Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a woman on an outside felony warrant after contacting her in the Cloverlawn area of Grants Pass last night. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies arrested 41-year-old Cynthia Amber Pettit at the corner of Cloverlawn Drive and Wallace Lane at 7:26 p.m. Thursday. Deputies said they were alerted to a suspicious female subject in the area, which drew their response. They said the woman initially refused to identify herself due to the fact that she was wanted on a Polk County bench warrant for failing to appear for two counts of Contempt of Court. Cynthia Pettit was lodged at the adult jail facility where she awaited transfer to the Polk County Jail in Dallas.

 

A Cave Junction man was cited for causing a motor vehicle accident on Rogue River Highway near Grants Pass late yesterday. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle collision on Highway 99 near Royal View Lane on Thursday shortly before 6 p.m.. Troopers said an investigation indicated a Subaru driven by 30-year-old Brendon Lee Collins had slowed to make a turn onto Royal View with other vehicles behind slowing as well. They said 36-year-old Martin Blake Addley was driving a Toyota Tacoma when -- for unknown reasons -- he swerved onto the shoulder and collided with the rear passenger-side door of the Subaru as it completed its turn. Both drivers sustained minor injuries, but refused medical treatment at the scene. The Subaru sustained major damage and was towed, while the Toyota sustained moderate damage and was able to be driven away. Following the investigation, Addley was cited for Following Too Closely.

 

US Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon is praising the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining for holding a recent hearing on the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination (SRS) Act. SRS is bipartisan legislation that Senator Wyden co-sponsors with Senators Mike Crapo of Idaho, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and James Risch of Idaho. The legislation would invest in rural communities across Oregon and the nation for essential services such as education, road maintenance, search and rescue, wildfire prevention and watershed restoration by reauthorizing the SRS Act through 2026. Since Wyden first authored the program in 2000, Secure Rural Schools has provided nearly $4 billion to Oregon counties. To preserve this vital lifeline for rural communities, he said SRS must be reauthorized in fiscal year 2024. In a written statement, Wyden said the Secure Rural Schools program has been important for rural counties in Oregon and nationwide, but lapses in Congressional action have left rural counties dangling on an annual fiscal cliff. Wyden called the reauthorization of SRS "critical and necessary" to support essential services in rural communities. After the Senate Subcommittee held the hearing on his bill, he said "reauthorization of SRS is one step closer to the finish line."

 

A Jackson County man with a lengthy criminal history has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography online using Tumblr, a microblogging and social networking website. The US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon reports 50-year-old Thomas Ray Taylor of Eagle Point was sentenced this week to 120 months in prison and five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $27,000 in restitution. According to court documents, the Eagle Point Police Department in November 2018 received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a local resident was suspected of uploading images and videos depicting child sexual abuse. In March 2019, investigators met Taylor at his place of employment and seized his cell phone. Taylor admitted to viewing child pornography and told police about several digital devices he possessed. Later that same day, police executed a search warrant at Taylor's residence and seized multiple devices. A forensic examination later confirmed that he possessed more than 1,000 illicit images and videos, some of which he shared online.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man for attacking his roommate at a residence about four miles west of Grants Pass this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 48-year-old Anthony Michael Donlan for the incident that occurred at a mobile home park in the 4500-block of Lower River Road on Wednesday evening. Deputies said they received a call from a 63-year-old man who stated that Donlan beat him up with a shovel and had him trapped in the house. They said the victim sought refuge in the office of the park and was applying direct pressure to a wound on his head. The man said he also sustained bruises on his arms, face and chest. Upon arrival, deputies interviewed both parties, observed the victim's injuries and placed Donlan into custody. The victim received medical treatment at the scene, but he was not transported to the hospital. There was no evidence that a shovel was used in the attack, nor was there any evidence the suspect prevented the victim from leaving the residence. Anthony Donlan was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 4th-Degree Assault. Donlan was flagged as hostile to law enforcement and a two-officer contact after he allegedly threatened to shoot deputies.

 

A Josephine County Jail inmate was served with a warrant out of California this week. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies served a Siskiyou County warrant on 53-year-old Jerry Emmit Glover Wednesday night. The out-of-state fugitive warrant listed a crime of Fleeing a Pursuing Peace Officer in a Motor Vehicle While Driving Recklessly. Glover was already in custody on local charges of Felony Assault, Felony Theft, Felony Attempt to Elude Police, Escape, Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangering and Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage. Jerry Glover remains lodged at the Grants Pass jail facility and his scheduled bail has been increased to $450,000.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Portland area man on an outstanding warrant during a Redwood Highway traffic stop about nine miles west of Grants Pass. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Nissan Pathfinder driven by 41-year-old Pasute Elleia Wachaska Nawage near milepost 9 of US Highway 199 on Wednesday. State troopers said they stopped Nawage for a traffic violation and discovered he was wanted on a Columbia County warrant for Contempt of Court. He was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail. According to OSP, the Nissan was released to its registered owner who was a passenger in the vehicle.

 

A Grants Pass motorist was arrested for driving recklessly from the Redwood area into the downtown area this week. The Oregon State Police reports troopers eventually stopped a Kia K-5 driven by 20-year-old Dylan Michael Tucker on SE 7th Street late Wednesday night. Troopers said they initially observed the Kia near Redwood Avenue and Redwood Highway. While attempting to catch up to the suspect vehicle, they said it sped excessively, cutting off other drivers and driving partially on the shoulder. When OSP was close enough to stop the vehicle, it was reportedly crossing the 7th Street Bridge at 68 miles per hour. Tucker was cited to appear in court for Reckless Driving and then released at the scene of the traffic stop.

 

Following solid progress with wildfire repairs along US Highway 199 near the Oregon border, the California Department of Transportation anticipates the last day of three-hour closures will be today. According to Caltrans District 1 in Del Norte County, Saturday and Sunday will be the first days without traffic control since the Smith River Complex started August 15th. Caltrans officials said work on that section of Redwood Highway is still ongoing. Moving forward, travelers should expect up to one-hour delays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. But outside of those hours, delays should be minimal. US Highway 199 has been subject to an emergency wildfire response since mid-August. So far, crews have remediated hazardous trees, damaged guardrail and damaged signs. They've also installed elevated cable net drapery systems to stop rocks and debris from falling onto the highway. Upcoming work includes removing additional hazardous trees, installing more signs and installing more rock-catching systems. For more updates on US Highway 199 between the Illinois Valley and Highway 101, check "quickmap.dot.ca.gov." You can also visit the QuickMap app for the latest road conditions.