KAJO 99.7FM - News Story

JoCo Deputies Arrest Woman for Attack on Roommate

A 33-year-old woman is in the Josephine County Jail after an alleged attack of her roommate. Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the 7200 block of Monument Drive Friday afternoon at 1:24 p.m. following the reported attack. The suspect allegedly threw a handle at the complainant, who denied needing medical attention. Arriving Deputies reported the suspect also pushed the victim against a wall, again not resulting in in

Posted on 4/27/24 6:03AM by Chuck Benson

CJ Man Sentenced to More Than 14 Years in Prison for Weapon & Drug Crimes

A Cave Junction man with a lengthy criminal history was sentenced to more than 14 years in federal this week for illegally possessing methamphetamine and 12 firearms while on state supervision. According to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon, 39-year-old William Thomas Gillespie was sentenced Thursday to 173 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. Court documents show Gillespie was arrested in White City on April 6, 2020, while attempting to deliver approximately 174 grams of meth. At the time of his arrest, he possessed six baggies of meth and a digital scale. During a consent search of his residence, investigators located and seized 12 firearms including an AR-15 and multiple AK-style rifles. Three were of the firearms were stolen. On November 5, 2020, a federal grand jury in Medford returned a three-count indictment charging Gillespie with Illegally Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted Felon, Illegally Possessing a Short-Barrel Rifle and Possession Meth with Intent to Distribute. He was released from custody pending trial in June 2021 and in August 2021, pleaded guilty to the felony firearm and narcotics possession charges. In January 2023, Gillespie absconded from his supervised release and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On September 13, 2023, he was located and arrested in Bandon.

Posted on 4/27/24 5:09AM by Chuck Benson

173rd Fighter Wing to Conduct F-15 Flyovers in Eugene and Grants Pass Today

The 173rd Fighter Wing from Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls plans to conduct two flyovers today in western Oregon. F-15 Eagle fighter jets are scheduled to conduct a flyover at the University of Oregon Spring Football Game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene at approximately 1 p.m.. The F-15s will then perform a flyover at the 74th Annual Rotary Invitational Track Meet at Grants Pass High School at approximately 1:28 p.m.. All passes will be approximately 1,000 feet above ground level and about 400 miles per hour airspeed.

Posted on 4/27/24 5:08AM by Chuck Benson

Jackson and Josephine County Jail Staffs Bolstered by Graduation of 6 Deputies

The Jackson and Josephine County Sheriff's Offices have bolstered their jail staffs with the graduation of six deputies from the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training last week. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is celebrating the graduation of four deputies from Basic Corrections last Friday at the Police Academy in Salem. They are Deputy Carpenter, Deputy Carroll, Deputy Dodge and Deputy Wooten. Deputies Carpenter, Dodge and Wooten were in the class color guard. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office is celebrating the graduation of two deputies from the six-week Basic Corrections Class. They are Deputy Hernandez and Deputy Knable.

Posted on 4/27/24 5:06AM by Chuck Benson

Federal Land Managers Preparing to Begin Spring Prescribed Burning Operations

With gradually increasing temperatures, forest fuels are starting to dry out enough to allow spring prescribed burning operations to commence on federal lands in southwest Oregon. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest said these conditions allow for safe burning operations where the primary objective is protect communities from wildfire threat while restoring forest resiliency. Forest officials said additional burns will continue through the spring as weather conditions allow. Residents can expect to see smoke in the Ashland area and the Applegate Valley, in the Waters Creek area near Grants Pass and the Willow Lake area, with some burning units of up to 350 acres planned to start approximately one week after warmer weather sets in. In the meantime, the Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management has started to burn units in the lower elevations. Officials said prescribed burns are thoroughly planned and require a strict approval process for smoke management, fire safety and ecological outcomes before staff light any fire on the ground. Burn ignition times generally start between 10 and 11 a.m., with signage posted on roadways as needed. All burns will be patrolled by fire management personnel until determined secure with the understanding that there is always an element of risk with fire.

Posted on 4/27/24 5:05AM by Chuck Benson

Total Payroll Employment in Jackson County Increased by 120 Jobs in March

Total payroll employment in Jackson County rose by 120 jobs in March. According to the Oregon Employment Department, there were 101,468 people working in Jackson County last month for a seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 4.9%, which was up slightly from 4.8% in February. The big gainers were leisure & hospitality, professional & business services, and private education & health services. Industries with estimated job losses were construction, retail trade and manufacturing. Government employment increased by 70 jobs, with most of the rise occurring in local government. Over the past year, payroll employment in Jackson County was unchanged. Since March 2023, industries adding jobs including private education & health services (+770) and retail trade (+80). Industries with over-the-year losses were professional & business services (-390), financial activities (-250), leisure & hospitality (-150), transportation, warehousing & utilities (-100), other services (-100), information (-80) and wholesale trade (-80).

Posted on 4/27/24 5:03AM by Chuck Benson

Command of Southern Oregon's "Guardian" Battalion Passed On to New Leader

A change of command ceremony took place last weekend for the 1st Battalion of the 186th Infantry Regiment of Orchard Combat Training Center in Idaho during the unit's one-weekend-a-month training duty. Lieutenant Colonel Jared Carpenter relinquished command to Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Rapp in a traditional military ceremony presided over by Colonel Peter Helzer, Commander of the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment is headquartered in Southern Oregon and has over 150 years of service to the state, including deployments during World War II and recent mobilizations supporting the global war on terror. Colonel Helzer praised the accomplishments of Lieutenant Colonel Carpenter's tenure and expressed confidence in Lieutenant Colonel Rapp's futu

Posted on 4/27/24 5:02AM by Chuck Benson

Deputies Apprehended Fugitive While Searching for Missing Grants Pass Man

While searching for a missing Grants Pass man this week, the Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a local fugitive at a transient camp in the Colonial Valley area. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested the 43-year-old male subject at a large transient camp near the intersection of Highland Avenue and Donaldson Road on Thursday. Deputies said they came across the camp while looking for 75-year-old Stephen David Bowen who had been reported missing after he left his Sunflower Lane residence for a nature walk on Wednesday afternoon and did not return. They said Bowen has since been located and is no longer missing. Three men were contacted at the transient camp and one of them was found to be wanted on a statewide felony warrant issued by th

Posted on 4/27/24 5:01AM by Chuck Benson

Deputies Incarcerated Motorist for Impaired Driving after Wreck in Wolf Creek

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a motorist for impaired driving this week after she crashed a vehicle in downtown Wolf Creek. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle wreck in the 800-block of Railroad Avenue on Thursday night. Deputies said they were alerted to the crash by the Wolf Creek Fire Protection District, which stated the 74-year-old female subject was slurring her words and having a hard time describing what occurred. She later told deputies she "waved at a guy" and did not recall what happened after that. The woman reportedly hit her head during the crash, but she refused transport to Three Rivers Medical Center. A search warrant was obtained and she was taken to the Grants Pass hospital for a legal blood draw.

Posted on 4/27/24 4:59AM by Chuck Benson

OSP Snared GP Woman for Moving Violations in RR Highway Traffic Stop

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass woman for moving violations following a traffic stop on Rogue River Highway early yesterday. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Ford F-150 pickup driven by a 41-year-old female motorist on Highway 99 near Parkdale Drive on Friday at 12:54 a.m.. Troopers said they stopped the woman for multiple traffic violations and soon discovered that her driver's license was suspended and she had no insurance.

Posted on 4/27/24 4:58AM by Chuck Benson

OSP Lodged Drugged GP Man at Sobering Center after Calls from Motorists

The Oregon State Police lodged a Grants Pass man at a local detox center this week after multiple calls from motorists on Interstate 5 and the Parkway. According to OSP, troopers responded to several calls for service for a male subject lying on the side of the road near the intersection of the highways in east Grants Pass on Thursday afternoon. Upon contacting the individual, troopers said he was visibly intoxicated on an unknown substance potentially believed to be Ketamine, which is a powerful narcotic used to tranquilize horses and other large animals.

Posted on 4/27/24 4:57AM by Chuck Benson

Deputies Apprehended Fugitive While Searching for Missing Grants Pass Man

While searching for a missing Grants Pass man yesterday, the Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a local fugitive at a transient camp in the Colonial Valley area. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested the 43-year-old male subject at a large transient camp near the intersection of Highland Avenue and Donaldson Road on Thursday at 10:05 a.m.. Deputies said they came across the camp while looking for 75-year-old Stephen David Bowen who had been reported missing after he left his Sunflower Lane residence for a nature walk on Wednesday afternoon and did not return. They said Bowen has since been located and is no longer missing. Three men were contacted at the transient camp and one of them was found to be wanted on a statewide felony warrant issued by the Sheriff's Office for Parole Violation stemming from a 2017 conviction for a weapons violation. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. All three men were trespassed from their campsite.

Posted on 4/26/24 11:14AM by Sam Marsh

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