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GP Police Collared Fugitive, Cited 5 Campers and Evicted Them from City Park

Grants Pass Police apprehended a local fugitive, cited several campers and evicted all of them during a patrol check at Riverside Park early yesterday. The Police Department reports 53-year-old Bruce Alan Peterson was determined to be wanted on a Jackson County felony warrant for failing to appear in court for Probation Violation related to Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine. He was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. Meanwhile, Peterson was cited for Scattering Rubbish and Misuse of Open Space, Ryan Burrows was cited for Scattering Rubbish and Misuse of Open Space, Ashley Strempel was cited for drug possession, John Hanson was cited for Scattering Rubbish and Illegal Camping, and Timothy Teige was cited for Public Urination. All five subjects were trespassed from the park for 30 days while Peterson's personal belongings were logged into evidence for safekeeping. A kitten in his possession was taken to the Animal Shelter. A total of 11 campsites were posted for Illegal Camping at Riverside Park on Wednesday and an e-mail was sent to the United Community Action Network. One load of trash containing four soiled and drug paraphernalia-filled tents was taken to Southern Oregon Sanitation for disposal.

Posted on 11/9/23 11:06AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Incarcerated Man Who was Caught Inside Vacant NE City Apartment

Grants Pass Police arrested a man who was caught inside a vacant apartment on the northeast side of the city early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a trespassing complaint involving 34-year-old Timothy Evan Hall at an apartment complex in the 1,000-block of NE A Street on Wednesday at about 9:20 a.m.. Police said the complex manager called 9-1-1 to report that a male subject was inside a vacant apartment and had locked himself in the bedroom. The caller reported the same man broke into the apartment a few days ago and broke a window. Maintenance personnel repaired the window, but it does not lock. Officers arrived on scene and contacted Hall inside the apartment. They also found him to be in possession of drugs, which were seized for destruction. Timothy Hall was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 1st-Degree Criminal Trespass. He was also cited to appear in court for the narcotics violation.

Posted on 11/9/23 11:03AM by Sam Marsh

GP Transient Who Set Up Camp at Downtown Post Office Found Himself in Jail

A male transient who decided to camp at the Grants Pass Post Office and refused to identify himself to police found himself lodged in jail early yesterday. Grants Pass Police responded to a trespassing call involving a male subject at the downtown post office on NW 6th Street on Wednesday at 7:40 a.m.. Police said the caller reported the man was camping at the back exit of the post office. The caller said the man refused to leave when asked to do so and he started calling him names. The suspect was crouched down and covered with a multi-colored blanket on the walkway along the railroad tracks when officers arrived on scene. He refused to identify himself to officers and refused to leave the property under lawful orders. The suspect was taken to the Josephine County Jail where fingerprinting identified him as 43-year-old Robert Michael Musella. Musella was booked on a charge of 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass.

Posted on 11/9/23 11:01AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Cited Man for Violations after He Set Up Camp in City Parking Lot

Grants Pass Police cited a male transient for two violations after he set up camp in a downtown parking lot early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to a trespassing call at the Beaver Parking Lot at the corner of SE 7th and G streets on Wednesday at 9:23 a.m.. The caller was identified as a city employee. Police said they contacted Michael Ledbetter sleeping in a handicapped space in the parking lot near the alleyway. They said he had several trash items including cigarette butts around him. After Ledbetter was awakened, he was cited for Scattering Rubbish and Illegal Camping in the Downtown Area. He was ordered to clean up his mess and move on.

Posted on 11/9/23 11:00AM by Sam Marsh

Deputies Cited 3 People for Unpermitted Activities in Illinois Valley Forests

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office cited three people for unpermitted activities in the Illinois Valley yesterday. According to the Sheriff's Office, the first incident occurred on Wednesday at noon when deputies contacted two people on Caves Highway. They were cited for Collecting Forest Products Without a Permit. The second incident happened on Wednesday around 1 p.m. when deputies contacted a person on a nearby Forest Service Road. They were cited for Cutting Forest Products Without a Permit. After deputies ordered them to appear in court, the arrestees were released. None of them were identified in the Sheriff's Log.

Posted on 11/9/23 10:58AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Team Arrested CJ Man after Raiding Illegal Marijuana Growing Operation

The Oregon State Police arrested a Cave Junction man while raiding an illegal marijuana growing operation last week. In a Wednesday afternoon press release, OSP reported that its Drug Enforcement Section Southwest Region Marijuana team served a search warrant on a property in the 400-block of Pinewood Way last Thursday. During execution of the warrant, 1,644 illegal marijuana plants and approximately 2,000 pounds of processed marijuana were seized and destroyed. In addition, about $9,000 in US currency was seized as evidence. OSP detectives said 41-year-old Randall Meisenburg was arrested and charged with Unlawful Manufacture of Marijuana. Due to the unsavory living environment, the Oregon Department of Human Service's Child Welfare Division was contacted and responded to assess the condition of two small children on the property. The OSP team was assisted by the OSP Special Weapons & Tactics team and Jackson County Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team (IMET). Detectives said the investigation is ongoing and no additional details will be released at this time.

Posted on 11/9/23 6:13AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Jailed Unregistered Sex Offender on Warrant after Laundromat Call

Grants Pass Police jailed a man on a local warrant and tacked on a charge of being out of compliance with his sex offender registration after a trespassing complaint at a laundromat this week. According to the Police Department, officers arrested 63-year-old William Ward Fleming, Jr., at EZ Wash Laundromat on SW G Street on Tuesday night. Police said they responded to a call about a man smoking something out of a pipe while sitting under a table at the laundromat. They contacted Fleming and learned that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Furnishing False Information to Police. A methamphetamine pipe was seized. It was also discovered that Fleming was a convicted sex offender who had not registered locally since August 2022. William Fleming was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. He was being held without bail after being additionally cited for the narcotics violation.

Posted on 11/9/23 6:11AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Probation Violator & Recovered Stolen Car near Park

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for violating terms of his probation related to a domestic assault case and recovered a stolen vehicle at a residence near Riverside Park this week. The Police Department reports officers arrested 41-year-old Guy Caley McFarland at a home in the 1300-block of SE Vista Drive on Tuesday around midday. Police said Josephine County Community Corrections contacted them for help in locating McFarland, who was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for Probation Violation related to a recent arrest for 4th-Degree Domestic Assault. They said the suspect was found hiding in the attic of the garage after his wife consented entry. According to the report, a stolen vehicle with heavy front-end damage and a flat tire was located in the driveway of the residence. It was towed to a local impound yard after McFarland denied any association with the vehicle. Guy McFarland was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

Posted on 11/9/23 6:03AM by Sam Marsh

Grants Pass Police Snared Man for Unlawfully Entering Equipment Yard

For the second time this week, Grants Pass Police have arrested a man for unlawfully entering the yard of an equipment rental business. The Grants Pass Police Department reports officers responded to a trespassing complaint at Grants Pass Equipment Rentals on Rogue River Highway around 12:35 a.m. Wednesday. Police said 45-year-old Jon Michael Wigelsworth was observed inside the gated area of the rental business by the owner after he received camera notification on his phone. They said he was contacted as he was trying to climb out of the secured area and he admitted he planned on stealing gasoline. Jon Wigelsworth was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft, 3rd-Degree Criminal Mischief and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. On Monday night, 35-year-old Ian Seiwell Hogue was arrested and charged with four crimes after he illegally entered the same equipment yard.

Posted on 11/9/23 6:01AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Jailed GP Woman on Local Warrants after Contact at I-5 Interchange

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass area woman on outstanding warrants this week after contacting her near the Merlin Interchange. According to OSP, troopers contacted 58-year-old Heidi Lynn Lyman-Dobson at the intersection of Merlin Road and Highland Avenue late Tuesday night. Troopers said they spotted Lyman-Dobson and knew she was wanted on two outstanding warrants. Charges against her included Felony 1st-Degree Arson and failing to appear in court for Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle. Heidi Lyman-Dobson was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants.

Posted on 11/9/23 5:59AM by Sam Marsh

US Forest Service Announces Fee-Free Saturday to Celebrate Veterans Day

The Pacific Northwest Region of the US Forest Service will waive most day-use fees at sites on national forests in the region on Veterans Day. The fee-free day on Saturday is in recognition of our nation's veterans and it's the last fee-free day for the US Forest Service in 2023. The fee waiver applies to recreation fees charged for amenities such as picnic tables, developed trailheads and visitor centers. Fees for camping, cabin rentals or other permits still apply, and fees will continue to be charged at day-use fee sites operated by concessionaires -- unless individual managers choose to participate. The Forest Service offers several fee-free days throughout the year to encourage Americans to explore the outdoors and visit their public lands. The fee-free days include Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, Presidents Day, National Get Outdoors Day, Juneteenth, National Public Lands Day and Veterans Day. For more information on fee-free days and recreation passes, please visit "fs.usda.gov/visit/passes-permits."

Posted on 11/9/23 5:58AM by Sam Marsh

Commissioners Approved Order Confirming November 1st Sheriff's Property Sale

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved an order confirming a Sheriff's Property Sale that occurred on November 1st. The Board voted 2-0 to approve the order by accepting the Sheriff's Return of Sale and Sheriff's Certificate of Sale before authorizing the distribution of proceeds from the sale. Commissioner John West was absent. Property Management reported only one out of four properties that were for sale actually sold. The sale price for the unspecified property was $207,501, which -- minus a 10% administrative fee -- netted the county $186,750. The proceeds will go to the Property Management Fund. During Comments and Requests from Citizens, the Board heard from a Wolf Creek man regarding code enforcement and two people promoted Veterans Day events taking place on Saturday. A Veterans Day event is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Merlin Community Park and a Candlelight Vigil is set for 5 p.m. at the Josephine County Republican Party headquarters across from the Courthouse in Grants Pass. Commissioner Dan DeYoung concluded the 14-minute session with the reading of a Veterans Day poem.

Posted on 11/9/23 5:55AM by Sam Marsh

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