Local News

A violent episode with a 92-year-old female suffering from dementia brought Josephine County Deputies to 100 block of Pugetville Road Sunday afternoon at 3:52. The call to dispatch first stated they needed law enforcement to deal with a violent female who was renting a room at that location. The Sheriff's log stated the woman attempted to hit the caller's six-year-old daughter with a stick. The subject continued to shove people attempting to intervene but continued to try to harm the child. Residents locked themselves in a room and the woman continued to try to break into the room. Deputies arrived and contained the elderly woman who continued to resist threatening to kick ambulance medics and informing deputies to not make her mad or she would hit them with her cane while refusing to get on AMR's gurney. Deputies followed the ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center where the woman was lodged on a police officer's medical hold.

 

Josephine County Deputies were dispatched to the 7800 block of old Redwood Highway just before 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon to the report of a female transient harassing customers. Deputies arrested and lodged the subject.The first call reported the woman's clothing was in disarray embarrassing clientele and children. The reporting party stated the suspect was mad because no one would give her water and cigarettes. The caller asked for a trespass to be issued.The woman began walking along Fish Hatchery Road towards Wilderville and began harassing and cursing a car she stopped in the roadway.Deputies located the suspect, later identified as Carlina Anderson, 36-years-old after fingerprints had been taken. Once her identity was confirmed three out of county warrants from Multnomah County were discovered for charges including aggravated harassment, furnishing false information, criminal trespass and criminal mischief. Local authorities added a local charge of disorderly conduct II and lodged her in the county jail.

 

The City of Grants Pass will hold its first budget committee meeting of this cycle tomorrow night in Council Chambers beginning at 6:00 p.m. The Budget Officer will convene the meeting and conduct the first agenda item, the nomination and election of the Budget Chair and Vice Chair. Following the election of officers the committee's ground rules will be adopted. The committee will then hear the Budget message and receive the budget document followed by an overview of strategic plans and related capital projects.The presentations from various departments will be heard beginning with Police, followed by Fire/Rescue and the Community Development Department. Following the ratification of the Budget Hearing Schedule there will be time for public comment and questions.

 

Josephine County's Board of Commissioners have meetings scheduled for both Tuesday morning and afternoon.The morning meeting will take place at 11 a.m. in the courthouse conference room. The only agenda item, other than other matters from commissioners, is a general discussion regarding the collaboration the City of Grants Pass and Josephine County. The afternoon meeting is an administration workshop beginning at 1:30 also in the conference room.First on the agenda is a personnel requisition of a department specialist for the District Attorney refilling a vacant position. Commissioners will then consider an appointment to the County's Fair Board. The airport is looking for a change order for JB Steel in the amount of $13,974.26 and returning a grant of $150,000,The county's transit department wants consideration of the Student and Staff Pass Program agreement with Rogue Community College and payment of the FleetNetDigital Radio Annual Service Agreement in the amount of just over $14,700.Finance is the final agenda item and begins with Economic Development budget for the coming fiscal year. The final item is a presentation from the Illinois Valley Business Hub for Economic Development.

 

A Sunday night traffic stop by a Josephine County Deputy resulted in a drug bust and arrest of the suspect.Just before 11 p.m. the Deputy ran the license plate of a 1995 Ford F350. The Sheriff's log is sparse on details but the subject was arrested charges of possession and distribution of methamphetamine and the Ford pickup was impounded. The subject was identified as Spencer Leroy Steers, 37. Steers was also arrested and lodged in February of this year on possession of meth, menacing-aggravated assault and harassment.

 

The early detection of an alleged shoplifter led to his arrest and incarceration. Sunday afternoon at 2:38 Grants Pass received a call from Walmart stating the subject was currently inside the store actively steal items. The store's loss prevention team were evidently familiar with the suspect and stated he has a tendency to run and has not been approached by staff. Loss prevention provided Police with a running narrative of the suspect's movements within the store and as he left the premises he was contacted by law enforcement and was found to be in possession of the merchandise. The alleged shoplifter, identified as Dakota Alan Ree, 33, was lodged in the Josephine County Jail on a charge of theft II. Ree's booking sheet revealed this was the 6th arrest in the last year on other theft charges, methamphetamine possession, probation violations and unlawful entry into a motor vehicle.

 

A shoplifting incident at Grange Coop resulted in responses from Grants Pass City Police, the Oregon State Troopers and American Medical Response plus the arrests of two adults and one juvenile. According to the City Police narrative, the incident began when the juvenile was accused of stealing $34.98 worth of merchandise by concealing them in her waistband and exiting the building. She was confronted by loss prevention in the parking lot who attempted to escort her into the loss prevention office. The juvenile resisted, using physical force, to pull away and keep the pilfered merchandise. She grabbed a bottle of pet flea spray and sprayed a Grange employee, then punched the employee. A friend of the juvenile, Savannah Ray Arey, 19, attempted to intervene, pulling the suspect away from the employees and intentionally biting two of them. The suspect and Savannah were both detained by law enforcement. Jeffery Slover, 19, arrived shortly thereafter and attempted to interfere with the investigation. The juvenile suspect was arrested and lodged in the Juvenile Justice Center facing charges of robbery III, theft III and physical harassment. Savannah Arey was lodged in the County Jail charged with two counts of assault IV and Jeffery Slover was also lodged in the County Jail charged with interfering with law enforcement.

 

A public meeting of the Budget Committee of the City of Grants Pass to discuss the budget for the nest fiscal year will be held next Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. The purpose of the meeting is to receive the budget message and to receive comment from the public on the budget. A copy of the fiscal year 2027 proposed budget document is available for inspection on the City’s website. This is a public meeting where deliberation of the Budget Committee will take place. Interested citizens are invited to attend this public meeting where deliberations of the Budget Committee will begin and a schedule for future Budget Committee meetings will be set. Any person may appear at the meetings and discuss the proposed programs with the Budget Committee. Public comments will be welcome at all meetings scheduled by the Budget Committee, including this first meeting. Budget Committee agendas and meeting notices can also be found on the City’s website at http://www.grantspassoregon.gov/agendacenter.

 

Josephine Community Library has invited the public to the last of the monthly Declaration 250 history series — exploring “The Declaration in a New Millennium” Thursday, May 7th from 5:30–6:30 pm at the Grants Pass branch. Led by award-winning educator Lois MacMillan, Declaration 250 is a free public history series commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Each session connects the foundational ideas of 1776 to modern movements for liberty and equality in the United States and around the world. In addition to the event, the Declaration 250 traveling exhibit, curated by Dr. James Basker and Sandy Trenholm of the Gilder Lehrman Institute, is available for loan to local schools and community organizations. To request the traveling exhibit or learn more about the series, email info@josephinelibrary.org or visit josephinelibrary.org/education-and-research/declaration-250. The exhibit highlights the global impact of the Declaration of Independence. Due to high interest, attendees are encouraged to arrive early to ensure seating and participation.This program series is funded in part by the 2026 Oregon Humanities Mini Grant for Libraries.For more information about library programs and services, visit josephinelibrary.org, email info@josephinelibrary.org, or call 541-476-0571.