Local News

Rural Metro Fire responded to a fatal two vehicle incident in the North Valley area early Saturday morning.

A semi-truck and passenger vehicle collided around 2:02 a.m. on Interstate 5 Northbound at the Manzanita Rest Area. The semi driver denied injury, but the other driver was found deceased upon arrival of rescue crews.

Northbound lanes were shut down as the scene was investigated by OSP.

 

A report of suspicious activity on a Wilderville property led the Josephine County Sheriff's Office to lodge two suspects on warrants Sunday afternoon.

Dispatch was notified around 12:02 p.m. that a couple kept going to and from and creeping around the location in the 32,000 block of Redwood Highway.

Deputies arrived and contacted Margaret Ledlow and Joshua Huff. Ledlow was found to be wanted on a Springfield Police Department Warrant for First Degree Criminal Trespass.

Huff had two warrants, with one being out of the Grant County Sheriff's Office in Washington. The warrants charged Huff with seven counts of Forgery, three counts of Second Degree Theft, and Driving While Suspended.

Ledlow and Huff were taken into custody on their warrants and lodged in the Josephine County Jail.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended two suspects wanted on warrants at WinCo early Sunday morning.

At 3:46 a.m. officers were conducting a patrol check at the 231 NE Terry Lane location when they detained both suspects, Jay Oncher Fontaine and January Fish.

Oncher Fontaine was found in a blue Impala with switched plates, and Fish was returning to the vehicle when officers contacted them. Officers found Oncher Fontaine to be in possession of a white chalky substance that tested positive for fentanyl.

In the vehicle's center console, officers found meth in a bag and a gun. Oncher Fontaine was identified as a felon, and both he and Fish were transported to the Josephine County Jail. Fish was provided an opportunity to relieve herself of any drugs per the amnesty box admonishment.

She denied having any, but after being brought inside the jail, a container with a substance inside that later tested positive for fentanyl was observed on her person.

Fish was lodged for Supplying Contraband, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and a previous warrant for Delivery of Meth.

Oncher Fontaine was lodged for Possession of Meth, Possession of a Schedule 2 Controlled Substance, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Driving While Suspended, and for two warrants out of the Josephine County Sheriff's Office and Douglas County Sheriff's Office for Trespass and First Degree Theft respectively.

 

Josephine County Sheriff's deputies apprehended a woman wanted on two out-of-county warrants Sunday.

The suspect, Mattea Anderson, was located at Pierce Riffle County Park, 5105 Averill Drive. Upon contact, she was found to be wanted on both a Jackson County Sheriff's Office and Central Point Felony warrant.

The warrants charged Anderson with DUII and First Degree Criminal Mischief. She was transported to the Josephine County Jail where she was at first lodged, but then released due to lack of resources.

 

Early Sunday morning, Medford Police officers responded to a report of an armed suicidal subject.

During the encounter, shots were fired. The subject is in stable condition at the hospital and no officers were injured.

Per standard procedure, the involved officer is on paid administrative leave, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation to ensure an independent and thorough review.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District and AMR Josephine County responded to two vehicle accidents over the weekend.

On Saturday at 4:48 p.m., I.V. Fire and AMR responded near the 2000 block of Deer Creek Road in Selma to an incident involving a single vehicle and reported damage to a power pole.

Upon arrival, the vehicle was located, and the occupant was found to be uninjured.
Pacific Power was notified to address the damaged power lines. A lane closure was implemented during the incident to ensure safety.

Then on Sunday at 8:48 a.m., I.V. Fire and AMR responded to another reported vehicle accident on Deer Creek Road.

The vehicle was located and found to be abandoned. There was a search performed, but no person was found. The vehicle was flagged for the Sheriff's Office.

 

Jackson County Sheriff’s deputies responded this morning to a two-vehicle crash involving a school bus.

Dispatch received the call at 7:11 a.m. reporting multiple injuries at the intersection of Newland Road and Truax Road in rural Central Point.

JCSO deputies, Oregon State Police, and Jackson County Fire District 3 personnel arrived on scene. The crash resulted in serious injuries to two adults on the Jackson County School District 6 bus. Both were transported to a local hospital, where they remain in stable condition. One child was on the bus at the time and suffered minor injuries. There were no reported injuries to those in the passenger truck.

The Jackson County Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction (STAR) Team responded to investigate. According to the preliminary investigation, a Toyota Tundra traveling north on Truax Road ran a stop sign and struck the westbound school bus on Newland Road.

The STAR Team is investigating the circumstances that led to the crash. Jackson County Roads closed the intersection while the STAR Team was on scene.

 

Grants Pass Police were alerted to a 50-year-old man from Medford, who had arranged to have sex with a 13-year-old boy in Grants Pass Thursday night. When the suspect, identified as Brian Lee Ellis, arrived to meet the victim, officers subsequently arrested him for Online Sexual Corruption of a Child. Ellis was transported and lodged at the Josephine County Jail. Based on uncovered evidence, investigators believe there may be additional victims of Ellis in Oregon and/or Colorado. Anyone with information regarding potential crimes committed by Brian Lee Ellis is asked to call Grants Pass Police Detectives at 541-450-6260.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a suspect smoking in Baker Park for two warrants Thursday.

The suspect, Michael Chezem, was observed by officers at 760 E Park Street. He initially provided a false name to officers, but was truthful when confronted.

Officers found Chezem was wanted on two Oregon City Police Department warrants for Theft in the Second and Third Degree. He was transported to the Josephine County Jail where he was lodged.