KAJO 99.7FM - News Story

Eagle Point Woman Died after Being Struck by Commercial Truck on Interstate 5

An Eagle Point woman died last weekend when she was struck by a commercial vehicle while crossing Interstate 5 in Jackson County. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency crews were dispatched to the vehicle versus pedestrian crash on I-5 near milepost 35 on Sunday at 4:50 a.m.. Troopers said the preliminary investigation indicated a northbound Freightliner and trailer driven by a 37-year-old Riverside, California, man hit 50-year-old Scarlet Laresia Guenther who was standing in the travel lane. According to OSP, Guenther was declared deceased at the scene. The truck driver and his 38-year-old male passenger were not injured. OSP was assisted by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. The freeway was not impacted during the on-scene investigation.

Posted on 8/12/25 11:26AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Jailed Felon for Roughing Up Woman at Harbeck Village Apartments

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for roughing up a woman at a south-city apartment complex last weekend. The Police Department reports officers arrested 44-year-old Christian Anthony Bartell for the incident at the Harbeck Village Apartments on Sunday at 3:01 a.m.. Police said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that Bartell hit her several times and she was bleeding. She requested medical attention and stated that the suspect left the scene on a bicycle. She was treated by medics for noticeable swelling and a cut. Officers tracked Bartell down in the 1,000-block of SE Park Plaza and placed him into custody. They contacted his corrections officer about the incident. Bartell was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 4th-Degree Assault and Physical Harassment plus the resulting Probation Violation related to an arrest for Felony Criminal Mischief. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

Posted on 8/12/25 11:24AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Man for Violating Parole after Drug-Fueled Call on D Street

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for violating his post-prison supervision after a drug-fueled incident at a residence on the east side of the city early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers placed 26-year-old Zachary Randall Holmes into custody for the incident at the NE D Street home of his girlfriend on Monday at 3:12 a.m.. Police said Holmes arrived at his girlfriend's residence while under the influence of methamphetamine, forced his way into the home and began breaking items. They said he showed up wearing only a pair of boxer shorts and his girlfriend told them he was not allowed to be there. Responding officers arrested Holmes and confirmed that he was under a "meth psychosis." He was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of cuts on his hands from breaking his girlfriend's property. Holmes was then lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief, Meth Possession and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer. He was also trespassed from the property. Jail records show it was the fourth time this year that Holmes had been arrested for violating his parole.

Posted on 8/12/25 11:22AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Jailed Corrections Client on State Warrant for Felony Parole Violation

Grants Pass Police jailed a Josephine County Community Corrections client on a statewide felony warrant early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 41-year-old Jeremy Douglas McGhee at the Corrections Office on NW 4th Street on Monday at 8:21 a.m.. Police said McGhee's corrections officer notified them that his client was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a previous assault conviction. According to the report, McGhee was unaware he was about to be arrested. McGhee was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

Posted on 8/12/25 11:21AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Collared Man on State Warrant after Trespassing Call at Restaurant

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on a statewide felony warrant while investigating a weekend trespassing complaint at a gas station-convenience store. According to the Police Department, officers arrested 23-year-old Xander Arthur Michael Strow at the Muchas Gracias restaurant on Redwood Highway on Sunday around 1:45 p.m.. Police said they responded to a trespassing call at the nearby Chevron-Pinnacle 365 regarding a male subject loitering outside the business. The man identified himself as "Rizani Smurda" and he left the scene after being warned. Further investigation determined that "Smurda" was actually Strow and he was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a previous burglary conviction. When contacted at Muchas Gracias, Strow admitted to using the phony name in order to avoid being arrested. Strow was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. Officers added a charge of Furnishing False Information to Police to his criminal bill.

Posted on 8/12/25 11:19AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Collared Man on California Warrant for Attempted Child Abduction

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on an out-of-state felony warrant at a local fast food eatery yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 42-year-old Samir Lakhouiri at the Burger King on Rogue River Highway on Monday at about 2:15 p.m.. Police said they spotted Lakhouiri earlier in the day and knew that he was wanted on a San Bernardino, California, County felony warrant for Attempted Kidnapping and Attempted Child Abduction. An officer contacted him and set up a meeting at Burger King. Multiple officers were there when Lakhouiri arrived on scene. He was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on $100,000 bail.

Posted on 8/12/25 11:17AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Pair for Drug and Warrant Violations in City Park Check

Grants Pass Police arrested two people during a patrol check at a city park late last night. According to the Police Department, officers contacted 35-year-old Jack Mikel Doak and 28-year-old Jessica Ann Tope at Tussing Park on Monday at around 10:30 p.m.. Police said they observed Doak and Tope in the park after hours. They said Doak attempted to hide a methamphetamine pipe behind a tree while Tope insisted her name was "Rose Dunn" and said she did not know her birth date. Doak was arrested for Meth Possession and lodged at the Josephine County Jail. Tope was found to be wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. She was also lodged in jail.

Posted on 8/12/25 11:15AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Man on Local Drug Warrant in Downtown Patrol Check

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a local warrant during a downtown patrol check late yesterday.
According to the Police Department, officers contacted 43-year-old Roman Kuznetsov near the corner of SW 5th and I streets on Monday around 4:25 p.m.. Police said they spotted Kuznetsov and were aware that he was wanted for failing to appear in court for Methamphetamine Possession. He was placed into custody without incident. Kuznetsov was lodged at the Josephine County Jail.

Posted on 8/12/25 11:14AM by Sam Marsh

Multiple Agencies Battled Three-Alarm Barn Fire on Smith Sawyer Road near CJ

Multiple agencies battled a three-alarm barn fire that spread to hay and vegetation near Cave Junction late last weekend. On Sunday at 5:20 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District, Oregon Department of Forestry, Grants Pass Fire & Rescue and American Medical Response were dispatched to the structure fire in the 200-block of Smith Sawyer Road. Arriving units found a fully-involved barn with other structures at risk. Second and third alarms were initiated that brought additional assistance from the US Forest Service and Grayback Forestry. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office and Oregon State Police assisted with traffic control. Rogue Valley Task Force 2 from Jackson County was placed on standby. By 6:05 p.m., firefighters had knocked down the wildland portion of the blaze while structural crews remained engaged on the barn fire. Air resources arrived on scene to assist. By 6:45 p.m., resources were lining and mopping up the fire which was GPS-mapped at just over 2-1/2 acres. By 7:25 p.m., the fire was 90% lined and 40% mopped up. No injuries were reported and no homes were damaged during the fire. The cause is under investigation.

Posted on 8/12/25 6:29AM by Sam Marsh

GP Man Hospitalized after Medical Event Caused Crash Off Williams Highway

A Grants Pass man was hospitalized after a weekend medical event caused him to crash his vehicle off Williams Highway near Murphy. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle wreck on Highway 238 near Crystal Drive on Sunday at 11:15 a.m.. State troopers said an investigation indicated that 79-year-old Bradley Lavern Ruonavaara was driving a Chevrolet MOC when the vehicle left the highway, went through a fence and into a grass field. They said the driver suffered a medical event that caused him to lose control of the vehicle. Ruonavaara was transported by ground ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center. The wrecked Chevrolet was hauled into Grants Pass by Oregon Towing.

Posted on 8/12/25 6:20AM by Sam Marsh

Deputies Collared Man on Out-of-State Warrant after Weekend Stop and Chase

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man on an out-of-state felony warrant following a weekend traffic stop and foot pursuit near the Grants Pass Shopping Center. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies placed 30-year-old Robert Anthony Dale into custody at the Beacon Drive McDonald's on Sunday morning. Deputies said they pulled over a Ford F-250 with California plates driven by Dale near the intersection of the Grants Pass Parkway and NE F Street. They said they knew was wanted on a Del Norte, California, County felony warrant for Probation Violation related to a property crime arrest. Dale reportedly bailed out of the pickup and ran, but he was tackled to the ground and placed into handcuffs for the short ride to the Josephine County Jail. Dale was booked into jail on the warrant plus new charges of Resisting Arrest, Attempted Escape and Methamphetamine Possession. He was being held without bail pending extradition to Crescent City.

Posted on 8/12/25 6:18AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Man for Starting Small Fires and Leaving Them Unattended

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for starting two small fires and leaving them unattended near north-city businesses early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the first incident at the Motel 6 on NE 7th Street on Monday around 12:30 a.m.. Police said a motel employee reported a male subject later identified as 56-year-old Shannon Dixon Beckett was trying to set things on fire in the parking lot. They wanted him trespassed from the premises. Officers arrived on scene and discovered that Beckett had also set a small fire near Taco Bell and he turned on a water faucet at another nearby business. They said he created public panic and alarm that required multiple police and fire units to rush to the scene. Firefighters quickly extinguished the small fires. Beckett was located and placed into custody. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and Reckless Endangering. He was being held without bail. Jail records show Beckett had prior arrests for Arson and Reckless Burning plus he was a City Expulsion Violator in Medford.

Posted on 8/12/25 6:16AM by Sam Marsh

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