Local News

A woman was reported to dispatch for disorderly conduct at In-N-Out and the north Lil' Pantry Thursday evening.

According to police logs, Stephanie Porter was reported to be taking food from customers at In-N-Out, eating it, then proceeding to throw it. She also threw someone's phone before leaving for the 2017 NW Vine Street pantry.

Employees had previously trespassed her from the location, and a call to 911 reported her engaging in more disorderly conduct; throwing merchandise, yelling, and pushing employees, around 7:35 p.m. Porter knocked over equipment and pulled someone's ear, then proceeded across the street to the nearby Pinnacle 365.

Lil' Pantry employees requested law enforcement trespass Porter, and she was soon contacted by officers. She was trespassed from both the pantry and In-N-Out, and arrested for charges including Second Degree Disorderly Conduct, First Degree Trespass, Harassment, and Third Degree Criminal Mischief.

Officers lodged Porter in the Josephine County Jail.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners met for two Executive Sessions today.

The first was postponed until 9:59 a.m., and was held to conduct deliberations with the County's designated representative regarding labor negotiations. Following the session, direction was given to proceed with said negotiations.

A second Executive Session was held at 11:07 to consider settlement of a workers compensation claim. A motion to give authority to finish the issue in conjunction with counsel, and that the chair would sign the final agreement passed 3-0.

The next scheduled meeting of the board is Monday at 10 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium. The General Discussion will cover the Murphy Irrigation District. Pending other matters, the meeting will adjourn. The public may attend in person or stream the meeting at www.josephinecounty.gov/livestream.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man found drinking beer in his vehicle outside Southern Oregon Orthopedics Thursday morning.

Dispatch was notified of the man around 10:43 a.m. The caller report seeing the suspect drink two beers in the driver's seat of a gold Mazda pickup parked at the 1780 Nebraska Avenue location.

Upon arrival of officers, the pickup was unoccupied, but the suspect was found and identified as Steve Maples. He denied driving to police, but soon confessed to operating the vehicle on a public roadway while being felony suspended.

There was no probable cause for DUII, but Maples was arrested for Driving While Suspended and taken to the Adult Jail Facility for lodging. Due to a lack of jail resources, he was later released.

 

A man trespassed from Safeway returned with a Walmart shopping cart, leading to his arrest by Grants Pass Police Officers.

An employee from the 115 SE 7th Street grocer called 911 Thursday regarding a man that had been trespassed back in April. He was out in the parking lot around 8:01 a.m., and had reportedly been shopping around the store before being spotted.

He tried to steal items from the store before the caller recovered the merchandise. The suspect had a Walmart shopping cart with him and began heading towards 6th Street, but officers contacted him near the One Eleven Building. He was identified as Joshua Smith, and admitted to being at the Safeway.

Officers took him into custody for charges of First Degree Criminal Trespass and Attempted Theft in the Third Degree. Smith was lodged in the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility. The broken shopping cart was disposed of.

 

Deputies with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office contacted and arrested a woman wanted on a statewide felony warrant.

Solana Costello was located on the corner of S Boundary Avenue and Schumacher Street Thursday around 11:10 a.m. She was detained for her warrant out of the Josephine County Sheriff's Office charging her with Criminal Mischief in the First Degree and a parole violation.

Deputies attempted to contact Costello's parole officer, but had to leave a voicemail. Costello was then transported to jail where she was lodged on her warrant.

 

Three individuals were reported doing drugs underneath a bridge at Riverside Park, prompting a Grants Pass Police response and the arrest of one of the suspects.

Dispatch was told the suspects were all holding glass pipes and foil Wednesday at 3:02 p.m. The caller was taking a video of the three while calling 911, and said the suspects had been there for at least ten minutes.

Officers responded and took one of the individuals, Anna Cowan, into custody after she was found in possession of controlled substances. A field test on the paraphernalia revealed the presence of Fentanyl.

Cowan was taken into custody for Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance, as well as a probation violation. She was transported to and lodged in the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility. She was also issued a 30 day exclusion for the park.

 

A man lying in bushes outside Rogue Kombucha was apprehended by Grants Pass Police and lodged on an out-of-county warrant Wednesday.

An officer observed the suspect in the bushes near the 551 SW G Street location around 1:46 p.m. The man was contacted, and provided the false name James Finkell. A photo match of the man proved his name to be Jimmie Talbert.

He was wanted on an active and serviceable Medford Police Department warrant for Menacing, but he claimed to not know he had an active warrant. The officer arrested Talbert at the scene, and he was lodged in the Josephine County Jail.

 

Grants Pass Police located and arrested a man wanted on an Oregon Parole Board warrant outside the 7th Street Safeway.

Wednesday around 12:33 p.m., officers were attempting to locate James Hall. He was observed on SE G Street near SE 7th Street and contacted regarding a trespassing at the A-1 Market.

Law enforcement found Hall was wanted for a Burglary warrant, and promptly took him into custody. With his warrant confirmed and trespass entered, Hall was transported to the Josephine County Jail to be lodged.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners gave Legal Counsel direction regarding the Jail and Juvenile Levy, and the potential formation of a County Service District. The board convened for a Legal Counsel Update at 10 a.m., and discussed the levy and potential district for Juvenile Delinquency Enforcement. It was determined Counsel will get the board's sanction to initiate the process of forming the district, and then could initiate the process of renewing the levy. Further discussion will follow, and it was highlighted that the public will have the opportunity to comment on the matter. The board also informed Counsel that talking points for public comment regarding the Oregon Groundwater Rulemaking Process had been received. A draft letter was created, with a copy to go to Legal Counsel. A Snell and Wilmer Invoice was next on the agenda. The organization is handling defense of the surplus proceeds that counties throughout the state have realized based on sale tax for closed real properties. Josephine County is among nine other counties paying a portion of the invoice. The Finance Department received sanction to raise the limit on the defense firm to $20,000 without objection from the board. Following this decision, the board and Legal Counsel proceeded into Executive Session.