Local News

GP Police Used Surveillance Video to Identify Suspect in Car-Clouting Incident
Grants Pass Police used surveillance footage to identify a man who broke into a vehicle at a downtown auto parts store this week. The Police Department reports officers responded to a "car-clouting" incident at Quality Automotive Parts on SW G Street on Wednesday night. Police said the store manager called 9-1-1 after seeing a male subject enter an employee's Dodge Durango that was parked at the store. They said the caller was watching on a remote camera and reported the same vehicle was broken into last weekend as well. The surveillance video was sent to the Police Department as evidence and officers were able to identify the suspect as 41-year-old David Wesley Jones. They rushed to the scene and placed the suspect into custody. David Jones was booked into the Josephine County Jail for Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle.
Posted on 2/16/24 6:17AM by Sam Marsh
 

Motorist Survived Crash into Pond off Redwood Highway at Slate Creek Road
A motorist wound up wet but uninjured after crashing a vehicle off Redwood Highway into a pond in the Wonder area yesterday. Rural Metro Fire Department, American Medical Response and the Oregon State Police were dispatched to the accident on US Highway 199 at Slate Creek Road on Thursday at 2:14 p.m.. For reasons being investigated by OSP, the vehicle landed in a pond after a crash with another vehicle at the intersection. The law enforcement agency did not have any new information on the incident today. The unidentified driver was able to self-extricate from the fully-submerged vehicle and there were no injuries reported. Traffic was temporarily impacted while rescuers processed the crash scene. The Oregon Department of Transportation provided traffic control.
Posted on 2/16/24 6:15AM by Sam Marsh
 

National Park Service Threatens to Terminate Contract with Crater Lake Concessionaire
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The National Park Service has threatened to terminate its contract with international hospitality company Aramark at Crater Lake National Park, following a rash of management issues at the Oregon destination over the last five years. The Oregonian reports Crater Lake Hospitality -- a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Aramark -- is contracted to run concessions at Crater Lake and the Oregon Caves National Monument through 2030. However, a park service spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the federal agency will terminate the contract unless the company "shows cause as to why NPS should not do so." Park officials did not offer a timeline for the company to respond, and did not say how a termination would affect park operations like Crater Lake Lodge and boat tours. Officials declined to say how Aramark was informed or exactly what was communicated, but agency guidelines require written notice. The announcement comes just two months after US Senator Ron Wyden issued a public letter to the National Park Service, raising a litany of "serious concerns" about Crater Lake Hospitality and asking the federal agency to "take immediate action to prevent concessionaire mismanagement from continuing to threaten Crater Lake National Park, its visitors, or the employees who live and work there."
Posted on 2/16/24 6:08AM by Sam Marsh
 

Dutch Bros to Spend Up to $41 Million Moving Corporate Jobs from Grants Pass to Arizona
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The Oregonian reports drive-thru chain Dutch Bros said this week it will spend as much as $41 million on relocation costs, severance benefits and capital expenses when it relocates 40% of its corporate jobs from its Grants Pass headquarters to the company's office in Arizona. Dutch Bros announced the move last month, saying it wanted more corporate employees to be working closer to a major airport and closer to the company's rapidly growing markets in the South and Southwest. The company hasn't said publicly how many jobs are going to Arizona, but some who decline to make the move will lose their jobs. "Employees asked to move to Phoenix will receive a financial package regardless of their decision," the company said in a written statement. Employees who decline to move will receive severance payments and those who relocate will receive bonuses. In a regulatory filing Wednesday, Dutch Bros said it will spend between $19 million and $26 million on those costs. The company said it will spend another $5 million in consulting fees and other costs, and between $6 million and $10 million to expand the Phoenix office. New Dutch Bros CEO Christine Barone lives in Arizona but the company’s headquarters will remain in Grants Pass, where co-founder and chairman Travis Boersma lives.
Posted on 2/16/24 6:01AM by Sam Marsh
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City of Grants Pass Asks Citizens to Complete 2024-25 CDBG Annual Action Plan Survey
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Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds help eliminate blight and meet urgent community needs that pose a serious threat to the health, safety and welfare of citizens. The City of Grants Pass is beginning the annual process for developing and adopting the 2024-25 Year 5 Annual Action Plan to fund activities and projects to address priorities identified in the 2020-2024 5-Year Consolidated Plan. This process follows timelines specified in the city's Citizen Participation Plan and federal law. In the last few years, the City of Grants Pass has sent out a survey for community response. The city prepared the survey to ascertain the community's needs and priorities. These ideas and suggestions will help develop the Year 5 Action Plan. Please take some time to fill out the survey, which is available at: "surveymonkey.com/r/FFQKGMM." The deadline for completing the survey is March 29th.
Posted on 2/16/24 6:00AM by Sam Marsh
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Grants Pass Police Snared Out-of-Compliance Sex Offender after Call at Motel 6
Grants Pass Police arrested a man for failing to register as a convicted sex offender last night after an incident at a north-city motel. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a complaint involving 48-year-old Christopher Allen Blodgett at Motel 6 on NE 7th Street on Wednesday shortly after 7 p.m.. Police said Blodgett was staying with a friend at the motel and he locked the door so his roommate could not enter. They said the roommate was the registered guest and he called 9-1-1 for law enforcement backup in order to remove his belongings from the room. Responding officers contacted both men and discovered that Blodgett was out of compliance with his mandatory sex offender registration. The suspect actively used physical force to resist being placed into custody, but he was eventually subdued. Christopher Blodgett was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Failure to Report as a Sex Offender, Resisting Arrest and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.
Posted on 2/15/24 11:20AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Jailed Woman for Threatening Ex with Knife at RR Highway MH Park
Grants Pass Police jailed a woman for threatening her ex-husband with a knife at a trailer park on Rogue River Highway late yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 37-year-old Joyce-Ann Nicole Mills at the park in the 1200-block of Highway 99 on Wednesday at 5:21 p.m.. Police said an investigation determined Mills brandished a knife in a threatening manner at her ex during a domestic dispute. They said she also used the knife to stab a PlayStation in the presence of the victim and she threw a phone at him, striking him in the back of the head. The victim was not seriously hurt. Officers arrived on scene, interviewed both parties and placed Mills into custody. Joyce-Ann Mills was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Domestic Menacing and she was being held without bail.
Posted on 2/15/24 11:17AM by Sam Marsh
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Corrections Client Jailed after Admitting He Broke into NE GP Residence
A Josephine County corrections client was arrested yesterday for breaking into a vacant northeast Grants Pass residence and attempting to live there. Grants Pass Police were alerted to the incident involving 30-year-old Edward Leslie Jenkins by his corrections officer. Officers responded to the Community Corrections Office on NW 4th Street on Wednesday shortly after 10 a.m.. Police said Jenkins admitted to his officer that he had damaged a vacant home in the 1100-block of NE Beacon Drive while trying to gain access to live there. The property owner was contacted and wished to pursue criminal charges. Some of the suspect's belongings were still inside the house. Edward Jenkins was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Criminal Mischief and Criminal Trespass -- both in the 2nd-Degree -- plus the resulting Probation Violation related to past arrests for Robbery, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Menacing and Driving While Suspended. He was being held without bail.
Posted on 2/15/24 11:14AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Used Surveillance Video to Identify Suspect in Vehicle Break-In
Grants Pass Police used surveillance footage to identify a man who broke into a vehicle at a downtown auto parts store last night. The Police Department reports officers responded to a "car-clouting" incident at Quality Automotive Parts on SW G Street on Wednesday around 8:10 p.m.. Police said the store manager called 9-1-1 after seeing a male subject enter an employee's Dodge Durango that was parked at the store. They said the caller was watching on a remote camera and reported the same vehicle was broken into last weekend as well. The surveillance video was sent to the Police Department as evidence and officers were able to identify the suspect as 41-year-old David Wesley Jones. They rushed to the scene and placed the suspect into custody. David Jones was booked into the Josephine County Jail for Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle.
Posted on 2/15/24 11:13AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Captured Shoplifter Who Tried to Run Away from Store Security
Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for trying to steal merchandise from the Home Depot store yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at the store on NE Mill Street on Wednesday at 2:20 p.m.. Police said 36-year-old Misty Michele Akers walked out of Home Depot with over $233 worth of stolen items, but she was detained by loss prevention. They said she was initially cooperative with the officers, but then fled from the store office. She was seen running through the parking lot where law enforcement arrested her. According to the report, Akers tried to avoid capture by shedding her rain jacket and hiding behind a shed. Misty Akers was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft.
Posted on 2/15/24 11:10AM by Sam Marsh
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Grants Pass Police Nabbed 2 Campers during Patrol Checks at Baker Park
Grants Pass Police arrested two people in separate incidents at Baker Park last night. According to the Police Department, officers were performing a patrol check at the city park on Wednesday around 10:30 p.m. when they contacted 30-year-old Kody Tyler Halverson and 53-year-old Theresa Deline Glastetter. Few details about the encounter with Halverson were disclosed, but he was placed into custody for Felony Parole Violation stemming from theft and criminal trespass convictions. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. A short time later, officers contacted Glastetter and discovered that she was wanted on two warrants issued by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. After the warrants were confirmed, she was lodged awaiting transfer to the jail facility in Medford.
Posted on 2/15/24 11:09AM by Sam Marsh
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ODFW Marks Presidents Weekend by Providing Two Free Fishing Days
Make fishing a part of your Presidents' Day Weekend plans with friends and family. Everyone can fish, clam and crab for free this Saturday and Sunday. No fishing or shellfish licenses or tags are required those two days. Both Oregon residents and nonresidents can fish for free. All other fishing regulations apply including closures, size restrictions and bag limits. See the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for rules and remember to check for any in-season regulation changes especially for salmon and steelhead fishing. For beginners, Easy Angling Oregon is a great guide to getting started fishing in Oregon. If you live near Medford, Roseburg, Bend, Portland or in Lane County, there are lots of nearby options. Prefer to crab or clam instead? "MyODFW.com" has all the information you need to get started. Remember to check ocean conditions and take safety precautions -- always clam with a friend and never turn your back on the ocean. Currently, crabbing is open along the entire Oregon coast. Razor clamming is closed from Cape Blanco south to the California border.
Posted on 2/15/24 11:04AM by Sam Marsh
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