Local News

Grants Pass Police jailed a man on three outstanding warrants after an unusual weekend incident on Redwood Highway near the South Y intersection. According to the Police Department, officers arrested the 41-year-old man near the intersection of US Highway 199 and Tussey Lane on Saturday at 6:15 p.m.. Police said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that a male subject had thrown his backpack into the roadway in the South Y area. The caller said the man kept on walking after he threw the backpack into the right-hand travel lane. Officers responded and contacted the suspect who was found to be wanted on three Josephine County warrants for failing to appear in court on charges including Felony Methamphetamine Possession, Theft of Services and Criminal Trespass. The suspect was lodged on the warrants at the Josephine County Jail and his bail was set at $65,000. He was also warned for Disorderly Conduct.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a wanted man for trespassing with his vehicle at a local counseling center this past weekend. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to the incident at Transform Counseling on NE Beacon Drive on Saturday around 11:30 a.m.. Police said an employee reported that there was a Jeep Cherokee with an open utility trailer on the property and they wanted it removed. Officers arrived on scene and contacted a 42-year-old man in the driver seat of the Jeep. He was found to be wanted on a local arrest warrant. The alleged crime or crimes were not disclosed. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. His vehicle was moved off the property, parked and secured.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a California man who lied about his identity during a weekend traffic stop on Interstate 5 in the North Valley area. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Dodge Charger driven by a 28-year-old Livingston, California, man in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 63 on Saturday at 12:15 a.m.. Troopers said they stopped the Dodge for a traffic violation and the driver provided a false name and date of birth. The man's true identity was discovered a short time later and he was placed into custody. It was unclear why he lied to OSP. The suspect was transported to the Josephine County Jail and booked on a charge of Furnishing False Information to Police. His vehicle was impounded.

 

All three law enforcement agencies in Josephine County made at least one arrest for impaired driving over the weekend. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a 26-year-old woman for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving in an unspecified location on Friday. She was lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail. The Oregon State Police arrested a 26-year-old man for Felony Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants in an unspecified location on Sunday at 2:28 p.m.. He was lodged in jail and was being held without bail. The Grants Pass Police Department arrested a 34-year-old man for Felony DUII in an unspecified location on Sunday at 3:14 p.m.. He was lodged in jail without bail.

 

Investigators believe a mechanical issue is what caused a vehicle to burn in south Grants Pass early yesterday. On Sunday at 8:52 a.m., Rural Metro Fire Department responded to the reported vehicle fire in the 500-block of Trollview Road. Rural Metro officials said crews extinguished the fire in short order and were able to keep the flames from spreading to the adjacent structure. Officials said there no injuries reported, but the vehicle was completely destroyed.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man for going on a drug-fueled rampage in downtown Cave Junction over the weekend. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies eventually arrested the 36-year-old man in the 200-block of North Redwood Highway on Saturday at 1:36 p.m.. Deputies said the suspect admitted to using rocks to break windows at Wild Bill's Smoke Shop and the Illinois Valley branch library. They said he also used a flyer container to smash a window at Illinois Valley Real Estate. The clerk at the smoke shop said the suspect came into the store before the incident and told the clerk that he wanted a pipe even though he didn't have any money. He reportedly slammed his fist on the counter when he was refused and then exited the business. The clerk handed the man a small pipe when he left to avoid trouble. According to the report, the subsequent vandalism incidents were captured on video surveillance and total damages were well over $1,000. The man was speaking jibberish and was believed to be impaired by drugs during the incident. The suspect was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on charges of Felony 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief and the resulting Probation Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for multiple crimes while recovering a stolen vehicle in a weekend traffic stop in the southeast part of the city. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies pulled over a 2007 Acura RDX driven by a 40-year-old man near the corner of Fruitdale Drive and Florence Lane on Saturday around 8:50 p.m.. Deputies said they stopped the vehicle because it had been reported stolen by the Grants Pass Police Department. They said it was occupied by the driver and a female passenger. The driver initially gave deputies a false name. Further investigation revealed the vehicle had been damaged from forced entry. The driver and passenger were detained, but only the driver was placed into custody. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on charges of Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief, Furnishing False Information to Police and Probation Violation related to Theft. He was being held without bail. GPPD and the registered owner of the Acura were notified, and the owner came to the scene of the traffic stop to pick up his vehicle.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a fugitive wanted on two local warrants during a weekend contact at an east Grants Pass restaurant. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested a 58-year-old man at Shari's Cafe & Pies on NE Agness Avenue on Friday at 11:22 p.m.. Deputies said they were on the Grants Pass Parkway when they spotted a vehicle associated with the man whom they knew was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for Unlawful Possession of a Destructive Device as well as a local misdemeanor warrant for failing to appear in court for Driving While Suspended. The suspect was placed into custody on the warrants and he was found to be out-of-compliance with his sex offender registration. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on $60,000 bail and his vehicle was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for violating terms of his probation by stealing his ex-girlfriend's cell phone late last week. The Police Department reports officers responded to a theft complaint in the 1700-block of SW Brownell Avenue on Friday afternoon. Police said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that her 28-year-old ex-boyfriend had taken her Nokia 5G phone valued at approximately $300. She advised that they had just broken up and he took the phone in order to deprive her of her property. Officers searched the area and located the suspect walking along SW Bridge Street near Spruce Street. He was found to be in possession of the stolen phone and was placed into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft and two counts of Probation Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.