Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested three people -- one on a statewide felony warrant and two for drug possession -- during a patrol check in the north part of the city this week. According to the Police Department, officers approached an abandoned vehicle parked on NW Hawthorne Avenue just south of Vine Street on Wednesday morning. There were three occupants inside the white Lexus. Police identified the right front passenger as 46-year-old Frank Paul Ross whose head was down and appeared to be asleep. They observed burnt foil on his lap with what appeared to be fentanyl residue. In the right rear seat was 41-year-old David Lee Chaffee who was wanted on a state warrant for Parole Violation related to an unspecified felony conviction. Another occupant of the vehicle -- 38-year-old Debra Ann Lane -- was found to be in possession of burnt foil and a smoking device. All three admitted they had been smoking fentanyl. Chaffee was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant. He was being held on a no-bail detainer. Ross and Lane were arrested and lodged in jail for Fentanyl Possession. The Lexus was secured at the scene, but a nearby Jeep was towed away. Three small dogs were recovered from the car and taken to the Animal Shelter.

 

Grants Pass Police evicted a man from a downtown resting site this week after he was found to have violated two city ordinances. Police said they contacted Clint Palomino at the 6th and A Street resting site on Wednesday during the noon hour. Officers said Palomino had an oversized tent at the site surrounded by a box of blankets, miscellaneous clothing, a bicycle and a broken filing cabinet. He was cited for Scattering Rubbish and Buffer Zone Violation before being issued a 30-day park exclusion notice. Another man -- identified only as "Paul" -- was angry over not having water and he began yelling and throwing rocks on his tent. Paul eventually calmed down and he was warned for Disorderly Conduct and Scattering Rubbish.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department cleaned up a big mess after a patrol check at a highly visible downtown park this week. Two community service officers were called to respond to Debo Park on SW G Street on Wednesday afternoon. Police said they found a large mess including several tents, trash and shopping carts as well as some syringes littering the landscape. All the tents and garbage were disposed of at Southern Oregon Sanitation. The syringes were also properly disposed of. The shopping carts were returned to the downtown Safeway. According to the report, Jason Whittenberg arrived on scene and stated that the mess was his. However, he denied the syringes belonged to him. He was cited for Scattering Rubbish and Buffer Zone Violation before he was trespassed from the park for 30 days.

 

The Jackson County Roads Department will be performing pavement maintenance work on Sage Road this Sunday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Jackson County Roads Director Steve Lambert said Sage Road will be closed to through traffic at Highway 99 and Highway 238. Lambert said the work is important to maintaining the pavement on this busy, heavily-traveled roadway. In an effort to minimize impacts to businesses and the public, he said they are performing the repairs on a Sunday when traffic is at its least amount. The closure will provide a much safer work zone for the team. Travelers are advised to avoid Sage Road on Sunday.

 

Just in time for a forecast in the mid-90s, the City of Grants Pass has announced that the spray park at Riverside Park and the splash pad at Morrison Centennial Park are opening today. Grants Pass Parks staff completed several important maintenance and preparation tasks this week to get the facilities ready for the summer season. The spray park at Riverside was pressure-washed and the splash pad at Morrison was repainted in advance of their openings today. At Caveman Pool, staff pressure-washed the pool basin and began minor repairs and touch-up painting to ensure it is ready for the scheduled opening on June 16th.

 

Josephine County Circuit Court Judge Sarah McGlaughlin on Thursday signed an order modifying the preliminary injunction related to the lawsuit filed by Disability Rights Oregon. The court order allows the City of Grants Pass to begin enforcing ordinances related to overnight resting in several city parks. The City may now enforce its ordinances against overnight camping at Eckstein, Fruitdale, Lawnridge, Morrison Centennial, Tussing, Redwood and Westholm parks. Riverside and Reinhart Volunteer parks were already exempted from the preliminary injunction. Legal counsel for the City of Grants Pass and Disability Rights Oregon filed a stipulated motion last week, asking the court to issue an order modifying the judge's opinion of March 28th. The motion dated May 23rd, notes that "the City has made several changes including, but not limited to, improving the surfaces at existing locations and increasing the overall capacity." Grants Pass officials said the parties are engaged in meaningful and substantial discussions with the goal of reaching a mutually agreed upon final resolution of this matter. The process is expected to take at least a couple more weeks to finalize. Officials said the City continues to explore options to alleviate the need to allow overnight resting on public property as required under Oregon House Bill 3115.

 

The results of the May 20th Special District Election in Josephine County remain the same as they were last week following the latest returns. As of Thursday, the winners of three seats on the Grants Pass School Board were unchanged, with Gary Richardson retaining Position #3 over Judy Christensen, Quin Collins Pehrson defeating Marjie Wilkie and Cassie Wilkins victorious over Tom Sheckells. The closest race of the special election was for Three Rivers School Board Zone 5 where Rick Nelson maintained a narrow advantage over Carinn Godfrey. Only 110 votes separated the two candidates in the latest returns. Cameron Camp won Zone 1 over Neigel Von Hruska and Mariah Rossi claimed Zone 3 over Bill Ertel. Ralph Weidling defeated Michael Grant for Position #5 on the Josephine County Rural Fire Protection District Board while Jim Krois was victorious over Claudia Pratt for Position #3 on the Williams Rural Fire Protection District Board. The Josephine County Clerk's Office reported an 18.6% voter turnout on Thursday. County Clerk Rhiannon Henkels said the next election update will be provided by 5 p.m. on June 16th. That is when the results will be certified.

 

With the local fire season going into effect on Sunday, Jackson County has begun closing all off-pavement areas of the Bear Creek Greenway to lower the wildfire risk in the urban areas of Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, Medford and Central Point. Jackson County Roads and Parks officials remind all Bear Creek Greenway users that they will need to remain on the paved path in county-maintained portions of the trail. Steve Lambert, Jackson County Roads and Parks Director, said they want people to use the trail for biking, walking, running and other recreational uses that allow them to remain on the paved portion of the trail. He said they maintain vegetation within 10 feet of the paved path to lower fire risk and if people venture off the paved surface in an area under their jurisdiction, they are at risk of potential enforcement measures. The off-pavement closure will go into effect from June 1st until the Oregon Department of Forestry declares an end to the 2025 fire season later this year.

 

The Medford Police Department has made a recent arrest in a sexual assault investigation. Last Friday at approximately 9:50 a.m., MPD officers responded to a report of indecent exposure at the intersection of Central Avenue and 9th Street near the Medford branch library. Witnesses reported seeing a male and female engaged in sexual activity in public. Upon arrival, officers quickly determined that the activity was not consensual and they detained the male suspect. An investigation revealed that the suspect -- identified as 36-year-old Malachi J. Pollard -- and the 68-year-old female victim were not known to each other while evidence indicates that Pollard forcibly initiated sexual contact with the victim. Pollard was arrested and lodged at the Jackson County Jail for Attempted Rape, Sexual Abuse and another felony-level sex crime -- all in the First Degree. He is currently on probation for non-sexual assault-related crimes and has a significant criminal history. Investigators do not believe Pollard is related to any unsolved crimes in Medford. The case has been referred to the Jackson County District Attorney's Office for prosecution.