Local News

The Oregon State Police detained a Douglas County woman for moving violations on Redwood Highway in southwest Grants Pass yesterday. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Dodge Caravan driven by 42-year-old Jessie L. Sample of Sutherlin on US Highway 199 near Dowell Road on Monday at 2:42 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped Sample because the license plates did not match the vehicle she was driving. Upon contact with the woman, she advised the minivan was not her vehicle and admitted it was not insured. She also produced an old registration with no associated license plates. Sample was cited for Failure to Register Vehicle and No Insurance. She was warned for Switched License Plates. The plates were seized and entered into evidence for destruction.

 

The KAJO/KLDR/KRRM News Department is operating at a distinct disadvantage today as two important information sources are unavailable. The Grants Pass Police Department daily incident log is unavailable today due to a planned computer upgrade. The GPPD log is our most consistent source of law enforcement-related information. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jail log is also down today due to an unspecified computer-related issue. In addition, the Sheriff's daily log contained nothing of note today.

 

The Oregon State Police jailed an Albany man for kidnapping and assaulting a Grants Pass woman at an Interstate 5 rest area last weekend. OSP reports troopers responded to a call about a woman who had just been assaulted at the southbound Manzanita Rest Stop in the North Valley area late Sunday morning. State troopers said the victim -- a 55-year-old Grants Pass woman -- reported being held against her will by 48-year-old John Michael Joseph Reagan in a Dodge Caravan minivan for multiple hours. When the victim tried to escape, the suspect assaulted her. When she tried to call 9-1-1, the suspect stopped her from doing so. According to OSP, the victim was eventually able to escape the minivan and she contacted law enforcement using a phone at a local business. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office responded, and both troopers and deputies surrounded Reagan in the rest area. After several unsuccessful attempts to get the suspect to exit the vehicle peacefully, two troopers approached the minivan with a shield, broke out the van's back windows and physically removed him from the vehicle. John Reagan was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Kidnapping, 4th-Degree Assault and Interfering with Making a Police Report. He was found to be wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation and was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed two California men for using counterfeit money to purchase items at Walmart after they returned to the scene of the crime last weekend. The Police Department reports officers arrested 49-year-old Richard Lane Kaufman and 30-year-old Blake Joshua Hammercord at the store on NE Terry Lane on Sunday at about 3:45 p.m.. Police said Kaufman and Hammercord purchased merchandise at two separate Walmart registers using counterfeit $100 bills on Saturday night. Both men returned to the store on Sunday afternoon and managers immediately called 9-1-1. Kaufman was contacted and found to be in possession of another phony $100 bill, and he ultimately admitted to knowing the C-note he used on Saturday was fake. Hammercord was detained and found to be in possession of two counterfeit bills. Further investigation determined Kaufman and Hammercord are from California, and that they are suspects in additional theft cases in that state. Kaufman was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 1st-Degree Forgery, two counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument and 2nd-Degree Theft. Hammercord was jailed on the same charges plus an additional count of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument. Both men were being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for trespassing at the north Dollar Tree store last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the complaint involving 29-year-old Kraig Dean Toothman at the store in the 1200-block of NW 6th Street on Sunday around 11:45 a.m.. Police said Dollar Tree workers reported that Toothman attempted to pay for items with a "bad" $100 bill. The suspect had been trespassed from the store before and he left the business empty-handed, walking southbound on 6th Street. Officers caught up to Toothman and detained him a few blocks away. They said he had been trespassed from Dollar Tree last July. The $100 bill he had did not appear to be counterfeit, the store did not know what was taken and he had no stolen merchandise on him. Kraig Toothman was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. He was once again trespassed from Dollar Tree.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a man for warrant and moving violations during a weekend traffic stop near the Grants Pass Shopping Center. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Toyota Sienna driven by 55-year-old David Alan O'Rourke, Sr., near the corner of NE F Street and Fire Mountain Way on Sunday at about 8:40 a.m.. Troopers said they stopped O'Rourke for traffic violations. They discovered that he had an active misdemeanor warrant for his arrest and his driving privileges had been revoked. He was placed into custody without incident. David O'Rourke was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and for Driving While Revoked. His vehicle was legally parked and secured at his request.

 

Applications are being accepted for one vacancy on the Grants Pass and Josephine County Bikeways & Walkways Committee. This term expires on June 30, 2025. The purpose of this committee is to seek input from the community, coordinate and disseminate information for public education about biking and walking routes and rules, and serve as a resource and advisory group regarding bike and pedestrian trails for the City of Grants Pass and Josephine County. Applicants for this vacant position must be city residents. The special qualification is any person who represents the interests of bikers and walkers. Applications are available at the City Administration Office at 101 NW A Street or online at "grantspassoregon.gov/committee-application." Completed applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, March 1st. Applications will be reviewed by the committee on March 12th. The appointment will be made by the City Council during its regular meeting on April 3rd.

 

As the 2024 Oregon Legislative short-session began in Salem on Monday, House Republicans launched "Back to Basics," the caucus' vision for the policy needed to lead the state into a brighter future. The "Back to Basics" plan focuses on the issues that matter most to Oregonians: affordable housing, clean and safe streets, an end to the drug crisis, and a strong economy. House Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich of Hood River said "it is time to end this radical left-wing experiment and get back to the basics." He said they can find a bipartisan path forward if they can put polarizing politics aside and focus on the real issues that matter most. Helfrich said it's too expensive to build in Oregon due to overregulation, which has led to a lack of affordable housing and -- in some cases -- homelessness. He said Measure 110 opened the floodgates to access to deadly drugs like fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine, adding that Oregon leads the nation in new opioid overdose deaths. The House Leader stated that overregulation and taxes make it harder and more expensive to do business in Oregon. He said House Republicans want to open the door to opportunity so that working families can thrive. He also said Oregonians deserve to feel safe where they live, work and play.

 

The City of Grants Pass has developed pre-approved Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) building plans for property owners and developers as it moves to increase affordable housing. According to the 2021 American Community Survey, 30.3% of Grants Pass households are one-person and 34% of city households are two-person. The city has a shortage of studio and one-bedroom housing units, with only 5.3% available rentals in 2023 being studios and only 14.9% being one bedroom. An Accessory Dwelling Unit cannot exceed 1,000 square feet. Grants Pass is offering building plans for three different sizes of ADU structures. Option A is 728 square feet, Option B is 576 square feet and Option C is 416 square feet. ADUs must meet applicable zoning district setbacks for the front, rear and side yards. Applicants for these plans may submit for a building permit with three complete and "to scale" sets of building plans provided on the City of Grants Pass website. There must also be three copies of a site plan "to scale" as well as completed and signed Residential Development and Building Permit applications, which include all submittal requirements.