Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for stealing a vehicle from Reedsport following a weekend traffic stop near Cave Junction. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies pulled over a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado pickup near the intersection of Waldo and Rockydale roads on Saturday shortly after 7 p.m.. Deputies said they spotted 36-year-old Zachrie Mencarelli driving the Silverado that had been reported stolen by the Reedsport Police Department. After the traffic stop, they placed him into custody at gunpoint. Mencarelli was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on felony charges of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and Possession of a Stolen Vehicle. He was being held without bail. The Sheriff's Office notified Reedsport PD of the stolen vehicle recovery. The victim was contacted and made arrangements to pick up the vehicle that had been towed to Cave Junction.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for stealing an expensive bicycle from a southeast city apartment complex late last week. The Police Department was alerted to the bicycle theft at the Garden Grove Apartments on Fruitdale Drive on Friday morning. Police said the victim reported the bicycle was stolen out of the back of his truck around 3:15 a.m.. The caller said the bike is a TREK with MAXXIS wheels. He said it is a one-of-a-kind bike with custom forks, frame and after-market parts with an estimated value of $8,000. Officers reviewed surveillance video and identified the suspect as 28-year-old Aleksandr Uchytil. He was spotted with the stolen bicycle at Baker Park around 12:15 p.m. and placed into custody. The bike was returned to its rightful owner. Uchytil was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Theft and he was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on three local warrants and for drug possession while investigating a theft complaint at a gas station-convenience store. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the call at Speedway in the Grants Pass Shopping Center on Friday around 8:20 p.m.. Police said an employee advised a male subject possibly stole some items and fled toward the Parkway Village Shopping Center. They located the suspect, detained him and identified him as 43-year-old Gabriel Feliciano. He was not in possession of any stolen items, but he did have a methamphetamine pipe that was seized. Feliciano was found to be wanted on three Grants Pass warrants charging him with failing to appear in court for 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief, 2nd-Degree Burglary, 2nd-Degree Theft and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. Feliciano was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants plus a new charge of Meth Possession. He was being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for drug possession after a weekend report of suspicious activity at a Murphy area residence. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies were alerted to the incident at a home in the 200-block of Canaan Street on Saturday at 7:38 a.m.. Deputies said the resident called 9-1-1 to report a male subject sitting in a sport utility vehicle that was parked in their driveway. The subject had been there for nearly an hour with his door propped open. The caller said she needed to leave, but did not want to go out to her car with the man there. Upon arrival, deputies contacted 62-year-old Terry Anthony Carnicello and found him to in possession of methamphetamine. Carnicello was lodged in jail for Meth Possession and his SUV was impounded.

 

Two men were tragically killed over the weekend when their disabled pickup truck was struck in Prospect. The double-fatal collision -- which occurred on Friday at 10:04 p.m. -- is being investigated by the Jackson County Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction (STAR) Team. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office reports 67-year-old Arthur Rowden and 51-year-old Gary Tate -- both of Prospect -- were standing outside of a 1987 Toyota pickup that was disabled with its lights off in the eastbound lane of Mill Creek Road when it was struck by a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by an 18-year-old Prospect resident. Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon received the initial crash report, dispatching deputies and the Prospect Fire Department. Firefighters were the first on scene and they confirmed Rowden and Tate were deceased. Next of kin have been notified. Detectives said the young driver is cooperating with the investigation. At this time, investigators do not believe speed or impairment were factors in the crash and no criminal charges have been filed. The STAR Team is a multi-agency group of investigators comprised of personnel from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Medford Police Department, Ashland Police Department, Central Point Police Department and Jackson County District Attorney's Office.

 

A motorist and his dog were injured when he crashed his truck in the Murphy area. On Saturday at 11:13 a.m., Rural Metro Fire Department, American Medical Response and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the single-vehicle wreck in the 7800-block of North Applegate Road. Rural Metro Engine Companies 7501 and 7504 used the "Jaws of Life" to remove the doors off a pickup to extract the driver. The patient was transported by AMR to Three Rivers Medical Center with serious injuries while a dog with minor injuries was tended to by a sheriff's deputy. Rural Metro officials said a cargo rack on the truck bed prevented a load of lumber from entering the cab when the vehicle came to an abrupt stop after striking a tree. The Sheriff's Office was investigating the cause of the crash.

 

A motorcyclist was seriously injured in a weekend accident near Cave Junction. On Saturday at 10:13 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District and American Medical Response were dispatched to the single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Holland Loop and Takilma roads. IVFD officials said the motorcycle rider was transported by ground ambulance to Station #2 in Selma and the patient was airlifted by REACH Air Medical to a local trauma hospital with serious injuries. The patient was not identified in the report. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested three men for stealing a U-Haul out of Oklahoma following a weekend traffic stop on Interstate 5 near Wolf Creek. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies and the Oregon State Police pulled over the 26-foot vehicle in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 76 on Friday shortly after 7 p.m.. Deputies said they were alerted that the 2017 Ford F-650 U-Haul had been spotted traveling north in Josephine County by the Oklahoma City Police Department. They were assisted by OSP and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. According to the report, three men identified as 34-year-old Matthew Tingle, 34-year-old Ashton Kirksey and 33-year-old Coi Whitehorn were detained after they admitted knowing the vehicle was stolen. The U-Haul was towed to Grants Pass. Tingle, Kirksey and Whitehorn were transported to the Josephine County Jail and booked on felony charges of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and Possession of a Stolen Vehicle. All three were being held without bail.

 

UPDATE: NATHAN HOWARD HAS BEEN FOUND SAFE.

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office was seeking public assistance in locating a Grants Pass teenager who may have run away from home. Sheriff's officials report 17-year-old Nathan Howard was reported as a missing or runaway person last Thursday. He was last seen in the area of NW 5th and F streets on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.. Howard is believed to be in the Grants Pass area in and around city parks. He is described as a white male juvenile, 5-feet-6-inches tall and 135 pounds, with blonde hair and green eyes. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Nathan Howard is encouraged to contact the Sheriff's Office at (541)-474-5123.