Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for driving with a suspended license and other traffic violations after contacting her at a south-city car wash last night. According to the Police Department, officers made contact with the 52-year-old female subject at Crater Car Wash on Union Avenue near Ringuette Street on Thursday around 6:40 p.m.. Police said they observed the woman cleaning a Mitsubishi Montero at the car wash and they knew from prior contacts her driving privileges were suspended. They also noticed that the SUV had switched license plates. She was stopped and found to be driving for no emergent reason, so she was placed into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving While Suspended. She was also cited to appear in court for No Insurance, Improper Display of Plates and Failure to Install an Ignition Interlock Device. The SUV was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman yesterday for wearing out her welcome at Walmart. The Police Department reports officers responded to a trespassing complaint at the big box retailer on NE Terry Lane on Thursday shortly after 3 p.m.. Police said Walmart requested three individuals be trespassed including a 31-year-old woman who had been trespassed from the store on April 13th. They contacted the suspect and found her to be in possession of foil and a "tooter" related to drugs. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Criminal Trespass and she was warned for the narcotics violation. She and her two friends were trespassed from Walmart.

 

Grants Pass Police evicted two campers from a city park early yesterday for repeat ordinance violations. On Monday at Tussing Park, a woman was cited for Buffer Zone Violation and Illegal Camping after she failed to remove her previously posted campsite. Meanwhile, two men were cited for Scattering Rubbish at the same park. The woman and one of the men were trespassed from the park for 30 days.

 

Total payroll employment in Josephine County rose by 120 jobs in March. According to the Oregon Employment Department, there were 34,145 people working in Josephine County last month for a seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 5.5%, which was the same as in February and down from 6% in March 2023. Job gains were estimated in leisure & hospitality, and professional & business services. Government employment climbed by 60 jobs over the month. Local government education, federal government and state government all saw an uptick in job counts in March. Other published industries showed little change. Over the past year, payroll employment in Josephine County slipped by 170 jobs, a decrease of 0.6%. Industries adding jobs since March 2023 included private education & health services (+290), and mining & logging (+20). Industries with estimated losses were retail trade (-130), leisure & hospitality (-80), professional & business services (-80), other services (-70), and wholesale trade (-60). Government employment rose by 80 jobs over the year. Federal, state and local government all added jobs in the past 12 months.

 

UPDATE 4/26/24: Stephen Bowen has been located and is no longer missing

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office was seeking public assistance in locating a missing Grants Pass area man. The Sheriff's Office said they received a report that 75-year-old Stephen David Bowen went for a nature walk on Wednesday at about 4 p.m. and he had not returned to his home in the 100-block of Sunflower Lane off Highland Avenue as of Thursday morning. Bowen is described as a white male adult, 5-feet-5-inches tall and 170 pounds, with long gray hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a T-shirt, lightweight coat, jeans and tennis shoes. Josephine County Search & Rescue was activated late Wednesday night and volunteers joined deputies in the search until early yesterday. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Stephen Bowen is encouraged to contact the Sheriff's Office at (541)-474-5123.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a motorcycle rider who tried to outrun deputies in the Illinois Valley this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies initially tried to stop the 27-year-old dirt bike rider in the 400-block of South Redwood Highway in Cave Junction Wednesday night. Deputies said the man refused to yield and led them out Caves Highway at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour. They said the suspect turned onto White Schoolhouse Road and then onto Chapman Creek Road before he became trapped at a dead end. That's where he was placed into custody and discovered to be in possession of a Glock .17-caliber snub-nosed handgun. The gun was temporarily seized for further investigation and the 2019 Honda CRF450X motorcycle was impounded. According to the report, the dirt bike rider briefly struggled with deputies during the arrest. The suspect was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Attempt to Elude Police, Reckless Driving and Resisting Arrest.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for stealing merchandise from a supermarket this week and he may be facing additional charges related to alleged thefts at the store that occurred over the past couple of months. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting call at WinCo Foods on NE Terry Lane around midday Wednesday. Police said the 64-year-old suspect entered the store and concealed items worth about $20 in a bag and on his person. He passed all points of sale and left the store, but was detained by loss prevention until officers arrived on scene. Upon further investigation, loss prevention advised police that the man has been stealing from WinCo frequently over the past two months and they would be providing additional information for those thefts. They estimated the thefts had totaled around $300. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 3rd-Degree Theft, with the additional charges forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for consideration.

 

A traffic complaint from a Grants Pass gas station attendant led to the arrest of a motorist for impaired driving early yesterday. Grants Pass Police were alerted to a highly impaired motorist by an attendant at the 76 station on NE 6th Street at about 3:20 a.m. Thursday. Police said the 37-year-old male driver of a red BMW was called in by the worker after he stopped in to get some gas. The caller said the man smelled heavily of alcohol and he had two intoxicated passengers in the back of his car. Officers located the suspect vehicle in the downtown area and the driver pulled into an alley to avoid contact, but he was found. A female passenger in the vehicle bailed out and ran away. The driver performed poorly in field sobriety tests, but refused to provide a breath sample. A search warrant was obtained and he was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw that was positive. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and his car was impounded.

 

The Grants Pass Fire Department's Technical Rescue Team immersed themselves in river rescue operations last week to prepare for the upcoming recreation season. With boats gliding across the water, skilled operators honed their boat safety techniques, fine-tuned their rescue skills and delved into understanding the dynamics of the Rogue River. As the weather warms up this spring, fire officials said it's easy to forget the river's embrace conceals a chilly secret: the water temperature remains very cold. Whether you're a seasoned boater or a curious explorer, heed this reminder from Grants Pass Fire & Rescue: stay vigilant, stay safe and respect the river.