Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for multiple crimes after he and his wife allegedly teamed up to steal merchandise from Walmart over the weekend. The Police Department reports officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at the big box retailer on NE Terry Lane on Saturday at about 9:40 a.m.. Police said 36-year-old Matthew Christopher Crandall and Autumn Crandall went to Walmart where Matthew used the mobile app to scan an item and then select a more expensive or larger item with a higher cost. They said the suspect used his cellphone for the transaction and scanning, paying $101.28 for items valued at $177.21. The crime was captured on surveillance video prior to the 9-1-1 call. Upon arrival, officers placed Matthew Crandall into custody and discovered he was open-carrying a firearm that he was prohibited from having due to a past domestic violence conviction. The gun was seized as evidence. Matthew Crandall was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Computer Crime, Carrying a Concealed Weapon and 3rd-Degree Theft. A charge of Petty Theft against his wife was referred to the District Attorney's Office because she was assisting him with selecting items at the store.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for stealing merchandise from the Home Depot store. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to a shoplifting call from the store on NE Mill Street on Saturday around 5 p.m.. Police said 33-year-old Jesse Russell Jones selected $264 worth of merchandise and passed all points of sale, intentionally depriving Home Depot of its property. He walked through the parking lot and exited near the Mill Street Car Wash where he was tracked down and placed into custody. The stolen property was recovered. Jesse Jones was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft and he was being held without bail. A message about his criminal activity was left with his corrections officer.

 

A Grants Pass man was injured after he crashed his vehicle on Williams Highway near Murphy. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle wreck near milepost 7 of Highway 238 on Saturday at 7:22 p.m.. Troopers said an investigation indicated that 25-year-old Mikal Glenn Spriggle was driving a Toyota Prius when he lost control of the car, spun and ended up in the ditch. According to OSP, Spriggle was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of a minor injury. His damaged car was hauled into Grants Pass by Three Boys Towing.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Rogue River man for drugged driving after a traffic stop in downtown Grants Pass late last week. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Honda Accord driven by 67-year-old Thomas Richard Carlson near the corner of SW 6th and I street on Friday around 11:30 a.m.. Troopers said they stopped Carlson for traffic violations and he displayed signs of impairment. After performing poorly in field sobriety test, he was transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was not consistent with the level of impairment observed during testing. A drug recognition specialist was called in to perform a secondary evaluation and Carlson was subsequently taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw that documented his impairment by marijuana and an unidentified controlled substance. Thomas Carlson was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis and Controlled Substances. He was cited to appear in court and released. His car was parked and secured at his request.

 

Cave Junction Mayor Meadow Martell will give a State of the City Address to open tonight's City Council meeting. The mayor's annual start-of-the-year address will be followed by an update from the Cave Junction Public Works Department. The Consent Agenda is next including minutes of previous meetings and planning updates. A public comment period follows. The lone action item for tonight's meeting is an ordinance to update requirements for signage in Cave Junction. The Council may approve the second reading and adopt Ordinance 602. Tonight's meeting concludes with comments from the City Recorder and City Council members. It begins at 7 at Cave Junction City Hall, 222 Lister Street.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man on statewide and local felony warrants as well as for weapons crimes after he was caught looking into vehicles at a northeast-city apartment complex. The Police Department reports officers arrested 44-year-old Eric Wayne Beck at Taser point in the 1800-block of NE Fairview Avenue on Friday around 8 p.m.. Police said at least one resident of the Fairview apartments reported a male subject on a bicycle kept coming onto the property and looking inside parked vehicles. The caller believed the man's behavior was suspicious, so they called 9-1-1. Responding officers detained Beck and found him to be in possession of a set of brass knuckles and a knife. They also discovered that he was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a burglary conviction along with a Grants Pass warrant for Probation Violation related to domestic assault. Eric Beck was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the no-bail warrants plus two counts of Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon. Police checked the complex and found no evidence of vehicle break-ins.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a young motorist for impaired driving after he wrecked a vehicle into a metal pole in a northeast neighborhood last weekend. The Police Department reports officers and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle crash in the 700-block of NE 8th Street on Saturday at about 4 a.m.. Police said an investigation determined that 18-year-old Vincent Paul Hagenbuch was driving a Ford Fusion when he lost control of the car, went up on a curb and collided with a pole. They said the driver was not injured, but the car sustained heavy front-end damage from hitting the pole, which was knocked over. Hagenbuch reportedly displayed "indicators of impairment to a noticeable and perceptible degree." He performed poorly in field sobriety tests at the scene and at the Josephine County Jail, where he was lodged for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. The damaged car was impounded. City street crews were notified about the damaged pole, but a nearby utility pole was not damaged.

 

Is pushing a vehicle while suspended the same as driving a vehicle while suspended? That's the question someone will have to answer after Grants Pass Police made an arrest late last week. The Police Department reports officers contacted 56-year-old Scott Adams at the south end of SE 8th Street on Friday at 5:46 p.m.. Police said Adams advised them that he had pushed his vehicle to that location and became stuck in potholes in the road. He told them he had pushed his vehicle from L Street before it became stuck and added that he has been living in the vehicle. A routine records check revealed that Adams had a suspended driver's license. He was advised of his Miranda rights and asked for an attorney. He was cited to appear in court for Driving While Suspended and released. Adams' vehicle was pushed to the curb with strict instructions that he is not to operate it in the future. He was told that he must have someone else move his home-on-wheels because driving it is a crime.

 

Grants Pass Police evicted two people from a city park after they committed a serious ordinance violation late last week. According to the Police Department, officers were performing a patrol check at Fruitdale Park on Friday morning when they contacted Donnie Snow and Lori Signs. Police said Snow and Signs were cited to appear in court for having propane tanks inside the park, which is a misdemeanor offense but a serious city violation. Both admitted to knowing it is against the law to have propane tanks inside city parks. Snow and Signs were trespassed from Fruitdale Park for 30 days.