Local News

An Illinois Valley man was jailed over the weekend after he allegedly roughed up his wife at a residence near Selma. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office reports 34-year-old Douglas William Earl Green was arrested on Friday shortly after 10 p.m. for the incident that occurred at a home in the 17,400-block of Redwood Highway. Deputies said a woman called 9-1-1 to request a welfare check on her friend. The caller said Green's wife told her that he had "choked her out" the night before and she was worried they might get into another fight. According to the report, Green told his wife he was going hunting and left the home in a Dodge pickup with his rifle. He was contacted a short time later on Illinois River Road and told deputies he would not answer if he was physical with his wife. After interviewing his wife, he was placed into custody without incident. The woman had bruises from the domestic disturbance, but she refused medical assistance. Douglas Green was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Domestic Strangulation. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for shoving another woman to the ground in the downtown area late last week. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the reported disturbance at the corner of SE 6th and K streets on Friday around 11 a.m.. Police said 59-year-old Marjorie Rose Anderson subjected another woman to offensive physical contact by pushing her down in the downtown intersection, causing pain to the victim and prompting multiple calls to 9-1-1. Traffic was disrupted because of the incident which was witnessed by several people. Upon contact with Anderson, she reportedly told officers that she did not know the victim but pushed her because she figured the woman was "in on it." Marjorie Anderson was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Harassment and Disorderly Conduct. Jail records show Anderson was arrested on October 28th for Criminal Mischief, October 25th for Offensive Littering and September 28th for Disorderly Conduct.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two campers who had returned to a city park after they had been trespassed from the facility. According to the Police Department, officers contacted 57-year-old William Daniel Stroh and 53-year-old Tammy Ann Whetzel at Baker Park late Friday. Police said Stroh and Whetzel had been trespassed from the park for 30 days on October 28th, but they elected to return to the park before the prescribed time period. Both were lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Criminal Trespass. Both Stroh and Whetzel admitted to knowing they had been trespassed. They had been given several warnings to vacate the park prior to being arrested. The pair had other campers watch over their belongings and two dogs while they were in jail.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters ramped up their efforts in order to protect citizens and structures in the community last week. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 688 calls for service along with 350 officer-initiated calls that resulted in 51 arrests, 30 citations, 38 warnings and nine highly intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. The Community Response Team (CRT) contacted a total of 191 potential trouble-makers while arresting nine people, citing 49 more and warning 93 others. The CRT unit also trespassed 37 individuals, posted 91 transient camps and removed trash from 12 campsites in city parks. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 103 calls last week including 49 for emergency medical service, two reports of fire or smoke, 17 lift assists, eight rescue situations, six assists to other agencies and seven false alarms. The 9-1-1 Dispatch Center fielded a total of 1,176 emergency calls last week in addition to 959 calls for non-emergency service.

 

The Medford Fire Department recently launched the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Squad Program. This innovative program -- which includes a two-person crew -- addresses the growing demand for medical and good-intent calls through a cost-effective solution that increases engine availability for critical needs while improving overall EMS system reliability. Medford Fire Chief Eric Thompson said with over 83% of calls for service being good-intent calls, it has become essential to enhance their response capabilities and reduce wait times for residents. Medford Fire-Rescue is dedicated to improving its emergency medical services and ensuring the community receives the care they need in a timely and efficient manner. The need for this program was identified in the Medford City Council-approved Fire Strategic Plan, a comprehensive road map designed to enhance fire services and community safety.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed three suspects in a nationwide organized retail crime ring after a shoplifting incident at Ross Dress 4 Less late last week. The Police Department reports 47-year-old Jose Vargas-Reyes, 45-year-old Juan Vargas-Reyes and 47-year-old Monica Valencia-Torres were arrested at the store in the Grants Pass Shopping Center on Friday at about 10:40 a.m.. Police said corporate investigators with Ross were surveilling the Grants Pass store for thieves involved in organized retail crime. They said the suspects began their crime spree in California and it was known they were traveling north on I-5. After spotting the suspects, store detectives contacted GPPD and officers swooped in, searched the store and placed the suspects into custody. According to the report, the three suspects are Mexican nationals operating out of California. The trio used Spandex undergarments to conceal numerous amounts of clothing, fragrances and other items from the store. Their Ford Explorer was found parked near Harbor Freight and it contained more stolen merchandise from their theft operation. The retail amount of the items was estimated to be over $10,000.

 

Voters in Grants Pass and Josephine County are deciding whether to support two measures that would fund local law enforcement in Tuesday's election. Grants Pass residents are voting on Measure 17-114, which is a five-year renewal of a $1.79 local option tax that has funded city police and fire services for over 10 years. Josephine County residents are voting on Measure 17-115, which is a permanent taxing district to fund the Sheriff's Office at 99 cents per thousand dollars of assessed property value. The City of Cave Junction is included. Grants Pass is not. So far, voter turnout has been low for these important law enforcement issues. The Josephine County Clerk's Office reported late Friday that the turnout was around 22.5%, with just over 22% of the ballots accepted. Voters have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to drop off completed ballots at designated drop-boxes or to place them in the mail before midnight in order to receive a November 7th postmark.

 

To kick off First Friday in downtown Grants Pass last week, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Chamber of Commerce at a new historic art piece at the corner of 5th and H streets. The new installation sits at the northeast sidewalk corner and it commemorates one of Oregon's most significant World War II stories. The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion was a segregated unit of African American soldiers who were given the opportunity to work as airborne soldiers. They were dispatched to Oregon to work as smokejumpers, fighting fires started by balloon bombs that were sent over the state by Japan. Because of the role this battalion played in World War II, the 555th was one of the first military units to be integrated. Members of the Smokejumper Museum were at the dedication ceremony to share stories and artifacts about this important part of our community's history.

 

The Medford Police Department has arrested a White City man for a homicide that occurred nearly six years ago. MPD detectives arrested 27-year-old Raul Meza-Solorio for the 2017 murder of Christian Barajas, who was 23 years old at the time. On the day before Thanksgiving 2017, MPD officers were dispatched to a drive-by shooting in the 300-block of Chestnut Street. Officers arrived at the scene less than two minutes after the call and found Barajas deceased on the side of the road. The results of an autopsy indicated Barajas had been shot four times, resulting in his death. Over the next several days, investigators interviewed numerous people and obtained video surveillance of the events leading up to the deadly encounter. Detectives said Meza-Solorio was identified early in the investigation as a person of interest. Search warrants were executed at his home and the vehicle believed to be involved in the shooting, but there was insufficient evidence to make an arrest. Uncooperative witnesses would not divulge key information, so the investigation went cold. The case has remained a top priority for MPD for the past six years. Over the last several months, new information was discovered that implicated Meza-Solorio as the sole suspect in the homicide. This information led detectives to the 3,000-block of Avenue C in White City where the suspect was arrested. Raul Meza-Solorio was interviewed and then lodged at the Jackson County Jail on a single charge of 2nd-Degree Murder. The family of Christian Barajas has been notified of the arrest. The Jackson County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the case for prosecution.