Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for a traffic violation after he came to GPPD headquarters to make a strange report about a homeland security issue. According to the Police Department, 42-year-old Samir Lakhouiri arrived at the station on Saturday at 8:13 p.m.. Police said Lakhouiri drove there in a Dodge minivan to make a report about a civil Department of Human Services (DHS) issue. A routine records check revealed that his driving privileges had been suspended and he was arrested. Lakhouiri said the "issue" was with things going on in America. He pointed at pictures on his phone, but wouldn’t provide additional information because he stated: "I work for the government." Lakhouiri was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving While Suspended and his minivan was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police evicted a woman from a designated resting site after she was found to have committed multiple city ordinance violations. During a Saturday evening patrol check at the 6th & A Street resting site, officers contacted Melissa Koenig. Koenig was cited for Violation of Park Rules including an oversized tent footprint, having tarps attached to the fence and Scattering Rubbish. She had two tents surrounded by litter and a playpen filled with trash she refused to throw away. She told officers she found it and brought it to the resting site. Koenig was issued a 30-day exclusion notice and asked to clean up her litter. She was given until Sunday morning to vacate the premises.

 

The Oregon State Police cited a Grants Pass teenager for causing a weekend crash on Williams Highway near Murphy. OSP reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the two-vehicle head-on collision near milepost 5 of Highway 238 on Saturday at 11:33 p.m.. Troopers said a preliminary investigation indicated an Infinity sedan driven by 18-year-old Kristian Wallace was operating without headlights or with ineffective headlights, according to witnesses. They said a Nissan Juke driven by a 16-year-old boy who did not see the Infinity, made a left turn and struck the front of it. According to OSP, Wallace had to be extricated from his heavily damaged car and was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with what appeared to be serious injuries. The driver of the Nissan and his 16-year-old passenger self-extricated and had only minor injuries. Both vehicles were towed to Grants Pass. Following the investigation, troopers contacted Wallace at the hospital and warned him for Operating an Unsafe Vehicle and Failure to Have Required Lighting. OSP was assisted at the scene by Rural Metro Fire Department, Grants Pass Fire & Rescue, American Medical Response and Oregon Department of Transportation.

 

The City of Grants Pass has placed its Economic Development Specialist on administrative leave following his arrest for 20 felony-level sex crimes involving juveniles. In a Friday afternoon press release, city officials said 42-year-old Timothy James Conway was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an employee investigation after they learned of the criminal charges filed against him. The Oregon State Police arrested Conway and booked him into the Josephine County Jail at 8:19 a.m. Friday. He was charged with 10 counts each of 1st-Degree Encouraging Child Sex Abuse and 2nd-Degree Encouraging Child Sex Abuse. No details of the investigation have been released by OSP. Jail records show Conway posted $100,000 bail and was released at 11:04 a.m. Friday. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Circuit Court at 1:30 p.m. today. As stewards of public trust, officials said city employees are held to the highest moral and ethical standards. In the weeks ahead, the city will determine the most appropriate steps forward once its investigation has been completed.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman after she got into a weekend altercation with two other women at a southeast city apartment complex. The Police Department reports officers arrested 28-year-old Lily May Brooks-Strickland for the incident at the Garden Grove Apartments on Fruitdale Drive on Saturday at 11:55 p.m.. Police said an investigation determined that Brooks-Strickland got into a physical altercation with two other women, subjecting them to offensive contact. They said one of the women struck Brooks-Strickland while the suspect was shoving her, but Brooks-Strickland was determined to be the primary aggressor. One of the victims did not wish to press charges, but the other one did so the suspect was placed into custody. Lily Brooks-Strickland was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Physical Harassment. She demanded criminal charges be filed against the woman who hit her and was advised that information would be forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for consideration.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for causing two weekend disturbances at or near a city park. According to the Police Department, the first incident occurred on Friday at 2:11 p.m. when officers were alerted to a fight between three subjects including 45-year-old Jeffrey Brian Madden in the 6th Street intersection near Kesterson Park. Police said a man and woman were approaching Madden and it appeared they were going to fight with him. They said Madden raised his skateboard in a defensive posture before leaving the area. All three subjects were warned for their behavior and blocking traffic. About two hours later, officers responded to a second disturbance at the city park and saw Madden fleeing the area. He ran into a parking lot off NE 7th Street near an office building. He was spotted emerging from an alley and was arrested. Madden was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and was being held without bail. He was also trespassed from Kesterson Park for 30 days. His belongings were located and logged into evidence for safekeeping.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District was pressed into duty at least twice over the weekend -- a grass fire and a motor vehicle accident, both near Cave Junction. On Saturday at 1:05 p.m., IVFD and the Oregon Department of Forestry responded to a grass fire in the 25,600-block of Redwood Highway. The small fire was quickly extinguished and the cause was under investigation. On Sunday at 5:14 a.m., IVFD and American Medical Response were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash in the 28,000-block of Redwood Highway. IVFD officials said a vehicle with an uninjured occupant was located on the highway following a rollover wreck that resulted in minor contact with a power pole. The vehicle was secured and law enforcement was contacted to conduct an investigation.

 

Today's Grants Pass City Council workshop will feature the Urban Renewal Agency, the Washington Campus Property and the Homeless Grant Program. The City Council will open the workshop with the URA amendment to reallocate funding for a public swimming pool and remove Caveman Pool as a priority project. Next up is a staff presentation on next steps for the Washington Campus property followed by discussion. The Council also plans to continue to address the city's new Homeless Grant Program. The municipal policy-making panel will conclude the session by reviewing the agenda for Wednesday night's regular meeting. Today's workshop starts at 11:45 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters braved extreme heat last week while protecting the community. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 641 calls for service along with 268 officer-initiated calls last week that resulted in 47 arrests, 28 citations, 62 warnings and five highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 76 traffic stops in the city and they made 20 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS). The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) contacted a total of 14 potential troublemakers while arresting three people, citing six more and warning two others. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 116 calls last week including 44 for emergency medical service, six reports of fire or smoke, 11 lift assists, nine rescue situations, 13 assists to other agencies and four false alarms. The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded a total of 1,263 emergency calls last week.