Local News

MPD Detectives Identify Two Deceased Victims from Sunday Morning Shooting
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The Medford Police Department has released the names of the two deceased individuals from the shooting incident that took place at the Charles Point apartment complex early Sunday morning. According to MPD, the men fatally shot during that incident were 33-year-old Dontrell Xavier Manninen of Medford and 26-year-old Christian Jonathan Torres of White City. On Sunday at about 5:40 a.m., MPD officers responded to the report of a disturbance with shots fired at the apartment complex on Highgate Street in south Medford. Upon arrival, officers located Manninen and Torres with gunshot wounds in the parking lot near an apartment. Both men were transported to a local hospital where one of them was pronounced deceased upon arrival and the other succumbed to his injuries later in the day. Detectives from multiple agencies continue to actively work this case in order to provide answers to the victims' families. No further information will be released at this time. Updates will be provided as they become available.
Posted on 12/5/23 6:40AM by Sam Marsh
 

Investigators Looking into Cause of Fire that Damaged SE Lela Lane Residence
Investigators were looking into the cause of a weekend fire that damaged a home near a city park in southeast Grants Pass. Late Saturday night, Grants Pass Fire & Rescue, Grants Pass Police, Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to the reported structure fire on SE Lela Lane near Portola Park. Emergency units arrived on scene to find a large two-story home with a working fire on the second floor and smoke showing. A line was pulled and a transitional attack with the exterior spraying of water was performed until additional resources arrived to assist. Engines arrived and assisted in extinguishing the flames, a search of the home, ventilation and salvage operations. All Grants Pass engines from the Parkway, Hillcrest and Redwood stations were committed to the scene for approximately two hours, during which time Rural Metro engines covered the city and an "All Call" for off-duty personnel was made. The cause of the fire was under investigation. Grants Pass fire officials would like to remind the community about maintaining working smoke alarms and having an escape plan from your house.
Posted on 12/5/23 6:38AM by Sam Marsh
 

GP Police Collared 2 Men on Warrants during Weekend Check at Riverside Park
Grants Pass Police apprehended two men on statewide and local warrants during a weekend patrol check at a city park. The Police Department reports officers arrested 31-year-old Joseph Lee-Al Sierra and 32-year-old Kyle Flury Palomino at Riverside Park on Saturday morning. Police said they observed Sierra and Palomino with tin foil and fentanyl residue in plain view. Both were cited to appear in court for the narcotics violations and given 30-day exclusions from the park. A routine records check revealed that both were wanted on warrants. Joseph Sierra was wanted on a Santiam Correctional Institution warrant for Felony Parole Violation stemming from a 3rd-Degree Robbery conviction. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. Kyle Palomino was wanted on two Jackson County felony warrants both charging him with failing to appear in court for Probation Violation related to past arrests for Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine. He was also jailed without bail. Officers said a tent with wet and soiled clothing, drugs and food items were removed from the park and disposed of at Southern Oregon Sanitation.
Posted on 12/5/23 6:31AM by Sam Marsh
 

GP Police Arrested 3 for Stealing Merchandise from Walmart and 1 for Warrant
Grants Pass Police arrested three people for stealing merchandise from Walmart last weekend and one of them was wanted on a local warrant for multiple thefts. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to a Saturday shoplifting call involving 36-year-old Timothy Michael Leahy, 34-year-old Michelle Linn Yeary and 26-year-old Ryan Jay Michael Coble at the store on NE Terry Lane. Police said Leahy was the driver of the vehicle the subjects entered after stealing from Walmart. They said he was wanted on a local warrant for three counts of 2nd-Degree Theft and one count of 3rd-Degree Theft. He was also found with a stolen jacket valued at $25 and his driving privileges had been suspended. He was jailed. Yeary admitted to stealing $491 worth of items from Walmart by pushing a shopping cart past all points of sale without paying. She was also found to be in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine. She was lodged in jail for 2nd-Degree Theft and cited to appear in court for the narcotics violation. Coble admitted to stealing $58 worth of Pokeman cards from Walmart and he was lodged in jail for 3rd-Degree Theft. Leahy, Yeary and Coble were all trespassed indefinitely from the big box retailer.
Posted on 12/5/23 6:30AM by Sam Marsh
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One Person Injured When They Crashed Vehicle over Embankment West of GP
One person was injured when they crashed their vehicle over an embankment in the Fort Vannoy area last weekend. Rural Metro Fire Department, American Medical Response and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the single-vehicle rollover wreck in the 3300-block of Lower River Road on Saturday night. Rural Metro officials said arriving units found a vehicle that had overturned and landed approximately 20 feet over an embankment. They said one person was transported to the hospital with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries. The Sheriff's Office was investigating the cause of the crash. A short time later, another rollover crash was reported to the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center near the intersection of Redwood Highway and Neill Road. Dispatchers said a caller thought they heard a crash and stated that they saw flames and smoke. Additional units from Rural Metro and AMR rushed to the scene and did not find a crash. Emergency crews found an open burn instead. It was unclear if any citations were issued for burning after dark.
Posted on 12/5/23 6:28AM by Sam Marsh
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GP City Council Requests Cost Estimates for New Caveman Pool by End of This Year
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The Grants Pass City Council has requested cost estimates for a newly constructed Caveman Pool by the end of the year. During its workshop session on Monday, the City Council heard from consultants who are designing the new municipal pool that will be constructed at the same site near Grants Pass High School on the corner of NE 9th Street and Wharton Drive. The two consultants -- RSA and Aquatic Design Group -- have helped design pool projects across the state including the Amazon Aquatic Center in Springfield and the Hermiston Municipal Pool. The City of Grants Pass has earmarked about $5.62 million for the project from the American Rescue Plan Act and Urban Renewal funding. The bare bones construction estimate for the new pool is $6.5 million. Several members of the Council said they were interested in making the new pool attractive to the public by adding amenities such a 3-meter diving platform, a slide and a drop-slide as well as a half-court basketball court on the property. Those features would be added onto a 25-yard lap pool and a smaller activity pool. The design of the new pools would include a new bathhouse/office on the north side of the property along with a new public parking lot. The pools would be handicap-accessible with plenty of open space and a grass lawn.
Posted on 12/5/23 6:16AM by Sam Marsh
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Oregon DMV Announces Cave Junction Office to Close Permanently on December 22nd
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The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles has announced the Cave Junction DMV office will close permanently later this month. The last day the office will serve customers is Friday, December 22nd. The Cave Junction DMV -- located at 103 South Kerby Avenue -- is a one-person office that has served the Illinois Valley community since January 1982. The lone employee is set to retire by the end of the year. Beginning December 26th, Cave Junction customers may go 30 miles away to the Grants Pass DMV office located at 162 NE Beacon Drive, Suite 127, for in-person services. All DMV offices across the state will be closed on Christmas Day. Hours at the Grants Pass DMV are Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.. DMV's decision to close the Cave Junction office and refer customers to Grants Pass was made by balancing multiple factors including an expiring office lease, building and technology constraints, and a desire to provide consistent customer service to the region. DMV officials said Cave Junction customers should consider conducting their business online at "DMV2U.Oregon.gov."
Posted on 12/5/23 6:13AM by Sam Marsh
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Actor's Southern Oregon Residence along Rogue River Heading to Auction Block
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Actor Patrick Duffy's longtime Southern Oregon residence along the Rogue River, currently for sale at $10,995,000, is heading to the auction block, with no minimum starting bid. Potential buyers can make any offer to Sotheby's Concierge Auctions from December 7th-14th for the 329-acre Duffy Ranch. Although there is no pre-set reserve or minimum bid for the ranch at 436 Staley Road outside of Eagle Point, starting bids are expected to be between $3 million and $5 million, said Charlie Engel of Concierge Auctions, which specializes in marketing luxury real estate worldwide. The auction house is partnering with Duffy's listing broker, Alan DeVries of Cascade Hasson Sotheby's International Realty.
The Oregonian reports a webcast at ConciergeAuctions.com of the live auction at Sotheby's Auction House in New York is scheduled for December 14th. Duffy has the right to cancel the auction on Dec. 6, before bidding opens based on the size and strength of the field of bidders we have put together up to that date.
Posted on 12/5/23 6:12AM by Sam Marsh
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Investigators Looking into Cause of Fire that Damaged Home on SE Lela Lane
Investigators were looking into the cause of a weekend fire that damaged a home near a city park in southeast Grants Pass. On Saturday at 11:32 p.m., Grants Pass Fire & Rescue, Grants Pass Police, Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to the reported structure fire on SE Lela Lane near Portola Park. Emergency units arrived on scene to find a large two-story home with a working fire on the second floor and smoke showing. A line was pulled and a transitional attack with the exterior spraying of water was performed until additional resources arrived to assist. Engines arrived and assisted in extinguishing the flames, a search of the home, ventilation and salvage operations. All Grants Pass engines from the Parkway, Hillcrest and Redwood stations were committed to the scene for approximately two hours, during which time Rural Metro engines covered the city and an "All Call" for off-duty personnel was made. The cause of the fire was under investigation. Grants Pass fire officials would like to remind the community about maintaining working smoke alarms and having an escape plan from your house.
Posted on 12/4/23 10:31AM by Sam Marsh
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Deputies Apprehended Fugitive in Weekend Traffic Stop on Redwood Highway
The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a local fugitive following a weekend traffic stop on Redwood Highway near the Applegate River. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies pulled over a Kia sedan driven by 48-year-old Jessica Kelley on US Highway 199 at Riverbanks Road around 9:45 p.m. Friday. Deputies said they stopped Kelley for a traffic violation and discovered that she was wanted on a Jackson County warrant for Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis, Reckless Driving and Resisting Arrest. Jessica Kelley was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant.
Posted on 12/4/23 10:29AM by Sam Marsh
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One Person Injured When They Crashed Vehicle over Embankment West of GP
One person was injured when they crashed their vehicle over an embankment in the Fort Vannoy area over the weekend. Rural Metro Fire Department, American Medical Response and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the single-vehicle rollover wreck in the 3300-block of Lower River Road on Saturday at 9:42 p.m.. Rural Metro officials said arriving units found a vehicle that had overturned and landed approximately 20 feet over an embankment. They said one person was transported to the hospital with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries. The Sheriff's Office was investigating the cause of the crash. A short time later, another rollover crash was reported to the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center near the intersection of Redwood Highway and Neill Road. Dispatchers said a caller thought they heard a crash and stated that they saw flames and smoke. Additional units from Rural Metro and AMR rushed to the scene and did not find a crash. Emergency crews found an open burn instead. It was unclear if any citations were issued for burning after dark.
Posted on 12/4/23 10:28AM by Sam Marsh
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ODF Southwest Reports Prescribed Burning Currently Underway in the Region
With an abundance of rain in the forecast this week, a lot of projects involving prescribed burning are currently underway in southwest Oregon. The Oregon Department of Forestry reports smoke and flames may be visible as this work continues and all prescribed fires are under control. According to ODF, prescribed fire is done when weather conditions don’t support rapid fire growth, typically from late fall through early spring. Different than residential debris burns, this large scale or industrial work helps to reduce fuels during a safer time of year. It requires the landowner in charge of the burn to control, mop up and patrol any prescribed fire used as a tool. If a fire escapes, the responsible party can face paying up to $300,000 in fire suppression costs.
Posted on 12/4/23 10:26AM by Sam Marsh
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