Local News

OSP Jailed Albany Man for Kidnapping and Assaulting GP Woman at Rest Area
The Oregon State Police jailed an Albany man for kidnapping and assaulting a Grants Pass woman at an Interstate 5 rest area yesterday. OSP reports troopers responded to a call about a woman who had just been assaulted at the southbound Manzanita Rest Area in the North Valley area on Sunday at 11:20 a.m.. State troopers said the victim -- a 55-year-old Grants Pass woman -- reported being held against her will by 48-year-old John Michael Joseph Reagan in a Dodge Caravan minivan for multiple hours. When the victim tried to escape, the suspect assaulted her. When she tried to call 9-1-1, the suspect stopped her from doing so. According to OSP, the victim was eventually able to escape the minivan and she contacted law enforcement using a phone at a local business. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office responded, and both troopers and deputies surrounded Reagan in the rest area. After several unsuccessful attempts to get the suspect to exit the vehicle peacefully, two troopers approached the minivan with a shield, broke out the van's back windows and physically removed him from the vehicle. John Reagan was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Kidnapping, 4th-Degree Assault and Interfering with Making a Police Report. He was found to be wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation and was being held on a no-bail detainer.
Posted on 2/5/24 10:35AM by Sam Marsh
 

GP Police Collared Woman on Felony Warrant after Walgreens Trespassing Call
Grants Pass Police jailed a woman on a local felony warrant following a weekend trespassing call at Walgreens. The Police Department reports officers responded the complaint at the store at the corner of Williams Highway and Union Avenue on Sunday around 1:40 p.m.. Police said 41-year-old Molly Allen Huerta and a male companion identified as "Pierre Razo" were in a motorhome parked at Walgreens and the store manager requested they be trespassed. Officers arrived on scene, contacted the pair and discovered that Huerta was wanted on a Grants Pass felony warrant for failing to appear in court for Possession of a Prohibited Firearm. Molly Huerta was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and was being held on $50,000 bail. Both she and Razo were trespassed from Walgreens.
Posted on 2/5/24 10:34AM by Sam Marsh
 

Sheriff's Deputies Arrested IV Woman on Outstanding Warrant in Cave Junction
The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested an Illinois Valley woman on an outstanding warrant over the weekend in Cave Junction. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies contacted and then arrested 36-year-old Sabrina Marie Wilson in the 300-block of South Junction Avenue on Saturday at 12:35 p.m.. Deputies said they spotted Wilson and knew that she was wanted on a Josephine County warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Theft. The charge was related to a 2021 theft arrest at the Dollar General store in Cave Junction. Wilson was placed into custody without incident, but deputies temporarily stopped transport to Grants Pass at Elliott Creek Road in order to put another set of handcuffs on her. The trip resumed and she was lodged at the Josephine County Jail.
Posted on 2/5/24 10:31AM by Sam Marsh
 

OSP Snared Motorist on Outside Warrant after Weekend Stop on I-5 in East GP
The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist on an out-of-county warrant after a weekend traffic stop on Interstate 5 in east Grants Pass. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Mitsubishi Lancer driven by 47-year-old Clifford Harold Brown in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 55 on Saturday at 3:55 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped Brown for speeding and quickly discovered that he had an active bench warrant for failing to appear in court for an unspecified crime. Brown was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and the vehicle was released to his passenger, who was identified as a 45-year-old woman from Crescent City, California.
Posted on 2/5/24 10:29AM by Sam Marsh
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OSP Nabbed Motorist for DUII after Parking Car Illegally in South Grants Pass
The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving after he parked his vehicle illegally in south Grants Pass. According to OSP, troopers conducted a traffic stop on a Toyota Corolla driven by 41-year-old Cameron Lee Frey at the corner of Ringuette Street and Union Avenue at 1:43 a.m. Saturday. Troopers said Frey had parked his car illegally and he showed signs of impairment. They said he performed poorly in field sobriety tests and they transported him to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a positive breath sample. Cameron Frey was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving before he was cited and released. His car was impounded.
Posted on 2/5/24 10:28AM by Sam Marsh
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California Man Jailed for Stealing Guns from GP Dealer Now Faces 30 Charges
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A California man jailed last month for stealing firearms from a gun dealer in Grants Pass is now facing a total of 30 charges. A Grants Pass Police Department SWAT team arrested 27-year-old Antone Wayne Bayard when he tried to run from a rental house on Willow Lane on January 26th. A GPPD investigation revealed that Bayard had broken into a firearms store on Redwood Highway on January 24th. Video surveillance showed the suspect used a pickup to break through the doors and the suspect gathered guns before fleeing. After Bayard's arrest, detectives from GPPD, the Medford Police Department, Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE), US Marshal's Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) served a search warrant at the Willow Lane rental and seized a total 20 firearms and three silencers stolen from the Grants Pass store. Bayard was charged with 10 counts each of Felon in Possession of a Weapon and 1st-Degree Theft plus single counts of Burglary, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Criminal Mischief, Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine and Supplying Contraband to a Corrections Facility. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail and remains in custody today. On Friday, jail deputies served him with a warrant issued by the Oregon District ATF for Possession of a Stolen Firearm and Theft of a Firearm from a Licensee.
Posted on 2/5/24 6:42AM by Sam Marsh
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Deputies Apprehended Man Wanted on Georgia Fugitive Warrant near Galice
The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a man wanted on an out-of-state fugitive warrant near Galice late last week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 27-year-old Carlos Andres Figueroa at gunpoint near milepost 2 of Taylor Creek Road on Friday. Deputies said they received a tip that Figueroa was hiding out in the remote area because he was wanted on a Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office warrant for failing to appear in court for Felony Contempt of Court. Authorities in Georgia confirmed the warrant was extraditable and that he was also wanted on two other warrants for drug and traffic violations. Figueroa was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail where he awaits extradition proceedings that will send him back to Georgia. A woman with the fugitive -- identified as Angel Neeser -- was detained and then released, but she was warned for Possession of Marijuana on Federal Land and Expired Registration on her vehicle, a 2004 Nissan Frontier with California plates.
Posted on 2/5/24 6:40AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Collared Man on Statewide Warrant after Reporting Vehicle Break-In
Grants Pass Police jailed a man on a statewide felony warrant following a weekend incident in the north part of the city. The Police Department reports officers arrested 48-year-old Bret Leon Court in the Denny's parking lot off NE Morgan Lane on Saturday at 1:20 a.m.. Police said Court had entered the Pinnacle 365 store on NE 6th Street and told the worker he was upset because someone broke into his truck and stole several items. They learned he was living in the pickup that was parked behind Koi Sushi on NE Hillcrest Drive. There was no further information about what was taken. Court reportedly told the store employee that he wanted the police to come "so they can help me murder someone." The worker called 9-1-1 due to the man's suspicious behavior and intoxicated state. Officers located Court near Denny's and placed him into custody after discovering that he was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Felony Parole Violation. After being provided with options for recovering his stolen property, he was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.
Posted on 2/5/24 6:32AM by Sam Marsh
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Food Delivery Vehicle Passenger Snared for Punching GP Taco Bell Employee
Grants Pass Police arrested a man for punching an employee of a southwest-city fast food eatery while riding in a delivery vehicle. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a reported assault at the Taco Bell in the 1600-block of Allen Creek Road on Saturday around 1:18 a.m.. Police said a Taco Bell employee called 9-1-1 to report being punched by 24-year-old Trebor Samuel Robert Oden after a dispute over an order. The caller advised the suspect was a passenger in a Door Dash vehicle. The worker sustained an abrasion to his face, but he refused medical treatment. The Oregon State Police located the suspect vehicle near Redwood Park on Dowell Road a short time later and called in Grants Pass Police who took him into custody. Oden admitted to punching the Taco Bell employee, so he was charged with Physical Harassment and then lodged at the Josephine County Jail without bail. Both he and the Door Dash driver were trespassed from Taco Bell.
Posted on 2/5/24 6:29AM by Sam Marsh
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Deputies Arrested Pair for Trespassing after Harassing Neighbor in GP Area
The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested two people for trespassing after they allegedly harassed a neighbor in south Grants Pass over the weekend. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the incident in the 200-block of Grandview Lane late Friday night. Deputies said a resident called 9-1-1 to report his neighbors were harassing him and trying to break through windows in his house. The caller advised dispatchers that he was armed and prepared to shoot two people identified as 42-year-old Jeffery Robert Sandgren and 37-year-old Ashley Nicole Harris. The resident was told to put away his gun, lock his doors and windows, and stay inside the house until deputies arrived on scene. Jeffery Sandgren and Ashley Harris were placed into custody at Taser point. Both were lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Criminal Trespass while Harris was also charged with Interfering with a Police Officer.
Posted on 2/5/24 6:18AM by Sam Marsh
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Grants Pass City Council Workshop Features Interviews & Staff Presentations
The Grants Pass City Council will interview candidates for local advisory panels and receive a couple of staff presentations during its bi-weekly workshop session today. The City Council will begin the workshop with interviews of candidates who wish to serve on the Historical Buildings & Sites Commission and Budget Committee. Also on the agenda today are staff presentations on the Double-Erosion Control Permit as well as Water and Sewer Easements. The Council will conclude the session with an agenda review in preparation for Wednesday night's regular meeting, which is the first one in 2024. Today's workshop starts at 11:45 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.
Posted on 2/5/24 6:17AM by Sam Marsh
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Caltrans Reports Repairs to Resume Tuesday on US Highway 199 Due to Wildfire Damage
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Motorists heading to the coast from Southern Oregon should expect delays starting this week as construction resumes on US Highway 199 to repair damage done by the Smith River Complex. CalTrans District 1 has announced that Redwood Highway construction between the Collier Tunnel and Gasquet will begin tomorrow. Starting Tuesday, travelers should anticipate up to one-hour delays weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Crews have removed hazardous trees, replaced damaged guardrail and signage, and addressed impacted slopes in the Smith River Corridor with the installation of net drapery and rockfall catchment systems. Work to repair the highway from wildfire damage continues, with Caltrans not providing a date for completion of the project. The Smith River Complex temporarily shut down Redwood Highway between the Illinois Valley in Southern Oregon and Gasquet in Northern California last summer while burning a total of 95,107 acres in Josephine, Curry and Del Norte counties. Before heading to the coast, motorists are encouraged to check on the latest road conditions by visiting "quickmap.dot.ca.gov."
Posted on 2/5/24 6:14AM by Sam Marsh
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