KAJO 99.7FM - Local News

GP Police Collared Man Wanted for Committing Domestic Violence in Bend

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted for allegedly committing domestic violence in Central Oregon late yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 47-year-old Brett Christopher Zacha at a home in the 1,000-block of NW Hawthorne Avenue on Monday at 5:16 p.m.. Police said the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office requested assistance in locating Zacha who was wanted on a felony warrant for Domestic Strangulation, Domestic 4th-Degree Assault and Domestic Menacing. The Bend Police Department advised that Zacha had fled the area and was now living with his father in Grants Pass. Officers confirmed with a Hawthorne Avenue neighbor that Zacha was living at that address and driving a 2021 Ford Ranger pickup before moving in and making the arrest. Brett Zacha was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the outside warrant. He was being held without bail pending transfer to the Deschutes County Jail in Bend.

Posted on 12/5/23 11:32AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Two Fugitives while Performing Patrol Checks at Parks

Grants Pass Police captured two local fugitives while performing patrol checks at city parks early yesterday. The Police Department reports the first incident occurred at Morrison Centennial Park on Monday morning when officers made contact with 32-year-old Alic Jordan Hendrickson during a patrol check and subsequent drug investigation. Police said Hendrickson was the subject of an overdose call involving narcotics. He was located in the southeast corner of the park, but refused medical transport to the hospital. He was found to be wanted on a Grants Pass warrant charging him with Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle and 2nd-Degree Theft, so he was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail. The second incident happened a short time later when officers contacted 34-year-old Jonathan Lee Hewlett sleeping under the canopy at Riverside Park. He was heavily impaired and admitted to recent alcohol consumption. A routine records check revealed that Hewlett was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for failing to appear in court for Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Menacing along with a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. He was placed into custody and jailed.

Posted on 12/5/23 11:31AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Man for Throwing Rocks at Vehicles on Highway 199

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for throwing rocks at vehicles on Redwood Highway early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to multiple reports of a disturbance involving 29-year-old Jonathan Daniel Mahoney on US Highway 199 near Henderson Lane on Monday shortly after 8 a.m.. Police said they arrived on scene to find Mahoney standing in the highway median and throwing rocks at vehicles. They said the suspect grabbed a large rock and hit the driver-side door and window of a woman's Chevrolet Suburban, shattering the window. The female employee of Henderson's Lineup was shaken but not injured. Based on the large number of calls that came in to the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center, it was determined that Mahoney's actions caused a great deal of public alarm. Jonathan Mahoney was placed into custody and booked into the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief and 2nd-Degree Disorderly Conduct. He was being held without bail.

Posted on 12/5/23 11:14AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Arrested Young Man for Obstructing Weekend Traffic in Grants Pass

The Oregon State Police arrested a young man for obstructing traffic in north Grants Pass last weekend. OSP reports troopers responded to a male subject walking down the middle of 6th Street near Midland Avenue on Sunday around 10:15 p.m.. Troopers said they contacted 19-year-old Thomas Ryder White of Central Point, who had been called in by a motorist who nearly hit him with their car. He was contacted, could not provide a good explanation why he was walking in a public roadway and was placed into custody. Thomas White was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct.

Posted on 12/5/23 11:13AM by Sam Marsh

One Person Injured and Another Cited after Interstate 5 Crash in Grants Pass

At least one person was injured and another was cited after a weekend crash on Interstate 5 in north Grants Pass. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the two-vehicle collision in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 58 on Sunday at 5:10 p.m.. Troopers identified the involved vehicles as a Landrover driven by 43-year-old Letelier Ignacio-Felix and a Toyota Scion driven by 47-year-old Heather Ivy, but they did provide any details about what caused the accident. According to OSP, at least one person was transported to the hospital with injuries and both vehicles were towed into Grants Pass. The at-fault driver was cited for an unspecified violation.

Posted on 12/5/23 11:09AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Nabbed Motorist for DUII after She Crashed into State Route 260 Ditch

The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving after she wrecked her vehicle into a ditch west of Grants Pass last weekend. According to OSP, troopers responded to reports of a single-vehicle in a ditch on State Route 260 near Elk View Drive last Friday night. Troopers said 45-year-old Yuliya Pukhouskaya was driving a Dodge Ram 1500 when she lost control of the pickup and crashed. They said she displayed signs of impairment and consented to perform field sobriety tests, but did not complete them because she was not following instructions. A search warrant was obtained and Pukhouskaya was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw that documented a high level of impairment. Yuliya Pukhouskaya was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Reckless Driving. Her pickup was impounded.

Posted on 12/5/23 11:06AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Cited & Evicted 7 Campers for Repeat Park Ordinance Violations

Grants Pass Police cited and evicted seven campers for repeated ordinance violations in city parks yesterday. During a patrol check at Baker Park, Tyson Hutchinson, Shayne Mueller, Russell Thompson, Heather Easom and David Wilson were all cited for Illegal Camping after they failed to remove their campsites that had been previously posted. Easom was also cited for Buffer Zone Violation. All were trespassed for 30 days. During a patrol check on the nearby Texas Property, Ronald Castro was trespassed. During a patrol check at Fruitdale Park, Johnathon Babb was cited for Illegal Camping after he failed to remove his campsite that had been posted. He was given a 30-day exclusion. One abandoned tent that was wet and soiled was removed for disposal.

Posted on 12/5/23 11:04AM by Sam Marsh

MPD Detectives Identify Two Deceased Victims from Sunday Morning Shooting

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

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