Local News

The Oregon State Police arrested a Wilderville man for impaired driving and an outstanding warrant last night during a traffic stop on Redwood Highway in the Illinois Valley. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Dodge Ram 2500 driven by 35-year-old Jason Adam Post on US Highway 199 near Finch Road at 10:27 p.m. Wednesday. Troopers said they stopped Post for a traffic violation and he displayed strong signs of impairment. They said he performed poorly in field sobriety tests and was found to have a local warrant for his arrest. He was taken to the Cave Junction Substation where he provided a breath sample that was well over the legal driving limit. Jason Post was then transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Reckless Driving. He was criminally cited to appear in court and released to the Sobering Center staff.

 

Grants Pass Police cited a motorist for two violations after he crashed his vehicle into a light pole on Redwood Highway near Bi-Mart last night. According to the Police Department, officers and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle wreck in the 200-block of US Highway 199 on Wednesday at about 7:20 p.m.. Police said Jason Brisbine was traveling southbound on the highway when he lost control of his vehicle and collided with a city street pole. They said his vehicle continued to travel into the center median of the highway and his airbags deployed. Upon arrival, officers found Brisbine's vehicle facing in the wrong direction with minor to moderate damage. The light pole was damaged and city streets crews were notified. There were no signs of impairment. Brisbine was not injured, but he was cited for Driving While Suspended and No Insurance. He was ordered to report to his corrections officer this morning and his vehicle was towed away.

 

Grants Pass Police evicted three campers from two city parks during patrols performed early yesterday. During a patrol check at Baker Park, Derek Hood and Maria Guerrero were cited for Scattering Rubbish and Misuse of Park Open Spaces. Both were trespassed from the park for 30 days. Officers said a camper identified as "Cummings" had two tents at the park and advised he was getting rid of one of them. Two campers identified as "Pitts" and "Jensen" had trash and items outside their tent and they were warned to clean up the mess. A camper identified as "Hills" also had trash outside her tent and she was given one hour to clean it up. A shopping cart was returned to a local store. During a patrol check at Riverside Park, Patrick Gaither was cited for Misuse of Park Open Spaces and Alcohol in a Park. He was given a 30-day exclusion from the park. A woman identified as "Diana Reynolds" was advised that some of her property had been logged into safekeeping during a recent arrest.

 

Authorities have arrested the suspect in the most recent shooting in Medford that wounded a man on Tuesday. The Medford Police Department and other law enforcement agencies arrested 37-year-old Michael Joseph Gregory Seems on Wednesday afternoon in relation to the shooting that occurred at an apartment complex in the 2100-block of Roberts Road. On Wednesday at about 3:30 p.m., a Medford police detective spotted Seems as a passenger in a vehicle in Medford and followed the vehicle as it got onto Interstate 5 northbound. The detective coordinated responding units and police were able to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle in the City of Gold Hill. According to MPD, the vehicle briefly eluded the traffic stop, but eventually stopped on Lampman Road adjacent to the Rogue River. Seems fled from the vehicle down the embankment and into the river. He became trapped on the rocks, partially in the river, and remained uncooperative with police officers who were negotiating with him to exit the river. Officers were eventually able to rescue the suspect and assist him up the bank where he was placed into custody. Michael Seems was lodged at the Jackson County Jail on multiple felony charges including Attempted Murder and Attempted Assault in the First Degree. All known witnesses and participants in this case have been identified and interviewed. The firearm believed to have been used in the shooting has been recovered. Detectives said the victim in this case is recovering from his injuries. They said the shooting resulted from the victim confronting Seems and two others who were loitering near the back of his apartment. MPD would like to thank members of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Central Point Police Department and Oregon State Police who assisted in the capture of the suspect.

 

A Southern Oregon woman was sentenced in federal court this week for using her deceased husband's identity to unlawfully claim federal student aid. The US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon reports 56-year-old Cynthia Pickering of Central Point was sentenced to 36 months of probation and ordered to pay more than $36,000 in restitution to the US Department of Education. According to court documents, Pickering devised a scheme to use her deceased husband's personally identifiable information to submit multiple applications for federal student aid and enroll her husband at three different universities and colleges in Oregon. These fraudulent applications caused Western Oregon University, Eastern Oregon University and Rogue Community College to disperse $36,341 in federal student aid into Pickering's personal checking account. To conceal her scheme, Pickering attended online classes pretending to be her former husband so that her husband would remain eligible for the student aid. In October 2022, a federal grand jury in Medford returned a nine-count indictment charging Pickering with Wire Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft and Student Loan Fraud. She was arrested at her residence in Central Point on November 15, 2022. In August of this year, Pickering pleaded guilty to three counts of Wire Fraud and three counts of Student Aid Fraud.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man on an outstanding warrant after an early morning patrol check in the north part of the city. The Police Department reports officers contacted and arrested 46-year-old Andrew Burdette Peak near Hays Oil Company on NW Vine Street at 5 a.m. Wednesday. Police said they were on patrol when they spotted Peak who they knew was wanted on a Jackson County warrant for failing to appear in court for Contempt of Court. Andrew Peak was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and was being held pending transfer to the Jackson County Jail in Medford.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on two outstanding warrants at a northeast city residence early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers arrested 28-year-old Allen Totten Behrle at a home in the 100-block of NE B Street on Wednesday at 5:18 a.m.. Police said they observed Behrle and knew him from previous criminal contacts. They said a routine records check revealed that he was wanted on two Medford Police Department warrants for 1st-Degree Theft, 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief and 3rd-Degree Criminal Mischief. After confirming the warrants with MPD, officers placed Allen Behrle into custody and lodged him at the Josephine County Jail.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man this week for causing a disturbance at a north-city motel that was based on the current conflict in the Middle East. The Police Department reports 29-year-old Nishad Vishwas Dawkhar was arrested at the Motel 6 on NE 7th Street around midday Tuesday. Police said Dawkhar was observed at the motel yelling at the manager. They said he was detained by officers and displayed indicators of impairment. Management presented video of the incident showing the suspect claiming that he had a gun and yelling about Hamas. During a consent search, no firearm was located. Nishad Dawkhar was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and he was being held without bail.

 

Applications are now being accepted for an open position on the Grants Pass Parks Advisory Committee. This is a three-year appointment. The purpose of this committee is to review and make recommendations related to the needs and locations of new parkland and trail locations, park planning, allocation of recreation resources between users, preservation of park resources, and funding. The Grants Pass City Council desires to have a balance of viewpoints and demographic representation on the committee including individuals with interest or experience representing athletic leagues, individuals knowledgeable in natural resource preservation, people involved with recurring park events, frequent park users and individuals who use park family-friendly play facilities. 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, January 5th.