Local News

Josephine County Sheriff's Office deputies conducted a traffic stop and arrested a suspect for meth possession Sunday night.

At the corner of South Redwood Highway and Hamilton Avenue, around 7:24 p.m., deputies pulled over Daren McCollum. He was found to be driving while suspended.

During a search of McCollum's vehicle, deputies found 13 grams of a white crystal-like substance which field tested positive for methamphetamine. He was taken into custody, and lodged in the Josephine County Jail.

McCollum was charged with Aggravated Driving While Suspended, and Possession of Meth.

 

Deputies with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were called out to a woman's home in the 23000 block of Redwood Highway Sunday afternoon.

At 2:19 p.m. she called and stated her son was back inside her house again. The suspect, Daniel Wells, had claimed he had a key to the house, and the mother wanted deputies to retrieve it.

She warned that Wells carries a buck knife on his pants. Deputies arrived at the property, and heard him playing the drums inside. Wells ignored deputies knocking, so they advised the woman they would have to force entry.

Deputies were then able to take Wells into custody. He was transported and lodged in the Josephine County Jail on a Contempt of Court charge.

 

The Grants Pass Active Club has approved the spending of up to $15,000 to help feed families in Josephine County.

In a post from the Club's Facebook page, they have partnered with the Josephine County Food Bank and many of their sponsors to make a plan to purchase a truck full of food to be sorted, boxed, and distributed to the food pantries of Josephine County.

While SNAP benefits have returned, the need is still great, and pantries have been depleted over the last week.

The Active Club will match up to $15,000 to reach their project's goal. Those wishing to help are encouraged to spread the word, make a donation through www.boatnik.com, or contact the Josephine County Food Bank for donation or volunteer opportunities.

For more information, email csimons@boatnik.com

 

A Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team (SOCET) case has led to a 30-year prison sentence for a White City man. The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that Justin Atto, 32, of White City, pled guilty to Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the First Degree, Sodomy in the First Degree, and three counts of Using a Child in Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct. For these crimes, Atto was sentenced to 370 months in the Oregon Department of Corrections, to be followed by lifetime post-prison supervision. His prison sentence is pursuant to Measure 11 and will be served day-for-day. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender as part of this sentence. The investigation in this case began when law enforcement received a Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that an image containing sexually explicit material involving a juvenile had been uploaded. SOCET detectives were able to identify Atto as the individual that had uploaded the image. When Southern Oregon High Tech Crimes Task Force detectives later searched electronics in the suspect’s possession, they found additional images, including images depicting Atto sexually abusing a child.

 

Grants Pass Police officers arrested a man after being contacted by his parole officer and being found with meth paraphernalia Thursday morning.

The suspect, Jesse Firestone, was contacted by his PO in the 500 block of SW Alder Street. Firestone had in his possession a baggy with a white crystallized substance, along with three pipes, and a tooter.

Firestone advised the substance was meth, and, after field testing by officers, the substance returned presumptive positive for methamphetamine.

Officers took Firestone into custody for Possession of Meth and a Parole Violation Detainer. He was lodged in the Josephine County Jail.

 

Grants Pass Police officers arrested a woman after she was found trespassing at a local Dutch Bros Thursday night.

Around 9:55 p.m., the suspect was yelling and screaming outside the coffee stand at 638 Redwood Highway. She had been circling around the stand, and was messing with the tip jar.

An employee of the Dutch Bros requested the suspect be trespassed from the property. Upon arrival, officers contacted Marissa Winters, and she was warned of her trespassing.

Winters refused to leave, however, and officers proceeded to take her into custody. She was lodged in the Josephine County Jail on a charge of Second Degree Criminal Trespass.

 

Dispatch was alerted to a woman trespassing outside a Pinnacle 365, prompting a response from Grants Pass Police Thursday morning.

At 9:28 a.m., the manager of the 836 NE A Street location reported a previously trespassed woman was on the property pleasuring herself and possibly smoking using a pipe and tin foil. She then began to defecate in the parking lot.

Officers arrived and contacted the suspect, Shani Fedosky. After being trespassed from the property, she was taken into custody and lodged in the Josephine County Jail for Public Indecency and Possession of Fentanyl.

 

Oregon families are starting to see their November food stamp benefits restored to their Oregon Trail Cards. According to The Oregonian, Governor Tina Kotek said that Oregon Department of Human Services employees worked through the night to issue the funds. On Thursday afternoon, a federal judge told President Donald Trump he must find the money to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which has been threatened by the government shutdown. The federal government appealed that decision, but the order prompted Kotek to tell the Oregon Department of Human Services to release full SNAP benefits for November. More than 750,000 Oregonians rely on the food benefits.

 

A persistent weather pattern of cooler temperatures and consistent rain prompted a decrease in restrictions for industrial slash burning, effective Monday, November 10, at 12:01 a.m. As a result, the Oregon Department of Forestry says prescribed fire and industrial slash burning may increase in high-elevation, remote areas throughout Jackson and Josephine Counties. These restrictions are specifically for industrial use and are separate from general public debris burning regulations. Before a debris or barrel burn, members of the public should first contact their local fire district for any needed permits, and on the day of the debris burn, contact the appropriate county burn line to confirm it is a burn day. For those in Jackson County, the number is 541-776-7007. In Josephine County, it's (541) 476-9663. Even though the fire season is officially over, please continue to practice fire prevention when burning debris by ensuring a burn pile is never left un-attended and using caution when using machinery that could cause a spark. Fire prevention tips and information from the ODF Southwest Oregon District is available online at www.swofire.com, Additional information can be found at www.oregon.gov/odf/fire