Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for stealing an identification reader from a southeast city watering hole over the weekend. The Police Department reports officers responded to a theft complaint at Flespy's Bar & Grill on Fruitdale Drive on Saturday around 6:30 p.m.. Police said the bar manager called 9-1-1 to report that 55-year-old Jeffrey Raymond Shields had been observed on surveillance video grabbing an ID reader valued at $995 and leaving the business. The incident occurred early Saturday morning and the manager called when Shields returned to the bar that evening. Upon arrival, officers contacted Shields who admitted to taking the reader and throwing it in the blackberry bushes near Flespy's. However, officers were initially unable to locate the stolen item. Shields was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft. It was unclear in the report if the stolen ID reader was ever found.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for assaulting a woman and threatening her with a shotgun at a Rogue River Highway RV park. The Police Department reports officers arrested 50-year-old Joseph David Kusch for the incident in the 1800-block of Highway 99 on Friday at 2:36 p.m.. Police said the female victim called 9-1-1 to report that Kusch was inside their trailer with a loaded shotgun and she was unable to leave. She told dispatchers the suspect placed his forearm on her chest and pushed her several feet back onto a bed. She also had to grab his hand away from her throat and push him away. Upon the arrival of law enforcement, the victim began to recant all her statements and said she did not want Kusch to be arrested. However, officers developed enough probable cause to place the suspect into custody. Kusch was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Domestic Strangulation and Domestic Menacing. He was being held without bail pending his arraignment. The victim refused to accept any resources from the Women's Crisis Support Team.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for shooting a bow and arrow at a tiny city park late last week. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the incident involving 20-year-old Krys Isiah Green at Kesterson Park on NE Evelyn Avenue on Friday morning. Police said witnesses saw Green pointing the bow and arrow at passing vehicles and shooting it toward a tent. Upon contact, the suspect told officers he was just practicing by shooting it at a tree. However, others at the park felt threatened. Green was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Disorderly Conduct. The bow and arrow were seized as evidence. Green was also trespassed from Kesterson Park for 30 days.

 

One person was injured in a weekend crash at a Cave Junction intersection. On Friday at 7:56 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District, American Medical Response and Josephine County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Laurel Road and Cedar Brook Lane. Few details about the incident were available, but IVFD officials reported one person was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center. The Sheriff's Office assumed responsibility for the investigation. Meanwhile, IVFD, AMR and the Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Redwood Highway at Ken Rose Lane in Cave Junction on Saturday at 1:14 p.m.. Officials said no one was hurt and OSP was investigating the cause of the wreck.

 

UPDATE: STEPHEN MCGUIRE HAS BEEN LOCATED SAFE.

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office was seeking public assistance in locating a missing Grants Pass man. In a Saturday evening press release, sheriff's officials reported 58-year-old Stephen Anthony McGuire was last seen on July 15th on SW Central Avenue in Grants Pass. Officials said they received information that McGuire left during the night and he may be wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans. He is described as a white male adult, 5-feet-8-inches tall, with graying-brown hair and hazel eyes. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Stephen McGuire is encouraged to contact the Sheriff's Office at (541)-474-5123.

 

Grants Pass Fire & Rescue and Rural Metro Fire Department worked together to rescue an injured hiker in the Wolf Creek-Sunny Valley area. On Saturday evening, Grants Pass and Rural Metro crews were dispatched to the incident near milepost 11 of Lower Grave Creek Road. That's where a hiker suffered a leg injury after falling down a steep embankment. Facing challenging terrain, personnel constructed a rope-haul system to perform a 75-foot low-angle rescue using a Stokes basket. Crews were able to access the patient and remained with him throughout the lift to ensure a safe and steady extrication. It was unclear in the report whether the unidentified patient was taken to a hospital. Officials said their responders are trained across multiple disciplines to handle any call, any hazard, any time -- day or night.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters logged a busy week of activity while protecting the community during the summer heat. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 652 calls for service along with 297 officer-initiated calls which resulted in 50 arrests, 31 citations, 77 warnings and five highly intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 86 traffic stops in the city and they made 23 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS). The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) contacted a total of 32 potential troublemakers while arresting five suspects, citing eight more and warning 14 others. The CRT unit also trespassed eight individuals and made 71 park checks. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 113 calls last week including 42 for emergency medical service, 10 for reports of fire or smoke, eight lift assists, six rescue situations, 16 assists to other agencies and five false alarms. Firefighters also performed 16 business inspections, led three education/prevention programs, assisted the public nine times and properly installed seven child car seats. The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded a total of 1,437 emergency calls last week.

 

The Grants Pass City Council will address an advisory committee motion and continue to work on strategies to fund public safety services during its workshop session today. The City Council will open the session with a Committee on Public Art motion to activate a new mural in the Redwood Alley. Next up is continued discussion on public safety services and funding. The Council is seeking a long-term solution to properly fund law enforcement and fire services in Grants Pass. The final item is an agenda review for future workshops and meetings. Today's workshop begins at 11:45 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.

 

Cooler overnight temperatures have allowed crews working on the Board Shanty Fire to hold control lines and finish installing hose lays around the full perimeter. Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 3 reported this morning that the wildfire burning south of Grants Pass was holding at 474 acres with 14% containment. The perimeter of the wildfire is now completely lined. Firefighters continued mop-up on all flanks of the fire yesterday. ODF officials said extreme slopes continue to pose a hazard for burning debris that may roll across fire lines. Firefighters remain vigilant in assessing hazards and patrolling for spot fires in the area. Due to progress on the fire, the Josephine County Sheriff's Office has downgraded existing Level 2 "Be Set" evacuation notices to Level 1 "Be Ready" for Zones JCU-436, JCU-437 and JCU-448-A. The Level 1 notice for Zone JCU-448-B in Josephine County remains in place, but it has been dropped for Zone JAC-068 in Jackson County. Incident resources devoted to the Board Shanty Fire today totaled 809 personnel including 31 hand crews, 35 engines, 14 water tenders, 12 bulldozers and 12 helicopters. Commanders praised crews for keeping the fire away from the emergency response radio tower near the top of the mountain ridge to allow communications to remain uninterrupted for local communities.