Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man for assaulting his wife in front of their children last week after she reported the incident at a Grants Pass church last weekend. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 41-year-old Frank Gomez on Sunday for the incident that allegedly occurred at a home in the 200-block of Osprey Glen Lane last Wednesday evening. Deputies said the woman went to the office of Edgewater Christian Fellowship and reported that her husband physically assaulted her in front of their young children. She was initially afraid to report the crime, but did so at the church because she felt safe there. Church staff assisted her by obtaining photos and contacting the police. According to the report, deputies viewed photos of the victim's injuries including bruising on her arms, under her chin and on her knees as well as pain to her lower back and upper thigh areas. The victim also bit the inside of her mouth as a result of being shoved against the wall. As a result of the initial investigation, deputies went to the couple's home and placed Gomez into custody. He did not wish to provide a statement and was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 4th-Degree Domestic Assault.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a man wanted for felony assault during a weekend traffic stop. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies pulled over a vehicle driven by 35-year-old Michael Taylor Marcum in an unspecified location around midday Sunday. Deputies said they stopped Marcum for a traffic violation and discovered that he was wanted for probable cause of Felony 2nd-Degree Assault. No other details about the incident or investigation into the alleged crime were disclosed. Marcum was also wanted on a warrant out of Illinois for failing to appear in court for Possession of Dangerous Drugs, but it was not extraditable. Michael Marcum was lodged at the Josephine County Jail without bail. At his request, his vehicle was left at the scene of the traffic stop and several friends were phoned to come retrieve his vehicle.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man wanted for probable cause of stealing a trailer and a golf cart from the Josephine County Fairgrounds last weekend. The Police Department reports detectives placed 33-year-old Justin Tylor Gardner into custody at gunpoint at a home in the 400-block of Edgewater Drive on Sunday at 3:58 p.m.. Police said officers received an anonymous tip that Gardner was working on a vehicle at that location. They said the caller believed Gardner was the subject who recently stole a trailer and a golf cart from the Fairgrounds. Video surveillance from cameras in the area was reviewed and it verified that he was the culprit. Justin Gardner was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Theft and Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle. It was unclear in the report if the trailer and golf cart were recovered.

 

A motorist was injured when she crashed her vehicle on Interstate 5 in northern Josephine County last weekend. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the single-vehicle wreck in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 73 on Sunday at 4:05 p.m.. Details about the crash were not disclosed, but it was raining and that area of the freeway is notorious for crashes when rain, speed, tire conditions and bad driving habits come together. Troopers said 44-year-old Patricia Ann Watts of Scio was driving a Subaru Legacy when she lost control of the vehicle on a curve. She was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of moderate injuries. Her car was hauled into Grants Pass by Caveman Towing. No citations were issued. With minutes of that accident, a secondary crash occurred on the same corner of the interstate. That driver was not injured. OSP was assisted by Rural Metro Fire Department, American Medical Response, Glendale Ambulance and the Oregon Department of Transportation with managing the incidents.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a young motorist for drunken and drugged driving after he crashed his vehicle about seven miles west of Merlin. According to OSP, troopers responded to a non-injury wreck in the 7100-block of Galice Road. Troopers said the crash involved a Hyundai Elantra driven by 21-year-old Asher Benjamin Branson-Brackin. They said signs of impairment were observed when they spoke with the driver. He performed poorly in field sobriety tests and was taken to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where a urine sample was collected. Based on the sample, Branson-Brackin was lodged at the Sobering Center for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Controlled Substances. His vehicle was towed to an impound yard in Grants Pass.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office was investigating the cause of an abandoned vehicle fire that occurred last weekend in a mountainous area west of Merlin. On Sunday at 3:30 p.m., deputies and Rural Metro Fire Department responded to the reported vehicle fire about 1.5 miles up Hog Creek Road from Galice Road. Rural Metro officials said a passerby came upon the blaze and called it in right away, mobilizing Engine 7505 from the company's Merlin Station. The fire -- which consumed most of the vehicle's interior -- was considered suspicious. After fully extinguishing the blaze, Rural Metro turned the scene over to the Sheriff's Office. There was no spread to the surrounding wildland. Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call (541)-474-5123.

 

The 2023 application window is still open for Community Wildfire Defense Grants. They will be accepted through October 31st. Community Wildfire Defense Grants help at-risk communities plan for and reduce the risk of wildfire by awarding grants for creating and updating Community Wildfire Protection Plans and implementing community-based projects that reduce wildfire risk and improve community resiliency in response to wildfires. This program is authorized and funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The initial round funded 100 projects for $197 million in 2022. Local governments representing communities located in an area with a risk of wildfires -- including homeowners associations that assist such communities -- and state forestry agencies are eligible for the program. Applicants must be registered in "SAM.gov." Registration is free with no-cost assistance. Communities recently impacted by a severe disaster, with lower-than-average incomes that are in a high-risk area may receive priority consideration. Grants must be used to fund work that reduces the risk of wildfire to people and property. For more details on this program, visit "fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/grants."

 

With a little help from Mother Nature, firefighters met the established deadlines for accomplishing all work on the region's remaining wildfires last weekend. In its final report, Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team 12 said the Anvil Fire about eight miles east of Port Orford was holding at 22,170 acres with containment at 80%. The majority of the remaining fire resources have been demobilized and only a few pieces of equipment remained in place to carry out the last cleanup tasks including pulling down ribbon and signage around the fire area. Crews have dismantled the rest of the fire camp and the Incident Command Post. All work was completed on the Flat Fire over the weekend and the remaining resources have also been demobilized. Northwest Team 12 has transitioned both the Anvil and Flat fires back to the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. The team would like to thank the local communities for their hospitality and support. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest lifted all public use restrictions on its lands last week. The fire danger rating and industrial fire precaution levels were removed from all five local ranger districts.

 

The City of Butte Falls and the Bureau of Land Management invite the public to attend an open house meeting this week to learn about and comment on two related projects: the Butte Falls Community Forest Recreation Plan and the BLM's Fredenburg Butte Trails Project. The open house will take place on Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Butte Falls Community Hall, 555 East Main Street. Butte Falls officials will explain and seek input on the recreation development plan for its recently acquired community forest. Following acquisition of the land in 2022, the town began developing its forest recreation plan with the support of the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program. The town held a public workshop in May to solidify an initial plan. Now Butte Falls and the Community Forest Commission are seeking input from residents and the larger community on the draft plan. To complement Butte Falls' plans for its community forest, the BLM is proposing a new non-motorized trail system in the Fredenburg Butte area north of town.