Local News

Grants Pass Police jailed a man on an outstanding felony warrant after performing a weekend welfare check at a northwest city park. The Police Department reports officers arrested 35-year-old Kevin James Chapman at Gilbert Creek Park on NW Hawthorne Avenue on Sunday at 4:45 p.m.. Police said a citizen reported that Chapman was down in the bushes near the creek, stumbling around and appearing to be under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. He was located directly across the street from Siskiyou Community Health Center. Officers arrived on scene, determined that Chapman was okay and then discovered that he was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for Parole Violation stemming from past convictions for 4th-Degree Assault, Resisting Arrest and Furnishing False Information to Police. Kevin Chapman was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a local warrant after he tripped a silent alarm while attempting to steal cans from a Dutch Bros stand on the east side of the city. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the alarm at the Dutch Bros on NE Agness Avenue on Sunday around 6:20 a.m.. Police said 29-year-old Kraig Dean Toothman was trying to steal cans from the stand when he tripped the alarm and alerted law enforcement. Employees advised officers they saw the suspect running north toward the Parkway toward AT&T. Officers searched the area and located Toothman at the corner of NE Fairview Avenue and Terry Lane. A records check revealed that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass, so he was placed into custody. Kraig Toothman was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus a new charge of Escape.

 

Grants Pass Police evicted a woman from a city park last weekend after she failed to leave the last time she was trespassed. According to the Police Department, officers contacted 46-year-old Rachel Heather Riddle at Baker Park on Sunday afternoon. Police said they contacted Riddle regarding multiple park violations and quickly learned that she had been trespassed from the park on December 26th. She was placed into custody without incident. Rachel Riddle was lodged in jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass and her Baker Park exclusion was extended for another 30 days.

 

The Josephine County Fair Board will hold its first public meeting of 2024 while addressing mostly routine matters this evening. Following General Public Input when citizens are given three minutes to speak to the Fair Board, the panel will take care of Old Business including reports from the Auction Committee, Facilities Committee, Capital Improvement Committee and Friends of the Fairgrounds. Fairgrounds Director Tamra Martin's report will include a Grounds and Financial Update, and grant approval requests for an arena light switch addition and dirt for the outdoor arena. The 2024 Josephine County Fair is set for August 7th-11th. In other business, Fair Board applicants will be introduced and the panel will decide whether to hold a workshop in February. The next Fair Board meeting is scheduled for February 20th.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office captured a man wanted in connection with a Hog Creek area arson incident following a high-speed pursuit in the Applegate and Williams valleys. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 32-year-old William Wayne Fox after he crashed a Mercury Sable on Cedar Flat Road on Sunday evening. Deputies said Fox was wanted for his role in the incident that occurred in the 4700-block of Galice Road on January 9th. They said he and his 19-year-old girlfriend torched a travel trailer, injured a dog and stabbed a tire on a vehicle before he fled into the woods and escaped law enforcement. His girlfriend was arrested. Fox was spotted by deputies in the 7200-block of Williams Highway on Sunday afternoon and two state troopers joined the pursuit, which reached speeds of more than 90 miles per hour on Highway 238 to Water Gap Road to Cedar Flat Road. That's where he crashed the car and was placed into custody at the point of a Taser. Fox was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 1st-Degree Arson, 1st-Degree Burglary, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Menacing, Felony and Misdemeanor Attempt to Elude Police, and Reckless Driving. He was being held without bail. A woman identified as 68-year-old Teresa Ann Mayo-Brown was arrested at the crash scene and jailed for Hindering Prosecution.

 

Applications are being accepted for an open position on the Grants Pass Historical Buildings & Sites Commission. This position expires on December 7, 2026. This position is for a representative who is the owner of a business located within the Central Business District of the City of Grants Pass. The purpose of the Historical Buildings & Sites Commission (HBSC) is to review proposed alterations to any historic district or designated structure in the Grants Pass Urban Growth Boundary, to promote the community's historic preservation, to advise other interested agencies on matters related to historic preservation, and to identify areas of archaeological significance and buildings of such significance. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age and a resident of the City of Grants Pass. Applications are available at the City Administration Office at 101 NW A Street or online at "grantspassoregon.gov/committee-application." Completed applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, February 2nd. Applications will be reviewed by the HBSC on Thursday, February 8th, and interviewed by the Grants Pass City Council on Monday, March 4th. The City Council will make the appointment at its regular meeting on March 6th.

 

The Grants Pass Parks Division has been working through adverse weather conditions to prepare the parks for the winter and spring seasons. Last week, parks staff focused on horticulture care by pruning shrubs, detailing beds, installing freeze indicator signs on bridges and applying herbicides in between breaks in the rain. Fresh wood chips were added to tree wells at Riverside and Croxton Memorial parks. This organic material will help mitigate weed growth while adding beauty to the parks. Contractors were brought in to remove a fallen tree and two other trees with structural issues as well as to prune some dead branches staff members could not reach at Reinhart Volunteer Park. Staff revamped the restrooms at Morrison Centennial Park with a fresh coat of paint and upgraded energy-efficient LED light fixtures. The restroom at Riverside Park also received some maintenance with two rebuilt vandalized stall doors and replaced tiles. Construction has started for the installation of a Portland Loo restroom at Baker Park. Upon completion, the original bathroom will be demolished.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office captured a man wanted in connection with a Hog Creek area arson incident following a high-speed pursuit in the Applegate and Williams valleys. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 32-year-old William Wayne Fox after he crashed a Mercury Sable on Cedar Flat Road on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.. Deputies said Fox was wanted for his role in the incident that occurred in the 4700-block of Galice Road on January 9th. They said he and his 19-year-old girlfriend torched a travel trailer, injured a dog and stabbed a tire on a vehicle before he fled into the woods and escaped law enforcement. His girlfriend was arrested. Fox was spotted by deputies in the 7200-block of Williams Highway on Sunday afternoon and two state troopers joined the pursuit, which reached speeds of more than 90 miles per hour on Highway 238 to Water Gap Road to Cedar Flat Road. That's where he crashed the car and was placed into custody at the point of a Taser. Fox was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 1st-Degree Arson, 1st-Degree Burglary, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Menacing, Felony and Misdemeanor Attempt to Elude Police, and Reckless Driving. He was being held without bail. A woman identified as 68-year-old Teresa Ann Mayo-Brown was arrested at the crash scene and jailed for Hindering Prosecution. An aggressive, unaltered pit bull mix dog was removed from the vehicle and taken to the Josephine County Animal Shelter. The wrecked car was towed.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for impaired driving after Josephine County sheriff's deputies found him unconscious behind the wheel of a vehicle at a busy intersection near the jail. The Police Department reports deputies found 52-year-old Johnnie Thomas Brown, Jr., passed out in a vehicle at the intersection of NE F Street and Beacon Drive on Saturday at about 12:20 a.m.. Police said an investigation determined that Brown had left a local bar after getting into a physical confrontation with a friend. They said he admitted to drinking alcohol and he displayed several indicators of impairment at the scene. According to the report, Brown refused to take part in field sobriety tests, so a search warrant was obtained and he was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for a blood draw that documented his impairment. Johnnie Brown was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. He was being held without bail and his vehicle was towed to the impound yard.