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Deputies Jailed Man for Assaulting Woman & Preventing Her from Calling 9-1-1

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man for assaulting a woman and preventing her from calling for help in the North Valley area yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to a domestic disturbance at a house inside a mini-storage facility on San Francisco Street on Monday shortly after 2 p.m.. Deputies said 46-year-old Neil Frederick Morris prevented the female victim from calling 9-1-1 after he threatened to get a gun and shoot himself. They said he bear-hugged the woman from behind and took her phone away. He also threw the victim to the ground at least twice during the incident. The victim's juvenile daughter heard the commotion, jumped out of her bedroom window and hid in a porta-potty before calling 9-1-1. She told dispatchers Morris was throwing her mother around and that he had been drinking alcohol. Upon arrival, deputies discovered that the victim had fled the house and was at Rural Metro Fire Department's Monument Drive Station. She refused medical treatment and was advised to seek help from the Women's Crisis Support Team. Morris was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 4th-Degree Domestic Assault and Interfering with Making a 9-1-1 Call. He was being held without bail.

Posted on 5/27/25 11:09AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Man on Local Felony Warrant after Responding to Complaint

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a local felony warrant after he caused a disturbance at the downtown Safeway yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident in the parking lot at the supermarket on SE 7th Street on Monday around 3:50 p.m.. Police said 42-year-old Gabriel Feliciano generated numerous calls for service by trespassing, yelling at customers and throwing rocks at staff. Store managers did not wish to pursue any charges, but they wanted him trespassed from the business. Officers contacted Feliciano and discovered that he was wanted on a Grants Pass felony warrant for 2nd-Degree Burglary and 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief. He had given them a false name, but they were able to determine his true identity. Feliciano was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus new charges of Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Trespass. He was being held without bail.

Posted on 5/27/25 11:07AM by Sam Marsh

Deputies Apprehended Man Wanted on State Felony Warrant near Grants Pass

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a man wanted on a statewide felony warrant at a residence near Grants Pass last weekend. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 37-year-old Alejandro Soto at a home in the 300-block of Cherokee Lane on Sunday at 12:35 p.m.. Deputies said Soto was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a 2023 conviction for Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage. He was staying in a camper on the property and the owner left the gate open for deputies to enter. Soto was placed into custody at Taser point. Soto was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and he was being held on a no-bail detainer.

Posted on 5/27/25 11:06AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Man for Disturbances at Dollar Tree & Nearby Neighborhood

Grants Pass Police arrested a man last weekend for causing disturbances at the north Dollar Tree and a nearby neighborhood. According to the Police Department, officers responded to an incident involving 64-year-old Timothy Carl Ferguson at a home in the 700-block of NW 3rd Street on Sunday around 2:40 p.m.. Police said a resident reported Ferguson was cursing and yelling as he was walking up and down their street. The caller said he also tried to enter their backyard. He was hostile toward the reporting party and neighbors when they told him to leave their properties. Further investigation revealed that Ferguson had earlier obstructed traffic on NW 6th Street near Dollar Tree and pounded on a car in the store parking lot. He was located and placed into custody. Ferguson was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and the resulting Probation Violation related to an arrest for 1st-Degree Theft. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

Posted on 5/27/25 10:42AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Warned GP Motorist for Causing Crash on Williams Highway near Murphy

The Oregon State Police warned a Grants Pass motorist after he caused a weekend crash on Williams Highway near Murphy. OSP reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle collision on Highway 238 at Fields Home Improvement Center on Saturday at 4:12 p.m.. Troopers said an investigation indicated that 76-year-old Brett Lee Mickelson was driving a GMC Sierra pickup when he pulled out of the Fields parking lot in front of a Honda motorcycle ridden by 37-year-old Zachary Charles Tatom. According to the report, Tatom suffered minor injuries from the crash and his motorcycle was heavily damaged. Mickelson was not hurt and his pickup had minor damage. Neither vehicle required towing. Following the investigation, Mickelson was warned for Failure to Yield the Right of Way.

Posted on 5/27/25 10:40AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Nabbed GP Motorist for DUII after Redwood Highway Stop near Applegate

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass man for impaired driving after a weekend traffic stop on Redwood Highway near the Applegate River. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Honda Fit driven by 41-year-old Chance Garrett Milburn on US Highway 199 near Riverbanks Road at 12:09 a.m. Sunday. Troopers said they stopped Milburn for a traffic violation and he displayed signs of impairment. They said he performed poorly in field sobriety tests and was taken to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was well over the legal driving limit. Milburn was lodged at the Sobering Center for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His vehicle was impounded.

Posted on 5/27/25 10:39AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Jailed Man for Attacking Woman and Fleeing RR Highway Residence

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for attacking a woman before fleeing her residence last weekend. The Police Department reports officers responded to a domestic disturbance at the Garden Grove Apartments in the 1400-block of Rogue River Highway on Sunday around 9:25 a.m.. Police said a neighbor called 9-1-1 to report a physical fight taking place in the adjacent unit. The caller told dispatchers he saw a male subject later identified as 43-year-old Randy John Jacobson flee the apartment on a yellow bicycle. Responding officers determined that Jacobson and the female victim were in a relationship and he spent the night at the woman's house. They said she woke him up in the morning and told him to leave, so he grabbed her from behind and used his forearm to impede her breathing. She screamed for help and he fled the scene. Jacobson was eventually located by law enforcement near Caveman Bridge and he was placed into custody. Jacobson was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Strangulation. He was being held without bail.

Posted on 5/27/25 6:29AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Woman for Stealing Wallet and Using Credit Cards for Fraud

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for stealing a wallet at a downtown watering hole last week and then using credit cards to make fraudulent purchases. The Police Department reports officers were alerted to the incident at River City Grill on SE K Street last Friday night. Police said 44-year-old Stephanie Michelle Caskey was recorded on video stealing the victim's wallet while he left it unattended. They said the value of the wallet and its contents was about $100. The suspect then used credit cards from the wallet to make fraudulent purchases. According to the report, Caskey was tracked down and placed into custody on Sunday evening in an unspecified location. She was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft and was being held without bail. Officers said further investigation was required to develop probable cause for Unlawful Use of a Credit Card.

Posted on 5/27/25 6:28AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Incarcerated Female Transient for Stealing Merchandise from Walmart

Grants Pass Police arrested a female transient for stealing from Walmart and bringing the stolen items back to her campsite at a downtown resting site. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting call at the store on NE Terry Lane on Sunday at 11:20 a.m.. Police said Walmart loss prevention called 9-1-1 and reported a female subject later identified as 32-year-old Samantha Gail Crutcher stole hundreds of dollars' worth of merchandise and fled on foot when they confronted her. They said she took clothes, sunglasses and jewelry from the store without paying for them. Officers observed surveillance video of the theft and identified Crutcher as the suspect. They located her a short time later at the NW 5th Street resting site and at least some of the stolen property was recovered and returned to Walmart. Crutcher was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. She was trespassed from Walmart and issued a 30-day exclusion notice from the resting site.

Posted on 5/27/25 6:19AM by Sam Marsh

Authorities Investigating Cause of Fire that Damaged Cave Junction Residence

Authorities were investigating the cause of a fire that damaged a Cave Junction residence early yesterday. The Illinois Valley Fire District, Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to the structure fire in the 800-block of Jackadel Lane on Monday at 1:52 a.m.. Arriving units found a three-story dwelling with visible smoke emanating from the roof. A second alarm was initiated and mutual aid was provided by Grants Pass Fire & Rescue. The fire was extinguished and crews began mop-up operations. No injuries were reported. Pacific Power was dispatched to remove the electrical meter. The cause of the fire was under investigation, with a potential origin point being identified as a flue fire.

Posted on 5/27/25 6:17AM by Sam Marsh

ODF and Williams Firefighters Corralled Monday Vegetation Blaze near Murphy

The Oregon Department of Forestry corralled a vegetation fire in the Murphy area yesterday. Around midday Monday, crews from ODF and the Williams Rural Fire Protection District responded and engaged in an aggressive initial attack on Glenlyn Drive, holding the blaze to an estimated 3/4 of an acre. The cause of the fire was under investigation. ODF officials said as temperatures continue to heat up this week, please be aware of the rising fire risk. Hot and windy weather conditions are known to rapidly accelerate fire growth. The start of the 2025 fire season in Josephine and Jackson counties will begin on June 1st when all outdoor debris burning -- including burn barrels -- will be prohibited.

Posted on 5/27/25 6:16AM by Sam Marsh

BCC Still Looking to Fill One Vacancy on Josephine County Budget Committee

The Board of Commissioners has determined that the opportunity to apply for the Josephine County Budget Committee is still available. The Budget Committee is comprised of three members of the public and the three Commissioners. The committee is responsible for reviewing the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The Josephine County Budget Committee has one vacancy. Interested individuals can find an application online at "josephinecounty.gov" under "Government, Committees and Advisory Boards." Individuals can also pick up an application from the Board of Commissioners' Office at the Courthouse in Grants Pass. Finance Director Ruth Nelson said Josephine County needs to make a good faith effort to fill the Budget Committee. The first meeting of the Josephine County Budget Committee for Fiscal Year 2026 is scheduled for Friday, May 30th, at 10 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

Posted on 5/27/25 6:15AM by Sam Marsh

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