Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested two men allegedly involved in the attempted weekend theft of hundreds of dollars' worth of merchandise from Walmart. The Police Department reports officers responded to the theft complaint at the big box retailer on NE Terry Lane on Friday around 6:30 p.m.. Police said a 57-year-old man filled a tote with nearly $1,200 worth of items and walked past all points of sale at Walmart. They said the man fled when confronted by loss prevention and left the stolen items behind. He was last seen climbing into a Chevrolet Silverado pickup driven by another man. The license plate was seen. Following an investigation, officers tracked down the suspects at a home in the 900-block of SE Grandview Avenue. The 47-year-old driver was detained after he exited the back door of the home and the theft suspect was found inside the house. After both suspects admitted to being at Walmart, the older man was charged with Felony 1st-Degree Theft and the younger man was charged with Driving While Suspended. Both suspects were also trespassed from Walmart. Officers said the license plate on the Silverado belonged to a GMC Sierra. It was seized and the investigation was continuing.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man who tried to run away from a traffic stop after it was determined that he was wanted on a local felony warrant. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a vehicle driven by a 39-year-old man near the Duck Parking Lot at SE 7th and G streets on Friday. Police said they stopped the man for a traffic violation and he refused to identify himself. After stepping into traffic to get away, he was advised that he was not free to leave. The man continued to walk away and would not stop, but he surrendered after additional officers arrived to assist. Now they know why he attempted to flee. The male subject was found to be wanted on a Medford felony warrant for Unlawful Manufacture and Delivery of a Schedule 2 Controlled Substance. The suspect was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the no-bail warrant. Charges of Disorderly Conduct and Escape were referred to the District Attorney's Office for consideration. He was being held without bail.

 

A Grants Pass man who is no stranger to the Josephine County Jail found himself there once again after an incident in the downtown area. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a complaint involving the 20-year-old man near the corner of NW 6th and D streets on Friday afternoon. Police said a motorist called 9-1-1 to report a young male subject walking in the middle of the street while pretending to be directing traffic. The caller said they were afraid the man was going to be hit by a vehicle. Officers arrived on scene, identified the suspect and placed him into custody. He was said to be highly intoxicated, but the Sobering Center refused to take him. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct. He was being held without bail due to his frequent criminal offenses.

 

The Grants Pass City Council will combine its bi-weekly workshop and regular meeting today. Wednesday night's regular meeting has been canceled. The City Council will open the workshop with discussions on public safety funding, a fire district and a food & beverage tax. Also on the workshop agenda is a motion from the Tourism Advisory Committee as well as an agenda review for future workshops and meetings. During a Special City Council Meeting, the Council will hold a public hearing on annexing property located at 2000 SW Bridge Street, and make appointments to the Bikeways & Walkways Committee and the Urban Tree Advisory Committee. The Consent Agenda contains a resolution renaming the Josephine City/County Solid Waste Agency and several motions that may be approved with a single vote. Following the meeting, Mayor Sarah Bristol will convene a Special Meeting in Executive Session. The closed-door session is being held for labor negotiations. Today's workshop begins at 11:45 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.

 

Construction is underway at the Illinois Valley branch library in Cave Junction. Josephine Community Library leaders and partners broke ground last week on the Illinois Valley Library Renovation Project. Those in attendance included people from the Library District, Library Foundation, City of Cave Junction, Ausland Group, and ZCS Engineering and Architecture. Library leaders have worked with ZCS since 2021 to plan the project, which will expand the library on West Palmer Street from 4,264 to 5,764 square feet and add a seismic retrofit, new roof and energy-efficient fixtures. Ausland Group won the public construction bid to complete the project that includes a new community room with a teaching kitchen, an early learning center and maker space, and an outdoor recreation area. The Illinois Valley Library Renovation is funded by a Community Development Block Grant through the City of Cave Junction, American Rescue Plan Act funds, a 2021 Crowdfund campaign, and private grants from additional organizations. The IV Library is currently closed for the remodel. Community members are asked to visit one of the other library branches in Josephine County for computer access, WiFi, programs and browsing. Temporary services are available at the Illinois Valley Senior Center at 520 River Street in Cave Junction. Construction is scheduled to be completed in the fall of this year with a community grand opening and celebration to follow.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters logged a busy week protecting the community. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 843 calls for service along with 249 officer-initiated calls that resulted in 31 arrests, 28 citations, 54 warnings and six highly intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 76 traffic stops in the city and made 21 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS). The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) contacted a total of 153 potential trouble-makers while citing 24 people and warning 36 others. The CRT unit also trespassed nine individuals, posted 91 transient camps and removed trash from five campsites. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 75 calls last week including 40 for emergency medical service, two for reports of fire or smoke, nine lift assists, eight rescue situations, four assists to other agencies and three false alarms. The 9-1-1 Dispatch Center fielded a total of 947 emergency calls.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department is congratulating two new officers who graduated from the Oregon Public Safety Academy on Friday. Officer Darron O'Donnell and Officer Ben Glaeser graduated from the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) in Salem. GPPD Chief Warren Hensman and other local officials proudly looked on as both officers marched across the stage at the academy to receive their certificates. Both O'Donnell and Glaeser have returned to Grants Pass to begin their field training to become patrol officers. Chief Hensman encourages the community to congratulate the new officers on their accomplishments and wish them well as they enter their careers of service for the City of Grants Pass.

 

A Wolf Creek man has been arrested and lodged in the Douglas County Jail on a number of charges including kidnapping after an incident in the Glendale area. On Thursday shortly after 1 p.m., 9-1-1 dispatchers in Douglas County received a call from a man who said his mother had been taken against her will. The victim was able to send information to her son, which he relayed to law enforcement. Deputies learned the male suspect -- 35-year-old Richard Goodin of Wolf Creek -- was in a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup which had been reported stolen earlier in the day. During the investigation, the victim was able to get away and called 9-1-1 which allowed deputies to get an approximate location of the suspect. Deputies converged on the area, located Goodin and placed him into custody without further incident. Douglas County Sheriff's Lieutenant Brad O'Dell said the unidentified victim was located and taken to safety. Richard Goodin was lodged at the jail in Roseburg for suspicion of 2nd-Degree Kidnapping, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle and Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man this week for attempting to cash a forged check at a downtown business. The Police Department reports officers arrested the 61-year-old man at ACE Cash Express on SE 7th Street on Thursday evening. Police said the man tried to cash a personal check for $1,800 that had been altered to appear it was addressed to him. A clerk at the business was suspicious, called law enforcement and stalled the suspect at the service window until officers were able to arrive on scene. Upon arrival, officers placed the man into custody and then discovered that he was wanted on a statewide felony warrant for Parole Violation related to a past assault conviction. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 1st-Degree Forgery. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.