Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on an outstanding warrant after a report of a potential prowler in a Redwood area neighborhood late yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a report of suspicious activity in the 1600-block of Leonard Road on Thursday around 5:30 p.m.. Police said a resident called 9-1-1 to report a possible burglary in progress at his neighbor's home. The caller advised that a male subject was walking around his neighbor's yard while carrying a shovel. The suspect was associated with a Ford Expedition, which had no identifying signs as a landscaping business. Upon contact with the 53-year-old man, it was discovered that he was wanted on a Jackson County felony warrant for Probation Violation related to an arrest for Possession of Methamphetamine. He was placed into custody and lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail. The suspect told police he was doing yard work for the homeowner and had a key for the house. Officers were unsuccessful in trying to reach the homeowner, so they seized the key for safekeeping.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for causing a disturbance in a downtown area neighborhood yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to a report of suspicious activity in the 400-block of SW J Street on Thursday at about 2:30 p.m.. Police said the 36-year-old man went to several residences in the area and yelled at the residents, stating that he was going to kill them. He also antagonized several dogs. No one was hurt, but the man's violent behavior caused public alarm. The suspect was contacted and placed into custody for Disorderly Conduct. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail where he was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for stealing a vehicle that he claims he purchased legally. According to the Police Department, officers made the arrest and recovered the blue minivan at WinCo Foods on NE Terry Lane at 2:47 p.m. Thursday. Police said they first spotted the stolen vehicle in the northbound lanes of the Grants Pass Parkway near NE F Street. They said the minivan had been reported stolen by the Josephine County Sheriff's Office. After following the suspect into the WinCo parking lot, officers detained the male driver and identified him. He claimed to have purchased the vehicle from the son of the registered owner, but he did not have any paperwork or phone records to back up that claim and officers were unable to reach the registered owner. Due to the circumstances, the suspect was issued a citation for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and ordered to appear in court. He was released from custody and the stolen minivan was hauled away by Bulldog Towing.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested an Illinois Valley man for impaired driving late last night following a traffic stop near Cave Junction. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Nissan Titan driven by a 60-year-old Cave Junction man at the intersection of Redwood Highway and Laurel Road on Thursday at 10:58 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the truck after observing multiple traffic violations. The driver displayed signs of impairment and performed poorly in field sobriety tests, so he was transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was more than twice the legal driving limit. The suspect was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving before being handed off to Sobering Center staff. His vehicle was impounded by Jerry's Towing.

 

A month-long undercover operation to identify adults victimizing children online has led to the arrests of six suspects throughout Oregon. The Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team (SOCET) joint interagency task force conducted the operation to identify and arrest dangerous cyber-predators who are using the internet to meet local children to have sex. The SOCET-led operation consisted of undercover law enforcement officers posing online as minors, waiting for suspects to proposition them into having sexual relations. Even after the acknowledgement of the child's age, the suspects sent sexually explicit messages, photos and detailed requests for illegal activities. From January 30th-March 13th, the arrestees were identified as 29-year-old Gabriel Harrison-Swinden of White City, 57-year-old Kelly Ramsey of Central Point, 33-year-old Eugene Buckner of Tigard, 25-year-old Cayden Vasquez of Medford, 41-year-old Andrew Jones of Milwaukie and 66-year-old Steven Newstrom of Redmond. This complex undercover operation involved dozens of law enforcement agencies including detectives, investigators and support staff. SOCET believes the suspects may have other victims. If you have additional information, please call the Jackson County Sheriff's Office Tip Line at (541)-774-8333.

 

A rollover crash near Fish Hatchery Park this week sent a motorist to the hospital with moderate injuries. Late Wednesday afternoon, Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to the single-vehicle wreck in the 2600-block of Fish Hatchery Road. Rural Metro officials said rescue crews took over care of the driver from several Good Samaritans who had stopped to help. The unidentified motorist was taken by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment. No one else was hurt. The crash also sheared off a power pole at that location, but the power lines did not come down. Traffic control was provided during the incident that was transferred over to Pacific Power crews to conduct repairs. Scattered power outages in the Fish Hatchery area were reported by customers that night before full electrical service was restored. It was unclear in the Rural Metro report whether law enforcement was conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman on four outstanding warrants early yesterday after she turned herself in at the police department. According to the report, officers were alerted to a female subject at the GPPD headquarters on NE 7th Street shortly after 5 a.m. Thursday. Police said the 44-year-old woman arrived in the vestibule, told officers she was wanted on two warrants each out of Josephine and Klamath counties, and asked to be placed into custody. Two warrants were confirmed out of Josephine County for two counts of failing to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. Two more warrants were confirmed out of Klamath County for failing to appear in court for DUII and Criminal Driving While Revoked. The female suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail in lieu of posting $30,000 bail.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on a local felony warrant during an early morning patrol check in the north part of the city. According to the Police Department, officers arrested the 49-year-old man at the intersection of NE 7th Street and Midland Avenue on Thursday at 4:20 a.m.. Patrol officers said they observed the man who was known to them from previous law enforcement encounters. They ran his information through dispatch and there was a valid Grants Pass felony warrant for failing to appear in court for 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief. After the warrant was confirmed, the suspect was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on $25,000 bail. He was still in custody this morning.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass man for drug possession after an early morning traffic stop on Interstate 5. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Chevrolet C-150 pickup driven by a 61-year-old man in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 59 on Thursday at 12:34 a.m.. Troopers said they stopped the motorist for a traffic violation. Upon contact, they said he pulled out his wallet to grab his driver's license and they noticed a small bag fall out of his pocket with what appeared to be drug paraphernalia inside. According to OSP, the driver admitted that the observed narcotics were less than two grams of methamphetamine. He was cited to appear in court for the narcotics violation. The meth and associated drug paraphernalia were seized for destruction.