Local News

The Medford Police Department confirms that they're one month into investigating allegations that a former employee of Southern Oregon's largest hospital stole medication from patients, resulting in an untold number with "adverse" outcomes. In a Wednesday afternoon press release, MPD shared few other details and declined to verify explosive allegations reported by KOBI-5 News in Medford late last week that confidential sources said eight to 10 patients who were treated at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center may have died after an employee they identified as a nurse allegedly stole controlled substances -- specifically fentanyl -- and replaced it with non-sterile tap water that was then administered to patients. The Oregonian reports tap water may have led to patients' fatal infections, the sources were quoted as saying. Medford Police Lieutenant Geoff Kirkpatrick declined to comment on any of those allegations, including whether the "controlled substances" believed to have been stolen was fentanyl, the number of patients affected and whether any patients had died. Kirkpatrick said police began looking into what might have happened at the hospital after Asante contacted them with information about potential crimes. Kirkpatrick asked for the community's patience as police investigate. He said police have received "numerous calls" from community members asking if they or their family members were affected by the theft of medications. The hospital didn't respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Police, however, said the hospital "has informed MPD that they have identified the involved patients and have notified or are in the process of notifying them or their families."

 

The Oregon State Police jailed a Grants Pass man for violating his post-prison supervision and several other crimes after he led troopers on a short pursuit while driving impaired this week. OSP reports troopers attempted to stop a GMC Sierra driven by 39-year-old Mark Alan Grater on Jerome Prairie Road near Stringer Gap Road late Tuesday night. Troopers said they tried to stop Grater for traffic violation, but he refused to yield for about half-a-mile before parking at a residence in the 2600-block of Demaray Drive. They said he was initially hostile and failed to obey commands. He was placed into custody after displaying several signs of impairment. According to OSP, Grater had a long-barreled hunting rifle in plain sight in the back of the pickup. A records check revealed that he was a convicted felon who had absconded on his parole and had a felony warrant for his arrest. Ammunition and restricted weapons were found on his person and in his truck. Grater was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw that documented his impairment. He was then lodged at the Josephine County Jail for two counts each of Felon in Possession of a Weapon and Reckless Driving plus single counts of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Felony Attempt to Elude Police and Felony Parole Violation. Mark Grater was being held on a no-bail detainer. His pickup and a dog were left in the custody of a family member at the Demaray Drive residence.

 

A Grants Pass man was jailed for allegedly subjecting his wife to offensive physical contact at a home in the downtown area this week. The Police Department reports officers responded to a domestic disturbance in the 400-block of SW I Street on Tuesday morning. Police said the wife of 44-year-old Kristoffer Ryan Schattschneider call 9-1-1 to report that her husband threw water on her while she was sleeping in bed, had argued with her that morning and she was afraid he was going to hurt her. The victim stated he had been physical with her in the past and she was frightened. Upon arrival, officers interviewed both parties as well as the suspect's 22-year-old son before placing the suspect into custody. Kristoffer Schattschneider was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Domestic Harassment and he was being held without bail.

 

Emergency agencies responded to a motor vehicle accident on Redwood Highway near Selma early yesterday. On Wednesday at 6:45 a.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District, American Medical Response and Oregon State Police were dispatched to a report of a vehicle into a tree off US Highway 199 just north of Wild Park Lane. Few details were available about the wreck, but IVFD officials said there were no injuries. Redwood Highway traffic was slowed in the area while the scene was active. Officials said OSP was handling the investigation into the cause of the crash.

 

Two Jackson County sheriff's deputies recently retired on the same day after 25 years of dedicated service to the community. During a late-December ceremony, Jackson County Sheriff Nate Sickler presented Deputy Eric Johnson and Deputy Mike Hermant with a shadow box made by Records Manager Walt Haussner. Deputies Johnson and Hermant also completed their final sign-off with Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon 9-1-1 Dispatch. Both Johnson and Hermant started their careers with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office on May 7, 1998. Both went on to work in Corrections, Patrol and the SWAT Team. Johnson worked for many years as the Bureau of Land Management deputy, patrolling deep in the Jackson County wilderness. Hermant was an Emergency Vehicle Operator Course instructor and he was most recently assigned as a Community Oriented Policing deputy. Thank you to Deputies Eric Johnson and Mike Hermant for 25 years of service to the Jackson County community!

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners will be led by John West in 2024. West was named Board Chair yesterday after the Commissioners voted 2-1 to have him succeed Herman Baertschiger. West nominated himself for the post. Dan DeYoung also nominated himself as Chair, but he was defeated by his colleagues. Baertschiger was then unanimously voted in as Vice-Chair for 2024. DeYoung started the meeting with a point of order, stating that the County Charter calls for the Commissioners to select Chair and Vice-Chair during the first session of each year. It had not been included in the meeting agenda. In the only action item of the meeting, the Board unanimously approved a grant agreement between the Josephine County District Attorney's Office and State of Oregon. The VOCA/CFA grant will pay for additional staffing in the DA's Office to administer the Victims' Assistance Program.

 

Josephine County is making it easier for local merchants to file their annual Business Personal Property Tax returns. Starting this month, the Josephine County Assessor's Office will offer online filing through Smartfile, an integrated solution of Tyler Technologies, Inc.. Business owners and operators received a notice about the move to online filing with their personal property tax statements in October. Businesses will be receiving confidential filing letters containing personal identification numbers in the coming days. Newly sworn-in Assessor Chris Parton said Smartfile will reduce time and money businesses spend filing their annual returns and reduce the department's processing time, which will result in improved customer service and efficiency. For more information and to file online, visit "josephinecounty.gov/smartfile." Those with questions or concerns can call the Assessor's Office at (541)-474-5260.

 

For students considering transferring to a four-year university, Rogue Community College and TRIO are hosting Oregon Transfer Days this month in Medford and Grants Pass. The college transfer fairs will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on January 25th at the Riverside Campus Higher Education Center and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on January 26th at the Redwood Campus Student Center. RCC and TRIO officials said it's an important event for university-bound students. There will be several colleges and universities in attendance to answer questions and provide guidance regarding their transfer processes. Guests will have the chance to meet recruiters and talk about various options and available resources. TRIO programs help low-income individuals, first-generation college students, veterans and people with disabilities. For more information about Oregon Transfer Days, contact Pam Green at "pgreen@roguecc.edu."

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners will be led by John West in 2024. West was named Board Chair today after the Commissioners voted 2-1 to have him succeed Herman Baertschiger. West nominated himself for the post. Dan DeYoung also nominated himself as Chair, but he was defeated by his colleagues. Baertschiger was then unanimously voted in as Vice-Chair for 2024. DeYoung started the meeting with a point of order, stating that the County Charter calls for the Commissioners to select Chair and Vice-Chair during the first session of each year. It had not been included in the meeting agenda. In the only action item of the meeting, the Board unanimously approved a grant agreement between the Josephine County District Attorney's Office and State of Oregon. The VOCA/CFA grant will pay for additional staffing in the DA's Office to administer the Victims' Assistance Program. The Commissioners also unanimously approved the Consent Calendar, which contained minutes from weekly business sessions and legal counsel updates as well as the selection of Dwayne Yunker to succeed Lily Morgan as District 3 State Representative. Morgan recently resigned to become City Manager of Gold Hill. During Requests and Comments from Citizens, the Board heard from several people testifying in support of the Pipe Fork property sale near Williams and one person spoke about gun legislation.