Local News

A man trespassed from Safeway returned with a Walmart shopping cart, leading to his arrest by Grants Pass Police Officers.

An employee from the 115 SE 7th Street grocer called 911 Thursday regarding a man that had been trespassed back in April. He was out in the parking lot around 8:01 a.m., and had reportedly been shopping around the store before being spotted.

He tried to steal items from the store before the caller recovered the merchandise. The suspect had a Walmart shopping cart with him and began heading towards 6th Street, but officers contacted him near the One Eleven Building. He was identified as Joshua Smith, and admitted to being at the Safeway.

Officers took him into custody for charges of First Degree Criminal Trespass and Attempted Theft in the Third Degree. Smith was lodged in the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility. The broken shopping cart was disposed of.

 

Deputies with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office contacted and arrested a woman wanted on a statewide felony warrant.

Solana Costello was located on the corner of S Boundary Avenue and Schumacher Street Thursday around 11:10 a.m. She was detained for her warrant out of the Josephine County Sheriff's Office charging her with Criminal Mischief in the First Degree and a parole violation.

Deputies attempted to contact Costello's parole officer, but had to leave a voicemail. Costello was then transported to jail where she was lodged on her warrant.

 

Three individuals were reported doing drugs underneath a bridge at Riverside Park, prompting a Grants Pass Police response and the arrest of one of the suspects.

Dispatch was told the suspects were all holding glass pipes and foil Wednesday at 3:02 p.m. The caller was taking a video of the three while calling 911, and said the suspects had been there for at least ten minutes.

Officers responded and took one of the individuals, Anna Cowan, into custody after she was found in possession of controlled substances. A field test on the paraphernalia revealed the presence of Fentanyl.

Cowan was taken into custody for Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance, as well as a probation violation. She was transported to and lodged in the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility. She was also issued a 30 day exclusion for the park.

 

A man lying in bushes outside Rogue Kombucha was apprehended by Grants Pass Police and lodged on an out-of-county warrant Wednesday.

An officer observed the suspect in the bushes near the 551 SW G Street location around 1:46 p.m. The man was contacted, and provided the false name James Finkell. A photo match of the man proved his name to be Jimmie Talbert.

He was wanted on an active and serviceable Medford Police Department warrant for Menacing, but he claimed to not know he had an active warrant. The officer arrested Talbert at the scene, and he was lodged in the Josephine County Jail.

 

Grants Pass Police located and arrested a man wanted on an Oregon Parole Board warrant outside the 7th Street Safeway.

Wednesday around 12:33 p.m., officers were attempting to locate James Hall. He was observed on SE G Street near SE 7th Street and contacted regarding a trespassing at the A-1 Market.

Law enforcement found Hall was wanted for a Burglary warrant, and promptly took him into custody. With his warrant confirmed and trespass entered, Hall was transported to the Josephine County Jail to be lodged.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners gave Legal Counsel direction regarding the Jail and Juvenile Levy, and the potential formation of a County Service District. The board convened for a Legal Counsel Update at 10 a.m., and discussed the levy and potential district for Juvenile Delinquency Enforcement. It was determined Counsel will get the board's sanction to initiate the process of forming the district, and then could initiate the process of renewing the levy. Further discussion will follow, and it was highlighted that the public will have the opportunity to comment on the matter. The board also informed Counsel that talking points for public comment regarding the Oregon Groundwater Rulemaking Process had been received. A draft letter was created, with a copy to go to Legal Counsel. A Snell and Wilmer Invoice was next on the agenda. The organization is handling defense of the surplus proceeds that counties throughout the state have realized based on sale tax for closed real properties. Josephine County is among nine other counties paying a portion of the invoice. The Finance Department received sanction to raise the limit on the defense firm to $20,000 without objection from the board. Following this decision, the board and Legal Counsel proceeded into Executive Session.

 

Phoenix Police Department officers were dispatched to the report of a vehicle vs. pedestrian crash that claimed the life of an 81-year-old Central Point Woman Wednesday at 7:04 p.m. The crash occurred in the parking lot of a business in the 4400 block of South Pacific Highway in Phoenix. First responders and bystanders attempted life saving measures, but the woman was pronounced deceased at the scene. The 62-year-old Medford man driving the involved 2019 Toyota Tundra remained on scene and cooperated with officers. Due to the ongoing investigation into the circumstances leading up to the collision, no further details will be released at this time. This case is being investigated with the assistance of the Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction (STAR) Team. More information will be released as the investigation continues.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man wanted on a warrant, and lodged him for additional weapon and stolen vehicle charges.

A call to 911 reported suspicious vehicles parked at a neighbor's residence in the 100 block of Crooks Creek Road. The caller wasn't sure if the truck and two sedans belonged there, or who owned them.

Deputies arrived and took one suspect into custody. The truck, a Chevy Silverado was found to be out of Jackson County, and the suspect, Matthew Granger, was wanted on a Josephine County Sheriff's Office Felony warrant for Methamphetamine Possession, First Degree Criminal Trespass, and Criminal Forfeiture.

Additional charges against Granger included two counts of Felon in Possession of a Weapon, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, and Carrying a Concealed Weapon. He was lodged in jail, and a small bag of meth was disposed of.

 

A Klamath Falls, Oregon, man pleaded guilty Monday for illegally distributing explosive devices, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon. Jason Edward Lowery, 52, pleaded guilty to distribution of explosives by a non-licensee. According to court documents, in June 2025, Lowery sold multiple illegal M-type explosive devices at his residence and at his place of business in Klamath Falls. Pursuant to a search warrant for Lowery’s residence, business, and vehicle, investigators seized over 200 homemade explosive devices and materials for constructing more explosives. Police seized a destructive device that had a large amount of explosive powder and nails strapped to it. At Lowery’s residence, police also seized firearms and methamphetamine. Lowery’s phone revealed texts showing he was selling devices to multiple individuals. On July 17th, 2025, a federal grand jury in Medford returned a two-count indictment charging Lowery with distribution of explosives by a non-licensee and manufacture of explosives by a non-licensee. Lowery faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on October 8th, 2026, before a U.S. district court judge.