Local News

Grants Pass Police Arrested One, Cited Three & Evicted All in City Park Patrols
Grants Pass Police arrested one person, cited three people and evicted all of them during city park patrols on Tuesday. During a patrol check at Baker Park, officers contacted 61-year-old Timothy Teige and discovered that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for Criminal Trespass. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail and trespassed from the park for 30 days. Alyssa Moran was cited for Illegal Camping, Unlawful Utilization of Space and Possession of Fentanyl. She was trespassed from the park for the next month. A large amount of trash was collected and taken to Southern Oregon Sanitation. During a patrol check at Morrison Centennial Park, a person identified only as "Teal" was cited for Buffer Zone Violation and Unlicensed Dog while a person identified only as "Dixon" was warned for Buffer Zone Violation. Teal was issued a 30-day exclusion. Also at Morrison Centennial Park, Cierra Lokken was cited for Driving While Suspended and No Insurance. She was trespassed from the park for 30 days.
Posted on 12/6/23 12:31PM by Sam Marsh
 

Authorities Investigating Another Shooting in Medford that Wounded One Person
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The Medford Police Department is investigating yet another shooting in which a person was wounded yesterday. MPD and other law enforcement agencies responded to a Tuesday shooting at an apartment complex located on the northwest corner of Roberts Road and North Keene Way. As a precaution, North Medford High School was temporarily locked down. The single victim was transported to a local hospital where they were listed in stable condition. According to a 3:30 p.m. update, law enforcement agencies had concluded the area search in east Medford and the suspect had not been located. The investigation is continuing. MPD detectives said they can confirm that this incident is not related to the recent shootings that left two men dead at an apartment complex on Highgate Street and another man wounded outside Buffalo Wild Wings on Delta Waters Road.
Posted on 12/6/23 6:16AM by Sam Marsh
 

GPPD Apprehended Out-of-State Fugitive Wanted for Murder and Other Felonies
The Grants Pass Police Department has apprehended a fugitive from out-of-state who is wanted for murder and other felony-level crimes. Josephine County Jail records show Grants Pass police officers arrested and lodged 36-year-old Rick Eric Braton Lester on Monday night. The Grants Pass Police Log made no mention of the incident in its daily report, but Lester was lodged on charges including Fugitive from Another State, Aggravated Murder, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, 1st-Degree Robbery, 1st-Degree Burglary and Felony Probation Violation. No other details were available, but Lester was being held without bail pending extradition proceedings that will send him back to the unspecified state to face those charges.
Posted on 12/6/23 6:15AM by Sam Marsh
 

GP Police Apprehended Man Wanted for Committing Domestic Violence in Bend
Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted for allegedly committing domestic violence in Central Oregon. The Police Department reports officers arrested 47-year-old Brett Christopher Zacha in the 1,000-block of NW Hawthorne Avenue on Monday evening. Police said the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office requested assistance in locating Zacha who was wanted on a felony warrant for Domestic Strangulation, Domestic 4th-Degree Assault and Domestic Menacing. The Bend Police Department advised that Zacha had fled the area and was now living with his father in Grants Pass. Officers confirmed with a Hawthorne Avenue neighbor that Zacha was living at that address and driving a 2021 Ford Ranger pickup before moving in and making the arrest. Brett Zacha was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the outside warrant. He was being held without bail pending transfer to the Deschutes County Jail in Bend.
Posted on 12/6/23 6:13AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Incarcerated Man for Throwing Rocks at Vehicles on Redwood Highway
Grants Pass Police arrested a man for throwing rocks at vehicles on Redwood Highway this week. According to the Police Department, officers responded to multiple reports of a disturbance involving 29-year-old Jonathan Daniel Mahoney on US Highway 199 near Henderson Lane on Monday morning. Police said they arrived on scene to find Mahoney standing in the highway median and throwing rocks at vehicles. They said the suspect grabbed a large rock and hit the driver-side door and window of a woman's Chevrolet Suburban, shattering the window. The female employee of Henderson's Lineup was shaken but not injured. Based on the large number of calls that came in to the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center, it was determined that Mahoney's actions caused a great deal of public alarm. Jonathan Mahoney was placed into custody and booked into the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief and 2nd-Degree Disorderly Conduct. He was being held without bail.
Posted on 12/6/23 6:11AM by Sam Marsh
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OSP Cited GP Motorist Claiming to be 'Sovereign Citizen' for Running Red Light
The Oregon State Police cited a Grants Pass motorist who claimed to be a "sovereign citizen" for running a red light near the downtown area this week. According to OSP, state troopers pulled over a vehicle driven by Brian Markl for the traffic violation at the intersection of NW 6th Street and Evelyn Avenue on Monday afternoon. Markl initially refused to roll down his window and started recording the contact. Troopers said Brian Markl had license plates on his vehicle indicating he was a "sovereign citizen." Upon contact with him, he stated that he was traveling and did not need a driver's license. He was able to produce an identification card and he did have valid insurance on the vehicle. Markl was cited for Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device, and he was warned for No Operator's License and Expired Registration. He was advised that the warnings were issued because he was "misinformed" and was being given "an opportunity to remediate."
Posted on 12/6/23 6:09AM by Sam Marsh
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BCC to Decide Library Withdrawal Request and Create Law Enforcement District
The Josephine County Commissioners will find themselves in the unusual position of considering a requested withdrawal from the local library district during their weekly business session this morning. The Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing in the matter of withdrawing a property from the Josephine Community Library District. The property is owned by the Mike & Winnie Pelfrey Family Trust. Since the establishment of the district, dozens of properties have been annexed into the district and none have opted out. Under Administrative Actions, the Board is expected to approve an order declaring the results of the November election final and forming the Josephine County Law Enforcement District, which passed by a margin of just 299 votes. Commissioners will also consider an order revising a current purchasing policy. The Board will open the meeting with its monthly recognition of employees and by presenting Oregon State Marine Board Life Saving Awards. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.
Posted on 12/6/23 6:01AM by Sam Marsh
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SOU Laboratory of Anthropology Receives National Recognition for History Preservation
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The Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) has received an award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its collaborative work with other agencies on the Chinese Diaspora Project. The Chinese Diaspora Project is a wide-ranging effort to research and document the lives of Oregon's early Chinese immigrants. SOULA and other entities collaborating on the project received the National Trust Historic Preservation (NTHP) Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation during a recent conference in Washington, DC. The NHTP is a privately-funded nonprofit organization that works to save historic places nationwide and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is an independent federal agency -- the two entities partner in presenting the award. SOULA works on the ongoing project with agencies including Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon State Parks, Oregon Historical Society and the Portland Chinatown Museum. Researchers are using local history and public archaeology to challenged dated stereotypes and highlight the transnational lives of the Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans who helped establish the early infrastructure and economic industries of Oregon.
Posted on 12/6/23 6:00AM by Sam Marsh
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Southwest Oregon Logging Firms Recognized for Protecting Local Natural Resources
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A Roseburg-based logging company has been chosen as Forest Operator of the Year for Southwest Oregon. An Oregon Department of Forestry regional advisory committee selected Plikat Logging, Inc., earlier this fall. The firm and two other recipients representing Northwest and Eastern Oregon will be recognized in Salem in January. The award recognizes forest operators who -- while harvesting timber or doing other forestry work -- protect natural resources at a level that consistently meets or goes above and beyond requirements of the Oregon Forest Practices Act. The law requires people to manage forests responsibly, protect steams, water quality and habitat, and reduce landslide risk. Two other Southern Oregon logging firms were given an Award of Merit. They are Roseburg-based Weber Logging and Construction for consistent employment of innovative logging technology in steep-slope areas to protect fish-bearing streams and minimize soil disturbance, and Don Hamman, Inc., of Butte Falls for assisting small landowners in urban-adjacent, high-visibility areas with thinning to reduce wildfire risk.
Posted on 12/6/23 5:57AM by Sam Marsh
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GP Broadcasting Offers Remote Holiday Cam for Downtown Christmas Tree Viewing
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A 44-foot-tall Christmas tree was installed this week at SW 5th and H streets in downtown Grants Pass and it's being decorated for the holiday season. 5th Street between G Street and the alley are closed until January 2nd as the area becomes the "Grants Pass Holiday Plaza." A special tree-lighting ceremony will take place on Friday at 7 p.m.. That evening, G Street between 4th and 6th streets will also be closed from 3 to 10:30 p.m. in the interest of public safety. Between now and Friday, the tree decorating will be ongoing, so feel free to come downtown and see the process. If you can't make it, the Grants Pass Broadcasting Holiday Cam is now up on the main page of KAJO.com, KLDR.com and KRRM.com so you can watch the event remotely.
Posted on 12/6/23 5:54AM by Sam Marsh
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BCC to Decide Library Withdrawal Request & Create Law Enforcement District
The Josephine County Commissioners will find themselves in the unusual position of considering a requested withdrawal from the local library district during their weekly business session on Wednesday. The Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing in the matter of withdrawing a property from the Josephine Community Library District. The property is owned by the Mike & Winnie Pelfrey Family Trust. Since the establishment of the district, dozens of properties have been annexed into the district and none have opted out. Under Administrative Actions, the Board is expected to approve an order declaring the results of the November election final and forming the Josephine County Law Enforcement District, which passed by a margin of just 299 votes. Commissioners will also consider an order revising a current purchasing policy. The Board will open the meeting with its monthly recognition of employees and by presenting Oregon State Marine Board Life Saving Awards. Wednesday's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.
Posted on 12/5/23 1:07PM by Sam Marsh
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GP Police Collared Man Wanted for Committing Domestic Violence in Bend
Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted for allegedly committing domestic violence in Central Oregon late yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 47-year-old Brett Christopher Zacha at a home in the 1,000-block of NW Hawthorne Avenue on Monday at 5:16 p.m.. Police said the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office requested assistance in locating Zacha who was wanted on a felony warrant for Domestic Strangulation, Domestic 4th-Degree Assault and Domestic Menacing. The Bend Police Department advised that Zacha had fled the area and was now living with his father in Grants Pass. Officers confirmed with a Hawthorne Avenue neighbor that Zacha was living at that address and driving a 2021 Ford Ranger pickup before moving in and making the arrest. Brett Zacha was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the outside warrant. He was being held without bail pending transfer to the Deschutes County Jail in Bend.
Posted on 12/5/23 11:32AM by Sam Marsh
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