of Lebanon. After her warrant was confirmed, she was arrested and transported to the Josephine County Jail where she was lodged but later released due to a lack of resources. Her vehicle was recovered by a friend.

A speeding vehicle was then stopped by troopers Monday at 3:43 p.m. They contacted the driver, Jose Lapizco Jr., 24, of Medford, and found him to be driving while suspended. His vehicle was released to a friend, and Lapizco Jr. was transported to the Adult Jail Facility where he was lodged until being released on his own recognizance.

That same day, OSP again initiated a traffic stop on a speeding white Ford Expedition on Interstate 5 around 5:12 p.m. The suspect, Gina Kinnie, 58, of Grants Pass, was stopped near milepost 58. She provided the trooper with a photo of an ID card as proof of her being insured.

The DMV showed, however, that the insurance had been terminated in February. While Kinnie told law enforcement she was insured by the same company under the same policy, the trooper verified she was not. Kinnie was cited for Giving False Information Regarding Liability Insurance, and released.

 

Josephine County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man after he was observed driving westbound on Merlin Road at speeds estimated around 100 mph Sunday at 12:03 a.m. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies activated their emergency lights and siren, at which point the tan GMC Suburban accelerated in an attempt to elude law enforcement. The vehicle turned onto Merlin Avenue, failed to stop at a stop sign, and continued onto Pleasant Valley Road where a pursuit was initiated. The vehicle continued fleeing northbound on Pleasant Valley Road at lower speeds before yielding in the 1100 block of Pleasant Valley Road. A felony stop was conducted and the driver, identified as Job McGhee, was taken into custody without incident. Deputies located a loaded semi-automatic shotgun in the front passenger seat of the vehicle during an investigation. It was also determined the driver was intoxicated at the time of the incident.