Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for obstructing traffic near Rogue Community College last night. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to the incident involving 39-year-old Daniel Kyle Clark in the 2100-block of Demaray Drive shortly after 9 p.m. on Thursday. Deputies said they received multiple reports of a highly-intoxicated male subject who was stumbling while walking in the roadway. Callers reported the man was nearly hit by several vehicles and he laid down in the road on at least one occasion. One citizen stopped to talk to Clark and he reportedly stated that he was "looking for Selma." Clark was eventually located by deputies and placed into custody. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a motorist for impaired driving after he crashed his vehicle in Merlin early yesterday. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle wreck in the 400-block of Merlin Road right after 7 a.m. Thursday. Deputies said an investigation determined that 70-year-old Ronald Lee Rathjen was driving a Honda while exiting the town when he went off the roadway into a ditch and kept driving until he got to Merlin Community Park. Witnesses said the Honda was all over the road before the crash and Rathjen told deputies he thought he fell asleep at the wheel. He showed multiple signs of impairment, performed poorly in field sobriety tests and was placed into custody. Rathjen was transported to Grants Pass and lodged in jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His vehicle -- which sustained minor damage -- was impounded.

 

Rural Metro Fire Department and the Oregon Department of Forestry were tasked with extinguishing a fire under an overturned and abandoned truck full of trash at a problem property in the North Valley area last night. On Thursday at 6:45 p.m., Rural Metro and ODF crews responded to the incident in the 1,000-block of Plumtree Lane. Rural Metro officials said firefighters had to use the "Jaws of Life" to cut away parts of the vehicle to reach the flames. They said evidence of auto dismantling was observed on the property. Spread to adjacent vegetation was minimal. The property -- often littered with multiple abandoned vehicles, RVs, appliances and miscellaneous debris piles -- has been the site of similar occurrences before, raising significant neighborhood concerns. Officials said paperwork from the follow-up investigation into the incident has been added to the ongoing case led by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

 

Grants Pass parks workers have been busy sprucing up and maintaining city facilities. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, parks staff were busy clearing trails of tall grass and blackberries while trimming trees throughout the system last week. Crews also completed several repairs and upgrades including fixing a fountain and installing bark at the circle near the playground at Reinhart Volunteer Park as well as making significant improvements including plumbing repairs, painting and replacing damaged door vents with a tougher, vandal-resistant style. The City recently acquired a new piece of equipment that efficiently clears and removes small and unwanted debris from the artificial turf on Matti Field at the All Sports Park, which will help maintain a clean and safe playing surface. Two new benches were installed at Redwood Park to provide additional seating for parents and caregivers near the popular playground. The benches were added in direct response to recent feedback requesting more seating at the playground.

 

The Grants Pass Broadcasting Corporation would like to correct a mistake made in a news story that was published on February 24th of this year. In the story, it was correctly reported that Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) arrested two people including 40-year-old Trisha Ann Marry Merk in two separate locations on February 21st. It was incorrectly reported that Merk was found to be in possession of nearly 14 pounds of methamphetamine along with digital scales, a drug ledger, $6,320 in cash and eight firearms on Frederick Court in Cave Junction. She was actually found to be in possession of 13.2 grams of meth, which is a large discrepancy. The Cave Junction resident was formally charged with possessing that amount by the Josephine County District Attorney's Office. The GP Broadcasting Company regrets the inaccuracy in the amount of narcotics seized and apologizes to Merk for the error.

 

Multiple federal, state and local agencies pounced on a small vegetation fire along Redwood Highway on Hayes Hill yesterday. On Thursday at 2:25 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District, Rural Metro Fire Department, Oregon Department of Forestry and US Forest Service were dispatched to the blaze located near Hayes Hill Summit of US Highway 199. Numerous engines and a Type 2 ODF helicopter out of Grants Pass were deployed in an aggressive initial attack. An additional Type 2 helicopter and an air attack plane out of Medford were ordered to bolster the effort. In a 3:50 p.m. update, ODF reported forward progress of the fire had been stopped at an estimated two acres. A few spot fires were found and extinguished while crews engaged in building line and putting water on hot spots. In a final update at 4:10 p.m., ODF reported the fire had been GPS-mapped at two acres and was entirely on US Forest Service land. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest took command of the incident as other agencies continued mop-up operations. The cause of the fire was under investigation. The intense firefight prompted the Oregon Department of Transportation to issue a traffic bulletin for motorists to expect delays and lane closures. Motorists were asked to watch for fire personnel and vehicles.

 

The Oregon State Police jailed a Grants Pass man for felony assault and impaired driving this week after he caused an Interstate 5 collision near Hugo that seriously injured another motorist. OSP reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the two-vehicle crash in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 67 around midday Wednesday. State troopers said an investigation indicated that 39-year-old Tristan Thor Petrie-Anderson was driving a Ford F-250 that collided with another Ford F-250 driven by 66-year-old Jesse William Day of Grants Pass on the Mount Sexton descent. According to OSP, Day was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with suspected serious injuries. No other injuries were reported. Petrie-Anderson displayed indicators of impairment at the scene of the crash and he was lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 3rd-Degree Assault, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His pickup was impounded and towed to Grants Pass while Day's pickup was released to family members.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for a felony violation early yesterday following a traffic stop on Redwood Highway near Selma. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies pulled over a vehicle driven by 29-year-old Andre Blair Cotton, Jr., on US Highway 199 near Hidden Creek Road and placed him into custody at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday. Deputies said they stopped Cotton for a traffic violation and quickly discovered that his driving privileges had been suspended at the felony level. He was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Driving While Suspended. His vehicle was impounded. According to the report, Cotton had two children in the vehicle at the time of his arrest. His mother responded from Murphy to pick up the kids as well as their belongings. The Sheriff's Office notified the Child Protection Division of the Oregon Department of Human Services about the incident.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for blatantly stealing food and beverage from a local supermarket while consuming the items inside the store. The Police Department reports officers responded to the shoplifting incident at WinCo Foods on NE Terry Lane on Wednesday night. Police said 23-year-old Omar Alejandro Araujo-Cano was walking in the store aisles while eating stolen chicken wings and drinking a stolen energy drink. He then abandoned the packaging by stashing it amongst the merchandise in the health and beauty section. According to the report, WinCo loss prevention viewed the suspect's actions remotely before calling 9-1-1. He attempted to leave the store, but spotted loss prevention and went back inside where he was eventually detained. Araujo-Cano was lodged at the nearby adult jail facility for 3rd-Degree Theft and he was being held without bail.