Local News

Deputies with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office cited two individuals Sunday during separate traffic stops.

The first suspect was pulled over at the corner of S Redwood Highway and E Watkins Street around 11:22 a.m. The deputy stopped the driver of a green Toyota pickup for observed violations. A meth pipe was seen in plain view tucked partially between the driver's seat and center console.

The driver, Maksim Petrovskiy, admitted the pipe was his and that a usable amount of meth was located in his pants pocket. He was then cited and released to appear in court for Possession of Meth and No Operators License. The deputy warned Petrovskiy for No Plates or Insurance, and Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device.

Then at 1:25 p.m., a deputy conducted a traffic stop at the corner of Rockydale Road and Sherier Road after a loose plate was observed on the back of the suspect vehicle. The driver, Jeremiah Mutina, was cited to appear for Driving While Suspended and Meth Possession.

Both suspect's vehicles were towed from their respective scenes.

 

Crews with the Medford Fire Department arrived to tackle a working apartment building fire Friday.

The blaze was reportedly under control and no injuries were reported. Oak Grove Road closed at West Main Street while firefighters continued working the incident. By 7:30 p.m., the fire was out, and overhaul operations took place.

Pacific Power assisted at the scene, and Jacksonville Oregon Police provided traffic control. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

 

Emergency crews responded to a fatal traffic accident Friday at 2:26 p.m. at the corner of Redwood Highway and Hogue Drive in Selma. The Illinois Valley Fire District, American Medical Response, Rural Metro Fire District, and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office responded to the single-vehicle incident that afternoon. Upon arrival, units discovered that the vehicle had overturned and collided with a tree. A fatality has been confirmed, and no photographic documentation will be released. The canine passenger survived the incident, and Animal Control was dispatched to facilitate transport. The scene was transferred to the Sheriff's Office to conduct an investigation.

 

Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest Oregon District crews tackled a grass fire that occurred along McLoughlin Drive in Central Point Saturday.

Firefighters provided mutual aid to Jackson County Fire District 3 crews in the initial attack. The wind-driven fire was actively engaged, with forward progress being stopped at 5 acres around 5 p.m.

The fire was 100% wet lined, and multiple units remained on scene and continued engagement. According to the final ODF update, crews continued working the incident and mopping up.

 

Allenwood Homes, LLC, in partnership with the City of Grants Pass has proposed to build a 110-unit affordable housing subdivision located approximately 200 feet south of the intersection of Allenwood Drive and Highway 238.

Known as the Allenwood Village, the project will be funded through a combination of HUD Section 8 and Oregon Housing Community Services Local Innovation and Fast Track funds. It will involve two phases of construction.

Phase 1 includes the development of a community building and 31 townhomes, which would include 110 units consisting of 17 quadplexes and 14 triplexes. Phase 2 of construction would include the development of 6 townhomes, adding approximately 20 units; a mix of duplexes and triplexes. The maximum height of the new townhomes range from approximately 28 feet to 38 feet.

Each townhouse will include lawn space containing at least one newly planted tree, parking areas for residents, and driveway sections that will connect to newly developed private streets. Additionally, the project will eventually include a community/park space, which will be accessible to the public and include street parking.

Public comments are being accepted until 5 p.m. Saturday, September 26th. Learn more at www.grantspassoregon.gov.

 

Four individuals were contacted by Grants Pass Police outside Burger King, and one was arrested on two valid warrants Thursday.

Officers responded to the scene near the bike path behind the 501 Rogue River Highway restaurant. Upon contact of the four people, one of them, Angela Smith, was identified and found to be wanted on two Police Department warrants.

She was taken into custody, and a consent search was conducted by law enforcement. A folded piece of tin foil was located, and Smith stated there was fentanyl inside. The substance was field tested, and results came back positive.

Smith was lodged in jail on both of her warrants charging her with Possession of Meth and a Schedule II Controlled Substance. An additional meth possession charge was added.

 

Grants Pass Police lodged a man trespassing at Bi-Mart for Methamphetamine Possession.

The manager of the 230 Redwood Highway store called 911 requesting a group of individuals parked out in the parking lot be trespassed. There were reportedly eight people outside before the manager confirmed the presence of two around 10:39 p.m.

Arriving officers contacted one of the suspects, George Williams. He had been previously trespassed from the business back on September 1st, and he consented to a search of his person. Officers located a glass bubble pipe with white residue.

The pipe field tested positive for presumptive meth, so Williams was detained and transported to jail. Officers lodged him for Second Degree Trespass, and Possession of Meth at 11:23 p.m.

 

During a Riverside Park check, officers arrested a suspect staying after hours for a parole board warrant.

Thursday night at 11:27 p.m., Bobbie Joe Swearingen was contacted in the 304 E Park Street location by Grants Pass Police. He returned through a national database with a felony Oregon Parole Board warrant for a violation.

Dispatch confirmed the warrant and Swearingen's identity, and he was taken into custody by police. Following transport to the Josephine Count Adult Jail Facility, Swearingen was lodged on his warrant.

 

Josephine County Sheriff's deputies contacted a driver at a Carson Cardlock Pacific Pride station wanted on an out-of-county warrant.

The suspect, Scott Young, was detained around 5:56 p.m. at the 505 Rogue River Highway station. His warrant out of the Central Point Police Department charged him with misdemeanor Assault in the Fourth Degree.

Young was taken into custody and lodged in jail. His passenger was put in charge of removing the vehicle from the property.