Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested two people for drug possession during a patrol check in the south part of the city early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers contacted 60-year-old James Patrick Redden and 38-year-old Anna Marie Rose Newell in a vehicle parked behind a used car dealership in the 600-block of Redwood Highway on Thursday morning. Police said Redden had burnt tin foil and a glass smoking device visible in his lap that he was attempting to hide. He was placed into custody and booked into the Josephine County Jail for Fentanyl Possession. Newell exited the vehicle, claimed the drug paraphernalia was hers and dropped a container with fentanyl residue. She was found to be in possession of cash and a baggy that contained about three grams of the dangerous narcotic depressant. She was also lodged in jail for Fentanyl Possession. A Fentanyl Delivery charge against Newell was referred to the District Attorney's Office for consideration. Her vehicle was left with an acquaintance.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for attempting to swindle Walmart out of merchandise late yesterday. The Police Department reports officers were alerted to a shoplifting complaint at the store on NE Terry Lane on Thursday around 6:15 p.m.. Police said Walmart surveillance showed 32-year-old Favian Corral-Rojo skip-scanning items at the self-check-out by stacking them on top of each other. The suspect deprived the store of $29.53 in merchandise before he was confronted by loss prevention. According to the report, Corral-Rojo and his brother were detained and both refused to speak English even though they were heard speaking it earlier. The brother was released after he denied any knowledge of what was happening. Corral-Rojo was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 3rd-Degree Theft. Due to his uncooperative behavior, he was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for returning to a downtown resting site from which she had been trespassed early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers spotted 42-year-old Rachel Annette Beeman at the 6th and A Street homeless encampment on Thursday at 8:47 a.m.. Police said Beeman returned to the resting site after she was excluded from the site for 30 days just two days earlier. She was placed into custody without incident. Beeman was lodged in jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass and her case was forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for prosecution.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Merlin man on an outstanding warrant after an Interstate 5 traffic stop in Grants Pass yesterday. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Chevrolet pickup driven by 40-year-old Joshua John Brower in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 56 on Thursday at 1:48 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped Brower for traffic violations, quickly discovered that he was wanted on a Douglas County warrant for 2nd-Degree Theft and detained him. Brower was eventually cited to appear in court and released. He was also warned for the traffic violations.

 

Several local fire agencies and other key community stakeholders participated in an insightful and interactive tour of the Pacific Power Wildfire Intelligence Center this week. Hosted in Medford, this event brought together public safety agencies and local media to highlight how Pacific Power's technology-driven approach is enhancing wildfire preparedness and response. The Pacific Power Wildfire Intelligence Center is staffed by a dedicated team that has already monitored over 1,300 wildfire events this season. Proactive efforts have improved real-time situational awareness, reduced the frequency of emergency power shutoffs, and strengthened communication between utilities, emergency responders and the public. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue attended the event with its partners at Rural Metro Fire Department, Williams Rural Fire Protection District, Jackson County Fire District #3, the Oregon Department of Forestry, Josephine County Emergency Management, Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon and others. Officials said they are grateful for the opportunity to see firsthand how innovation and collaboration are making a meaningful impact on community safety during wildfire season.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man this week for violating a court order by returning to the scene of a crime he committed the day before. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 35-year-old Logan Tyler Hunt for the incident in the 4,000-block of New Hope Road on Wednesday night. Hunt had been arrested on Tuesday for intentionally pouring pink nail polish on his roommate's motorcycle and causing about $2,000 in damage to the bike. He was arrested for Felony 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief and lodged in jail. Deputies said Hunt returned to the residence after his release and was in violation of a no-contact order obtained by the victim after Hunt was arrested. The victim called 9-1-1 to report his now former roommate was there. The caller also stated that the suspect attacked him with a golf club in addition to vandalizing his bike. Hunt was placed into custody and lodged in jail again -- this time for Contempt of Court. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a well-known offender for violating his probation by harassing a beauty shop employee this week while highly intoxicated. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident involving 45-year-old Nicholas John Knox Knowles at Shear Bliss Studio on NW 6th Street on Wednesday afternoon. Police said a female employee of the salon called 9-1-1 to report that Knowles appeared to be intoxicated while fighting with himself, grabbing at the air and pulling on the door of the business. The caller said she was alone and had locked the door, but the man kept pulling on the door while pacing back and forth. Officers arrived on scene and found Knowles to be highly intoxicated by alcohol, which is a direct violation of his probation for alleged crimes including Disorderly Conduct, Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle, Methamphetamine Possession and Failure to Report as a Sex Offender. Knowles was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Probation Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a man wanted on a local warrant in Cave Junction this week. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies contacted and arrested 38-year-old Jordan Ellis Haas near the corner of North Redwood Highway and West Lister Street on Wednesday. Deputies said they spotted Haas and knew that he was wanted on a Josephine County Community Corrections warrant for Felony Parole Violation stemming from a previous conviction for 1st-Degree Forgery. Haas was placed into custody without incident. He was transported to Grants Pass and lodged in jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man with a bad habit of fondling himself in public near a city construction project this week. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to the incident at the corner of Martin Park Lane and SW 5th Street on Wednesday morning. Police said a construction worker called 9-1-1 to report that 41-year-old Brian William May was fondling himself near the work site while staring at a local apartment building. Officers arrived on scene, contacted May and discovered that he was wanted on a Medford Police Department warrant for failing to appear in court for Indecent Exposure. May was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus a new charge of Indecent Exposure. He was being held on $25,000 bail.