Local News

Grants Pass Police jailed a felon for violating his post-prison supervision yesterday after he was caught stealing hundreds of dollars' worth of merchandise from a local supermarket. The Police Department reports officers arrested 58-year-old Jack Lee Osborne for the incident at WinCo Foods on NE Terry Lane on Monday at 3:48 p.m.. Police said Osborne filled a grocery cart full of items valued at nearly $450 and went past all points of sale while making no attempt to pay for the stolen property. They said he was detained by loss prevention and placed into custody by officers. Jack Osborne was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft and the resulting Parole Violation stemming from a 2017 conviction for four counts of 1st-Degree Forgery and eight counts of Mail Theft. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for violating terms of his probation last night after he returned to a fast food restaurant where he was not welcome. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a trespassing complaint involving 50-year-old John Richard Knapp at the McDonald's in the Allen Creek Shopping Center on Monday shortly after 7 p.m.. Police said McDonald's workers called 9-1-1 to report that Knapp had been trespassed from the business last week, but he returned and was hanging out near the garbage dumpsters. Officers arrived and placed him into custody. John Knapp was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass and the resulting Probation Violation related to recent arrests for Bias Crime, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Menacing, Criminal Mischief, Criminal Trespass, Disorderly Conduct and Public Indecency. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for hit-and-run after he damaged another vehicle and a parking post at Three Rivers Medical Center last night. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to the incident at the hospital on SW Ramsey Avenue on Monday at about 6:50 p.m.. Police said an investigation determined that 28-year-old Jarron Wood was trying to drive around a parked vehicle in the TRMC Emergency Room drop-off loop when he impacted the vehicle and ran over a parking post. They said he quickly backed up and departed without making an attempt to contact the vehicle owner or TRMC. Wood's DMV information was obtained via hospital security video and he was contacted at his residence on SW Bridge Street about 2-1/2 hours after the mishap. He told officers he thought he hit a construction cone and that it wasn't a big deal. Jarron Wood was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for two counts of Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Williams man for an outstanding warrant and driving violations following a weekend traffic stop on Highway 238. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Toyota Camry driven by 46-year-old Charles Joseph Zamora near the intersection of Williams Highway and Water Gap Road on Sunday at about 4:30 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped Zamora for a traffic violation and discovered that he was wanted on a local bench warrant for failing to appear in court. They also found that his driving privileges had been suspended and he had no automobile insurance. Charles Zamora was placed into custody and transported to Grants Pass where he was lodged at the Josephine County Jail. His car was impounded, so his 33-year-old male passenger was forced to find another way home.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two men during separate patrol checks at the same city park yesterday. According to the Police Department, the first incident occurred on Monday shortly before the noon hour when officers contacted 18-year-old Justis Ivan Cory at Baker Park. Police said Cory was connected to a stolen bicycle found at the park and he was placed into custody for probable cause of 3rd-Degree Theft. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail. The second incident happened on Monday at about 8 p.m. when officers contacted 20-year-old Ethan Roy Wilcox at Baker Park. Police said they spotted Wilcox and knew that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. He was lodged in jail. The stolen bicycle was recovered and logged into evidence for safekeeping. Two soiled tents were disposed of at Southern Oregon Sanitation and a third tent that belongs to a known individual was logged for safekeeping.

 

The Oregon State Police was looking for two motorists who fled from separate weekend traffic stops in Josephine County. OSP reports the first incident occurred on Friday at 8:38 p.m. when troopers pulled over a Toyota Corolla driven by 44-year-old Nick Jay Trautman near the corner of Merlin Avenue and Pleasant Valley Road. Troopers said they stopped Trautman for expired registration tags on his car and he showed signs of impairment. They said he fled the scene in his car, they pursued him and found the vehicle had crashed on a side street where he fled on foot. He was positively identified and OSP referred charges of Felony Attempt to Elude Police and Felon in Possession of a Weapon to the District Attorney's Office. The second incident happened on Saturday at 1:32 a.m. when troopers pulled over a Toyota Sequoia driven by 58-year-old Patrick John Keever near the corner of Hidden Valley Road and Triller Lane. Troopers said Keever pulled into a driveway and fled on foot. They said he was positively identified, but they were unable to find him. He was wanted on multiple arrest warrants and discovered to be out of compliance with his sex offender registration. Charges are pending the ongoing investigation. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Nick Trautman or Patrick Keever is encouraged to dial *OSP.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a local felon for violating his post-prison supervision by causing a weekend disturbance in the downtown area. The Police Department reports officers arrested 29-year-old Dustin Michael Fontana for the incident at SW 6th and J streets on Sunday at 12:17 p.m.. Police said Fontana was called in as a disorderly subject who was walking in the roadway and in front of vehicles. When officers arrived on scene, they observed him walking in the middle of the road, flailing his arms and talking to himself. He was also seen yelling at pedestrians, causing public alarm. Dustin Fontana was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct plus the resulting Parole Violation stemming from past convictions for Harassment, Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle, Disorderly Conduct and Furnishing False Information to Police. He was held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for opening and consuming food inside a local supermarket and then trying to steal other merchandise. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a theft complaint at WinCo Foods on NE Terry Lane on Sunday shortly after 9 p.m.. Police said 49-year-old Daniel Reese Wise, Jr., walked into WinCo, selected food items and ate them inside the store. They said he also gathered more than $122 in merchandise and passed all points of sale without paying. Wise was detained by loss prevention and then placed into custody by responding officers. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft and he was being held without bail. He was also trespassed from WinCo.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man who tried to break into the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) property on the east side of the city and became stuck on a fence. The Police Department reports officers responded to a trespassing complaint at the BLM offices on NE Spalding Avenue on Sunday around 12:30 p.m.. Police said a citizen called 9-1-1 to report that a man later identified as 42-year-old Brandon David Chipps was trying to climb the back fence and became stuck. They said responding officers contacted the suspect on top of the secure fence at the back entrance to the property. Underneath Chipps was a posted sign that read "No Trespassing." Brandon Chipps was booked into the Josephine County Jail for Criminal Trespass. His corrections officer in Jackson County was notified about his latest offense.