Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a young camper on an outstanding warrant during a patrol of city parks early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers contacted 18-year-old Alexis Shoesmith at Morrison Centennial Park on Tuesday at about 10:55 a.m.. Police said they determined that Shoesmith was wanted on a local warrant for an unspecified crime. She was placed into custody without incident. Alexis Shoesmith was lodged at the Josephine County Jail, but she was released before the end of the day.

 

Police cited a motorist for three violations after an unusual traffic stop near the Grants Pass Shopping Center. Grants Pass Police pulled over a Jeep Cherokee driven by Patrick Erwin in the 900-block of NE D Street on Monday night. Police said Erwin was observed towing a trailer held together with two straps. The trailer was missing a wheel, so it sent sparks from the rear left axle as it traveled down the street. During contact with Erwin, he told officers he was by himself. However, officers were surprised when they heard a female banging on the walls of the trailer and yelling to be let out. The woman in the trailer stated that she was not being held against her will, but she wanted to make sure she was not left in the trailer. Erwin claimed he strapped the woman in the trailer because that was the only way he could close it. He was ultimately cited for Driving While Suspended, No Insurance and Operation of an Unsafe Vehicle. The Jeep and trailer were towed.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department was actively searching for armed suspects who fled the scene of a shooting last night in the 1400-block of Rogue River Highway. Police on Tuesday night were asking citizens living in the area to shelter in place and to call 9-1-1 immediately if they saw or heard anything suspicious. Police also asked motorists to avoid the area and find alternate routes while Rogue River Highway was temporarily closed for the search and investigation. Officers were searching the area with K-9s. At 3:19 this morning, the Police Department issued an update that the highway had been reopened, but the investigation was continuing and the agency was asking citizens to avoid the area if possible. Anyone with information related to the shooting or the suspects' whereabouts is urged to call the Grants Pass Police Department at (541)-450-6260. Additional information will be released as the investigation continues.

 

One Grants Pass man was killed and another was wounded after a Monday night shooting in Riddle. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said 9-1-1 dispatchers received information about a shooting which had taken place in the area of Main Street and East Third Avenue in Riddle on Monday shortly after 11:30 p.m.. Deputies arrived on scene to learn that one victim -- 20-year-old Devonte Lovell Clark of Grants Pass -- had died at the scene. A second Grants Pass man -- 29-year-old Killian Mavity -- sustained a gunshot wound to the arm. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries. Detectives were seeking information on the whereabouts of 19-year-old Gauge Douglas James Main of Riddle. Main left the scene of the shooting after stealing a silver 2017 Honda Civic four-door sedan bearing Oregon license plate "276 PAT." Main should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who observes the car or Main is urged to call 9-1-1. A booking photo of Main was released per Oregon House Bill 3273. The Douglas County Major Crimes Team is investigating the incident, which is being led by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. The Major Crimes Team consists of investigators from the Sheriff's Office, Roseburg Police Department and Oregon State Police working in consultation with the Douglas County District Attorney's Office.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office has arrested an attempted murder suspect in a weekend shooting in Cave Junction. On Tuesday at 12:28 p.m., deputies located a vehicle of interest from the shooting incident that occurred Sunday afternoon on South Kerby Avenue. Deputies pulled over the vehicle and identified the driver as 21-year-old Jessy J. Forrest of Cave Junction. He was being sought as the suspect in the shooting that seriously injured another man. The victim has not yet been identified. Jessy Forrest was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on charges of Attempted Murder, Felony 1st-Degree Assault and Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon. He was being held without bail pending his court arraignment. According to the Sheriff's Office, the investigation is ongoing and no further details are being released at this time. Undersheriff Travis Snyder said earlier this week that Sunday's shooting did not appear to be related to a double-homicide shooting that occurred Saturday on White Schoolhouse Road.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a Grants Pass man for violating terms of his probation by allegedly attacking his wife this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to a domestic disturbance in the 3200-block of Pearce Park Road on Monday night. Deputies said a male juvenile called 9-1-1 to report that his stepfather -- 39-year-old Anthony Jacob Yates -- assaulted his mother and made her bleed. The child whispered to dispatchers that he had blood on him, too. He also stated that his stepfather had been drinking. Upon arrival, deputies noted that the female victim had a black eye and was bleeding. However, she declined medical treatment. Yates was contacted while lying in bed and highly intoxicated. He was placed into custody without incident. Anthony Yates was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Probation Violation and he was being held on a no-bail detainer. Domestic assault charges were referred to the District Attorney's Office for consideration and prosecution.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for using a tool to steal a baby stroller and other merchandise from Walmart this week. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting complaint involving 39-year-old Rianna Kae Orcutt at the store on NE Terry Lane on Monday afternoon. Police said Orcutt used a set of bolt cutters to cut the cable lock off a child stroller inside Walmart. They said she then loaded the stroller with items from the store, passed all points of sale and exited the business without paying. The total value of the items was more than $1,136 and Orcutt had been trespassed from Walmart in April. The suspect was said to be under the influence of drugs and company policy prevents store workers from contacting impaired suspects, so police placed her into custody as she was loading the items into her vehicle. Rianna Orcutt was booked into the nearby Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Theft, 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief and 1st-Degree Criminal Trespass. The stolen merchandise was returned to Walmart and the bolt cutters were seized as evidence.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for driving his vehicle onto a construction site and causing damage before fleeing the scene. The Police Department reports officers responded to a vandalism complaint at a construction site in the 1900-block of Cloverlawn Drive late Monday afternoon. Police said the property owner reported a male subject in a Chevrolet Silverado pickup drove onto his development, ran into the footing and stem walls, and got stuck. They said the suspect was rude to construction workers, refused to provide any information and left the scene as soon as he became unstuck. Officers tracked the suspect vehicle to a home on Saradan Lane where they contacted 75-year-old Michael John Blank. Blank admitted to driving onto the construction site and offered to pay for damages, which were more than $2,000. He also admitted to knowing that his driving privileges had been suspended. Michael Blank was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Driving While Revoked, Felony 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief and Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage.

 

Make fishing part of your Thanksgiving Weekend plans with friends and family. Everyone can fish, clam and crab for free in Oregon on Friday and Saturday. No fishing or shellfish licenses or tags are required on November 24th and 25th. Both Oregon residents and nonresidents can fish for free. All other fishing regulations apply including closures, bag limits and size restrictions. See the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for rules and remember to check for any in-season regulation changes at the Recreation Report, especially for salmon and steelhead. For beginners, Easy Angling Oregon is a great guide to getting started fishing in Oregon. If you live near Portland, Bend, Medford, Roseburg or in Lane County, there are lots of nearby options. Currently, crabbing is open in bays, beaches, estuaries, tide pools, piers and jetties along the entire Oregon coast. Crabbing is closed in the ocean due to the annual closure from October 16th-November 30th each year. As of mid-November, there were some razor clamming closures along the coast -- but these may change by Thanksgiving Weekend, so check before you go.