Commissioners Move to Terminate Current Budget Committee Members

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners moved 3-0 to terminate the current budget committee members and ask for reapplications with positions for one, two, and three year terms. The board also approved a proposed hiring process for the Interim Emergency Manager Position, currently held by Sheriff Dave Daniel, during their 1:30 p.m. workshop. Applicants will be considered by a panel made up of Sheriff Daniel, Illinois Valley Fire Defense Board Chief John Holmes, Grants Pass Fire Chief Jimmy Sanchez, and Emergency Managers from both Douglas and Jackson Counties, Emily Ring and Delaney Richmond respectively. Human Resources will oversee the panel. The board also approved a Social Media Archiving Subscription used for criminal investigations and records requests. According to the Sheriff, the cost would be roughly $5,000 each month for a year. A motion to approve an Oregon Department of Corrections Intergovernmental Agreement passed 3-0, providing notification to victims if an offender is released or going to be released. Without objection, a Carson Fuel Invoice from Public Works was approved. ...Read more

SOCET, JCSO Lodge Man for 18 Child Sex Crime Charges after Standoff

A suspect wanted for 18 counts of child sex crimes is in jail after an hours-long standoff with local law enforcement in south Medford. The Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team (SOCET) and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office arrested the barricaded suspect Thursday at a residence in the 3400 block of South Pacific Highway. The suspect, Glenn Edward Rise, 38, of Medford, was charged with 18 child sex crimes and was lodged in the Jackson County Jail. SOCET began their investigation after Rise sent images of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) to undercover investigators which led to subpoenas, followed by a search warrant at the residence. During the warrant, investigators seized digital devices which were forensically examined for further evidence of child exploitation. During their examination, evidence was located documenting the sexual abuse of a local minor child and hundreds of CSAM images. There is no further information available for release. ...Read more

Board Moves to Pause Position Filling under Current Budget with Exceptions

A recommendation to pause filling positions under the current budget until the end of June with exceptions was proposed by Commissioner Gary Richardson during today's workshop. A motion to have a hiring pause until the budget is finalized at the end of June, with exceptions of any currently approved Personnel Requisitions that have been posted, and exceptions granted by the board for directors who bring in PRs to be filled case by case was approved 3-0. The board moved other decisions on their workshop agenda to next week's Weekly Business Session ...Read more