Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for causing two weekend disturbances at or near a city park. According to the Police Department, the first incident occurred on Friday at 2:11 p.m. when officers were alerted to a fight between three subjects including 45-year-old Jeffrey Brian Madden in the 6th Street intersection near Kesterson Park. Police said a man and woman were approaching Madden and it appeared they were going to fight with him. They said Madden raised his skateboard in a defensive posture before leaving the area. All three subjects were warned for their behavior and blocking traffic. About two hours later, officers responded to a second disturbance at the city park and saw Madden fleeing the area. He ran into a parking lot off NE 7th Street near an office building. He was spotted emerging from an alley and was arrested. Madden was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and was being held without bail. He was also trespassed from Kesterson Park for 30 days. His belongings were located and logged into evidence for safekeeping.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District was pressed into duty at least twice over the weekend -- a grass fire and a motor vehicle accident, both near Cave Junction. On Saturday at 1:05 p.m., IVFD and the Oregon Department of Forestry responded to a grass fire in the 25,600-block of Redwood Highway. The small fire was quickly extinguished and the cause was under investigation. On Sunday at 5:14 a.m., IVFD and American Medical Response were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash in the 28,000-block of Redwood Highway. IVFD officials said a vehicle with an uninjured occupant was located on the highway following a rollover wreck that resulted in minor contact with a power pole. The vehicle was secured and law enforcement was contacted to conduct an investigation.

 

Today's Grants Pass City Council workshop will feature the Urban Renewal Agency, the Washington Campus Property and the Homeless Grant Program. The City Council will open the workshop with the URA amendment to reallocate funding for a public swimming pool and remove Caveman Pool as a priority project. Next up is a staff presentation on next steps for the Washington Campus property followed by discussion. The Council also plans to continue to address the city's new Homeless Grant Program. The municipal policy-making panel will conclude the session by reviewing the agenda for Wednesday night's regular meeting. Today's workshop starts at 11:45 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters braved extreme heat last week while protecting the community. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 641 calls for service along with 268 officer-initiated calls last week that resulted in 47 arrests, 28 citations, 62 warnings and five highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 76 traffic stops in the city and they made 20 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS). The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) contacted a total of 14 potential troublemakers while arresting three people, citing six more and warning two others. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 116 calls last week including 44 for emergency medical service, six reports of fire or smoke, 11 lift assists, nine rescue situations, 13 assists to other agencies and four false alarms. The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded a total of 1,263 emergency calls last week.

 

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management has announced the delivery of advanced water rescue equipment to two Southern Oregon communities as part of the State Preparedness and Incident Response Equipment (SPIRE) grant program. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue and Douglas County Fire District #2 have each received an Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard or EMILY -- a swift-water rescue device designed to support life-saving efforts in dangerous water conditions. The compact, remote-controlled, battery-powered devices can travel through swift currents to bring a flotation device directly to a person in distress, making them a vital tool for rapid water rescues. Joe Hyatt, Deputy Chief of Grants Pass Fire & Rescue, said the EMILY device will provide rescuers with a much-needed tool to mitigate water rescue incidents safely and successfully. The new equipment was received by the City of Grants Pass and Douglas County in May.

 

Grants Pass Fire & Rescue and the Grants Pass Police Department will once again engage in a friendly competition benefitting the American Red Cross this week. The "Battle of the Badges" is set for Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Grants Pass Parkway Public Safety Station on East Park Street. Those who wish to donate blood during the event can show their support for either agency by telling volunteers you are there to donate on behalf of the department of your choice. You can make your appointment by calling 1-(800)-RED-CROSS or by scheduling online at "RedCrossBlood.org/give.html/find-drive." It's Grants Pass Fire & Rescue versus the Grants Pass Police Department in the "Battle of the Badges" on Wednesday.

 

The Oregon State Police has jailed a local man for a total of 20 felony-level sex crimes involving juvenile victims. Josephine County Jail records show OSP detectives arrested 42-year-old Timothy James Conway and booked him into the detention facility at 8:19 a.m. today. According to OSP, Conway is charged with 10 counts each of Encouraging Child Sex Abuse in the First Degree and Encouraging Child Sex Abuse in the Second Degree. He is being held without bail. No details of the investigation that led to Conway's arrest have been released. Conway is scheduled to be arraigned in Josephine County Circuit Court on Monday afternoon.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a Kerby man for violating a court order protecting his wife late yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 38-year-old Shayla Bee Sandau for the incident in the 600-block of Glendon Road on Thursday at 6:18 p.m.. Sandau is also known as "Ronald Leonard Sandau." Deputies said Sandau was released from custody earlier in the day after he was arrested for a related incident on Wednesday. He reportedly chased his wife to Redwood Highway where a motorist stopped, intervened and tried to give her a ride. He prevented the woman from entering the vehicle, grabbed the keys out of the ignition and threw them across the highway into a field. Sandau's wife obtained a legal restraining order against her husband shortly after his arrest. He was placed into custody when he returned to their residence. When he refused to stop banging his head on the glass in the patrol vehicle, deputies were forced to place him in a protective body wrap. Sandau was transported to Grants Pass and booked into the Josephine County Jail for Contempt of Court/Restraining Order Violation. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for leading them on two pursuits yesterday -- one in a vehicle and the other on foot. The Police Department reports the first incident occurred at 10:17 a.m. Thursday when they tried to pull over a red sedan driven by 44-year-old Raul Oscar Ortiz near the corner of NE Fairview and Agness avenues. Police said Ortiz was slumped over in a vehicle with an expired registration. They said he evaded them in a pursuit with lights and sirens activated. The pursuit was quickly terminated due to public safety concerns. Later in the day, officers spotted the suspect vehicle near Joe's Bar & Grill in the Grants Pass Shopping Center. Ortiz ran out the back door of the bar and led law enforcement on a foot pursuit that ended in the parking lot of Home Depot. He admitted to fleeing because his license was suspended and a court-ordered ignition interlock device had not been installed on his car. Ortiz was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Attempt to Elude Police. He was being held without bail.