Local News

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters logged a busy week of activity while protecting the community. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 604 calls for service along with 296 officer-initiated calls that resulted in 50 arrests, 32 citations, 85 warnings and five highly intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers made a total of 115 traffic stops in the city and they made 27 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services. The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) made contact with a total of 170 potential troublemakers while arresting four people, citing 51 more and warning 30 others. The CRT unit also trespassed 32 individuals, posted 100 transient camps and removed trash from five campsites. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 97 calls last week including 43 for emergency medical service, three reports of fire or smoke, 14 lift assists, seven rescue situations, eight assists to other agencies and four false alarms. The 9-1-1 Dispatch Center fielded a total of 1,025 emergency calls last week in addition to 664 calls for non-emergency service.

 

Work has commenced on a community effort to reduce hazardous fuels left behind by the 2020 Almeda Fire along the Bear Creek Greenway. The project aims to clear dry, woody material on the ground, address standing dead trees, and improve access for fire and natural resource restoration personnel. It started on publicly-owned lands along the Greenway between Ashland and Talent, extending northward toward Phoenix later this year. Scheduled work on the Talent Greenway section is expected around April 22nd, involving cutting, clearing and burning debris. This collaborative effort involves the cities of Ashland, Talent and Phoenix as well as Jackson County. It's being funded by the Oregon State Fire Marshal Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant Program. Managed by The Freshwater Trust and under contract with Jackson County, the project will necessitate limited closures of the Greenway path for user safety. For updates and temporary closure information, please visit the Jackson County Parks website at "jacksoncountyor.gov/departments/parks/greenway."

 

The Bureau of Land Management is thrilled to introduce Serena Richelle as the 2024 Artist-in-Residence at the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Richelle is a gifted scientific illustrator. She combines science and art to raise awareness about the relationships that exist between species, their importance, their endangerment and what we can do to preserve them. The prestigious Artist-in-Residence program invites talented creators to immerse themselves in the breathtaking natural beauty of the monument and create works that celebrate its unique landscapes, wildlife and cultural heritage. Richelle will spend two weeks in the local monument this spring. She'll be surrounded by the lush forests, rugged mountains and pristine waters that define this remarkable landscape. Serena will have the opportunity to explore the monument, sketch, paint and create in an environment that inspires creativity. As part of her residency, Richelle will host a public presentation. Additional details about the presentation will be available in the coming weeks.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department and Oregon State Police teamed up early yesterday to apprehend a man wanted for numerous local crimes and outstanding warrants. The Police Department reports officers and troopers arrested 27-year-old Nathan Garrett Franks outside the Lucky Duck tavern on NW 6th Street on Friday at about 1:30 a.m.. Police said state troopers spotted the suspect at the Lucky Duck. They said he was wanted on warrants and known to elude aggressively when contacted. As a plan for contact was being made, he exited the tavern and got into a Ford Ranger pickup. Franks was pinned in by GPPD and OSP patrol vehicles. When he tried to flee out the passenger side of his truck, he was Tased by troopers before being successfully placed into custody. He was checked out by medics at the scene, but refused to be transported to the hospital. Franks was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail without bail on a total of 18 charges including 2019 and 2023 warrants for Parole Violation, three counts of Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage and Driving While Suspended. Other charges added to his criminal bill include an out-of-state fugitive warrant, six counts of Attempt to Elude Police, three counts of Reckless Endangering Highway Workers, Reckless Driving, 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief and Suspended Driving.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed two felons this week for breaking into the home of a deceased person in the Wilderville area. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 30-year-old Ryan Scott Crisel and 28-year-old Raymond Wayne Satterfield for the incident at a home in the 11,400-block of Redwood Highway on Thursday night. Deputies said a neighbor called a family member of the deceased and reported that a bunch of people were inside the residence and stealing things after the two men kicked in a door. The caller advised that no one was supposed to be there except family members and a friend of the decedent who was granted permission to pick up some property. Upon arrival, deputies contacted the two suspects and placed them into custody. Crisel and Satterfield were transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on charges of 1st-Degree Burglary and 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. Both were being held without bail. Crisel was found to be wanted on 2022 and 2023 warrants for crimes including Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Burglary, Theft and Driving While Suspended. Satterfield was additionally charged with Felony Parole Violation stemming from a previous criminal conviction.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for breaking into a vehicle outside Southern Oregon Goodwill early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a report of suspicious activity in the parking lot of the store in the Grants Pass Shopping Center at 1:55 a.m. Friday. Police said the 42-year-old man was observed by a nearby resident breaking into a parked vehicle by shattering the passenger window. Arriving officers found him inside the vehicle and placed him into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle and 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was being held without bail. Officers said the suspect admitted that he did not own a pink Razor scooter he had arrived on, but refused to speak about where it came from. The scooter was placed into found property.

 

The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded more than 1,000 emergency calls in the past week. According to its Week in Review post on Facebook, the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center reported receiving 1,025 calls for service between April 4th and April 10th. The Grants Pass Police Department received the vast majority of the emergency calls with 898 followed by American Medical Response with 275 and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue with 97. Rural Metro Fire Department received 52 calls over the past week, the Illinois Valley Fire District received 24, Williams Rural Fire Protection District received seven, Wolf Creek Fire Protection District received four and the Oregon Department of Forestry got one. Dispatchers reported receiving 438 internal phone calls and making 517 outbound calls. We thank our communications team for working diligently every day and providing excellent service to the citizens of Grants Pass and Josephine County.

 

The White City Community Action Team of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office teamed up with nonprofits, businesses and local kids last week to clean up graffiti and trash in White City. The cleanup effort is part of White Mountain Middle School's Project GRACE, which stands for "Graffiti Removal Achieving Community Empowerment." Project GRACE plans on these cleanups to be more frequent to maintain the cleanliness and safety of the White City community. Project GRACE collaborates with the Sheriff's Office, Jackson County District Attorney's Office, Community Justice, local police agencies, nonprofits and businesses for this graffiti abatement initiative in White City. As graffiti becomes more prevalent, the group acts to get rid of it, stop it from occurring, and maintain the cleanliness and safety of local neighborhoods. Project GRACE plans to have another White City cleanup event on April 24th. For more information, call (541)-324-1079.

 

Southern Oregon University will receive a big portion of the funding awarded by the Legislature for statewide government entity capital projects in 2024. SOU will get $6 million for ongoing upgrades to its on-campus Central Hall and nearly $667,000 to build a master's degree program in mental health counseling. In a press release, SOU President Rick Bailey said that lawmakers' funding decisions are "pivotal" not only for the university, but for the "entire Southern Oregon region." He said the funding is proof that SOU is reaping the benefits of working closely with local delegates of the Oregon Legislature. In addition to the $666,667 granted by the Legislature during its recent short session, the university secured an additional $1.8 million last month from the Oregon Health Authority to expand its master's degree program. SOU will use the grant to increase the program capacity from 40 to 60 students. There is a critical shortage of mental health caregivers throughout Oregon and SOU is confident that by expanding its program the university will help to solve the problem. SOU's Central Hall upgrade is the only one of seven public Oregon universities to receive funding for a capital project.