Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on an outstanding warrant following a traffic stop in the downtown area early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a Nissan Frontier driven by 69-year-old James Cecil Black at Safeway in the 100-block of SE 7th Street shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday. Police said they observed Black driving his vehicle north on 7th Street and they knew he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Theft. He was placed into custody without incident. James Black was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on $10,000 bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for attempting to swindle Walmart out of some merchandise yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting complaint involving 58-year-old Stephanie Casten at the store on NE Terry Lane on Tuesday shortly after 3 p.m.. Police said Casten used the "skip-scan" method to intentionally deprive Walmart out of more than $100 worth of its property. They said she passed all points of sale with the stolen items without paying before she was detained by loss prevention. Stephanie Casten was charged with 2nd-Degree Theft. She was cooperative during the incident, so she was cited to appear in court and then released.

 

Grants Pass Police evicted three campers from one city park during a Tuesday morning patrol check. Officers were checking Baker Park early yesterday when they cited Megan Bailey for Illegal Camping and Misuse of Park Open Spaces. Michelle Richardson was cited for Buffer Zone Violation and Public Use of Marijuana. Donald Strunk was cited for Buffer Zone Violation and Misuse of Open Spaces. Bailey, Richardson and Strunk were all trespassed from the park for 30 days.

 

The Ashland Police Department recently learned of a previously unknown line of duty death that occurred in March 1919 and the deceased officer will be honored later this year in Washington, DC, Salem and Jackson County. Ashland Police Officer George Martin Lowe was struck and killed by a train while on foot patrol in the railroad district. He was 54 years old. APD Chief Tighe O'Meara said the incident was brought to his agency's attention by the Officer Collin Rose Foundation, a Michigan-based nonprofit that works to honor officers who have fallen in the line of duty. The department requested that Officer Lowe's name be added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Wall in Washington, DC -- a request that was approved. His name will be added during a ceremony in May of this year. APD has also requested that Lowe's name be added to the state's Wall of Honor at the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training in Salem along with the Jackson County Wall of Honor at Singler Memorial Plaza in Medford between the Courthouse and Jail. Chief O'Meara said the department is in the process of updating its badge as well. He said the bottom of the APD badge contains a panel with stars, one for each officer who has died in the line of duty. A fourth star will be added for Officer Lowe, joining three other stars honoring Samuel Prescott and Victor Knott who both died in 1931, and Malcus Williams who died in 2018.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a convicted sex offender for being out of compliance with his registration requirements early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 50-year-old Eugene Lynn Jenkins, Jr., at Walmart on NE Terry Lane on Tuesday at 3:52 a.m.. Police said Jenkins was contacted in the Walmart parking lot by a patrol officer and he was found to be out of compliance with his sex offender registration conditions since 2022. Eugene Jenkins was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. He was being held without bail. Jail records show Jenkins was out on a conditional release after being arrested on three local warrants on March 1st.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for violating his post-prison supervision after he overdosed on narcotics at a northwest city park this week. The Police Department reports officers arrested 34-year-old Franklin Leroy Lister, III, at Gilbert Creek Park on NW Hawthorne Avenue on Monday afternoon. Police said Lister overdosed on fentanyl at the city park and he was revived with four milligrams of Narcan. Upon the arrival of fire and medical personnel, they said he refused further treatment and transport to the hospital. Lister's corrections officer in Jackson County was contacted and he requested his client be detained. Lister was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Parole Violation and he was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

In an ironic turn of events, a Pacific Power utility vehicle crashed into a power pole and dropped electrical lines across Redwood Highway in Kerby this week. The Oregon State Police reports troopers, the Illinois Valley Fire District, American Medical Response and Pacific Power were dispatched to the single-vehicle mishap near milepost 26 of US Highway 199 on Monday night. Troopers said an investigation indicates 23-year-old Cyrus James Zumstein was driving a Pacific Power utility truck south when he lost control and struck a power pole. The pole was sheared off and both it and electrical lines fell into the highway. The Oregon Department of Transportation was called in to provide traffic control while Pacific Power crews fixed the pole. Redwood Highway traffic was halted during the utility repair operation. According to OSP, the Pacific Power vehicle sustained damage to its body and equipment exceeding $2,500 -- but it was not towed. The driver was employed by Pacific Power and other utility vehicles were on scene at the time of the crash. It was unclear in the report whether any citations were issued.

 

The Grants Pass City Council will hold a second reading on an ordinance designed to regulate services being provided to the unhoused population living in city parks during its regular meeting tonight. The City Council will once again take up the ordinance that amends the Municipal Code by creating a chapter on the regulation of humanitarian service events on publicly-owned property. The first reading passed on a split vote, so a second reading is required before it can be adopted. In another Council Action item, the panel will consider an ordinance repealing the Municipal Code on water curtailment procedures and replacing it in its entirety. As part of the Consent Agenda, the Council is scheduled to consider to submit a grant application for US Homeland Security assistance to purchase self-contained breathing apparatus and six Rapid Intervention Team packs for the fire department. The Council will then convene as the Urban Renewal Agency (URA) in order to form an Urban Renewal Task Force that will be charged with reviewing the status of current and proposed projects before developing a five-year implementation strategy that aligns with the adopted URA plan. Also on the agenda is an appointment to the Committee on Public Art. Tonight's meeting begins at 6 in the Grants Pass City Council Chambers at 101 NW A Street.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to hold three public hearings during its weekly business session this morning. The first public hearing is on an ordinance related to meetings of the Board of Commissioners, the second hearing is on an ordinance related to the Finance Department and the third hearing is related to the Unified Board of Appeals. All the hearings are on first readings of the ordinances, with the second readings and possible adoptions tentatively set for March 20th. Under Administrative Actions, the Board will consider approval of certification of the Ambulance Service Plan for Josephine County including incidents involving mass casualties. As part of the Consent Calendar, the Commissioners are expected to approve a personnel policy revision regarding the Elected Officials Compensation Plan. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.