Local News

Walmart loss prevention reported a theft attempt to dispatch, leading to the suspect's arrest Monday by Grants Pass Police.

After fleeing from staff at the 135 NE Terry Lane store, Robert Kostenko was apprehended and taken to the loss prevention office around 2:30 p.m. He had reportedly entered the store with the intent to steal, and had been trespassed previously.

Despite being apprehended by loss prevention, Kostenko fled the scene before being detained by law enforcement in the NE corner of the parking lot. He had stolen less than $100, and was promptly arrested.

Officers transported Kostenko to the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility where he was lodged for First Degree Criminal Trespass, Third Degree Theft, and a detainer per his parole officer.

 

Officers with Grants Pass Police arrested a man for multiple charges after he trespassed at a Shane Way property.

Monday at 5:51 p.m., dispatch was notified that the suspect, Justin McPherron-Taylor, had reportedly come through a window of the home and was currently outside of it after previously being trespassed. He had taken the caller's adult daughter's phone, and was possibly intoxicated at the time of the report.

He had not been invited into the house or on the premises, and had caused injury to the complainant's daughter. No ambulance was requested, and McPherron-Taylor was detained by arriving officers after running northbound on Kellenbeck Avenue.

Probable cause was developed for First Degree Burglary, Second Degree Theft, and Attempted Assault in the Fourth Degree against McPherron-Taylor. He was ultimately lodged in the Adult Jail Facility on the mentioned charges by 8:17 p.m.

 

Police took a man previously trespassed from a NW Midland Avenue residence after he was reported in the home's driveway Monday afternoon.

A call to 911 reported the suspect had hopped the fence of the property around 4:38 p.m. The caller had padlocked the gate, and told dispatch the suspect was being observed via security cameras.

Upon arrival of law enforcement, the suspect, Julian Thomas, was in the driveway. He was taken into custody and lodged in jail for Second Degree Trespass. He was later released on his own recognizance.

 

Grants Pass Police lodged a man wanted out of Eugene for the unlawful possession of marijuana Monday.

The suspect was reported to dispatch wandering around the back parking lot of Washington Federal Bank at 290 Union Avenue around 2:55 p.m. He was described as wearing a tan shirt and baggy pants, and seemed like he was looking for something while coming up close to the caller's car.

Officers were dispatched to the scene and located Casey Macdonald, who was showing numerous signs of impairment at the time of contact. It was confirmed he had an active warrant out of the Eugene Police Department for Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, so he was taken into custody.

Police transported Macdonald to the Josephine County Jail where he was lodged for his warrant.

 

A North Carolina man has pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to coerce and entice a minor in Medford to engage in unlawful sexual activity, U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford announced today. Sage Austin Miller, 28, from Winston Salem, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. According to court documents, on September 23rd and 24th, 2024, Miller used Snapchat to communicate with a person he believed was a 16-year-old girl living in Medford. During the online communications, Miller attempted to persuade and entice the purported minor to meet him for sexual activity. Miller later traveled to and arrived at a predetermined meeting location. As part of his plea agreement, Miller admitted that he used a cellular phone connected to the internet to communicate with a person he believed was under the age of 18 and that his conduct constituted a substantial step toward committing the offense. The conduct would have violated Oregon's Online Sexual Corruption of a Child in the First Degree statute had the planned encounter occurred.

 

Beginning November 12th, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest will sell permits to cut Christmas trees from local national forest lands.

According to a release, the public can purchase Christmas tree permits at all Forest Service offices, online, and from local vendors around southwest Oregon.

Christmas tree permits for the 2026 season are available for purchase online at Recreation.gov. They are $5 per permit with an additional $2.50 reservation fee. Christmas tree permits purchased online must be printed to be valid. Traditional, in-person Christmas tree permits are available at Forest Service offices and participating local vendors. Households can purchase a maximum of five permits.

Fourth graders are eligible for a free Christmas tree permit as a part of the Every Kid Outdoors initiative. To be eligible for the free tree permit, the student must have a valid Every Kid Outdoors pass or voucher. Passholders can get their free Christmas tree permit by visiting a Forest Service office or on Recreation.gov.

Visit the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest website for more guidance on Christmas tree cutting, including maps, best practices, and office locations and hours.

 

For the second year in a row, Oregon has been awarded about $197.3 million to continue improving rural healthcare through the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced.

According to a release, this new award comes after first-year RHTP investments brought positive results in key areas established by the Kotek administration. This new funding is in addition to the approximately $197.3 million that Oregon was awarded for the program’s first year.

Oregon is using this federal funding to support proven, community-driven projects that improve rural healthcare access, including maternity care, primary care, and behavioral health. Oregon’s rural health improvement efforts include the Grants Pass-based Siskiyou Health Center’s new mobile health clinic, and integrated care through the expansion of Nurture Oregon, a project which offers peer recovery support, medical care, behavioral health services, and social service coordination.

The federal government awarded Oregon additional funding after evaluating Oregon’s and other states’ progress against their RHTP goals. During the national program’s inaugural year in 2026, Oregon was one of the first states to distribute federal funding to local projects, which enabled the state’s rural health improvement efforts to move forward quickly.

 

An ongoing issue regarding a neighbor yelling at and threatening the reporting party resulted in an arrest by Josephine County Sheriff's deputies Sunday afternoon.

Dispatch was notified of the neighbor's presence in the 200 block of S Junction Avenue in Cave Junction at 11:43 a.m. The caller reported the suspect, later identified as Susan Couch, had been screaming at her and her family while on their property for hours.

Couch was captured on a recording walking onto the property after being told not to. She then struck the reporting party twice before being escorted back to her property by force by the caller's husband. A short time later, Couch returned to the driveway of the caller's home and punched the husband.

She appeared to be intoxicated and was uncooperative with arriving law enforcement. Couch admitted to hitting the reporting party, saying she didn't think it was wrong to do so. Deputies transported her to jail where she was lodged for two counts of Harassment and Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree.

 

Following two reports of the same man looking around properties on McCarter Lane, Grants Pass Police arrived at the scene and lodged the suspect on drug charges.

One call to 911 reported the suspect was in her driveway around 3:37 p.m. She was worried the man would take her motorcycle, and dispatch advised her to stay inside her home with the door locked. Another caller in the neighborhood said the same suspect appeared to be under the influence and was trying to take a moped.

Police arrived and contacted the suspect, Anthony Retamoza. He quickly approached an officer who held him at taser point, leading to his compliance. He was detained and a search of his person was conducted.

Law enforcement found a bag with a white crystal residue that field tested positive for methamphetamine. Also located was foil with a white powdery residue, which yielded a positive result for the presence of fentanyl.

Retamoza was unaffiliated with the initial residence, and was clearly under the influence. Police lodged him in the Josephine County Jail for the crimes of Meth and Fentanyl Possession. He was also trespassed from the residence.