Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a local warrant while he was sleeping at the entrance to a city park early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers contacted the 30-year-old male subject at Baker Park on Monday shortly before 10 a.m.. Police said the man was sleeping on a utility grate at the park entrance and he was known to them from prior contacts. They said he was found to be wanted on a Medford Police Department warrant for failing to appear in court for 1st-Degree Criminal Trespass. As the man was being placed into custody, he was found to be in possession of a small baggie containing a white substance plus a tooter, syringe and foil. The items were seized for destruction. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant. He was warned for the narcotics violations in hopes that he will seek treatment. His property was turned over to a friend at his request.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass woman on an outstanding warrant and cited her husband during a traffic stop on the east side of the city yesterday. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Ford F-150 pickup driven by the 52-year-old man on the Grants Pass Parkway near NE Agness Avenue at 12:17 p.m. Monday. Troopers said they stopped the vehicle for traffic violations and discovered that the man's 49-year-old wife was wanted on a local warrant for failing to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. The wife was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the outstanding warrant while her husband was cited for Driving While Suspended and warned for other moving violations.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving late last night following a traffic stop on Williams Highway in south Grants Pass. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Ford F-150 driven by a 51-year-old man near the intersection of Highway 238 and New Hope Road at 11:46 p.m. Monday. Troopers said they stopped the pickup for speeding and the driver showed signs of impairment. They said he consented to field sobriety tests, but refused to cooperate with the testing. He was placed into custody and transported to the Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was well over twice the legal driving limit. The suspect was issued citations for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His pickup was impounded.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist for extreme speeding on Interstate 5 in the Hugo area yesterday. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Dodge Charger driven by a 27-year-old man in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 66 on Monday at 3:22 p.m.. Troopers said the motorist was observed driving in excess of 135 miles per hour on the descent down Mount Sexton just prior to the traffic stop. The motorist was arrested and charged with Reckless Driving along with some other traffic violations. He was cited to appear in court and then released.

 

Grants Pass Police evicted a total of 11 campers for alleged ordinance violations in city parks on Monday. At Fruitdale Park, a woman was cited for Misuse of Open Space while a man was cited for Illegal Camping and Staking a Tent. Both were trespassed from the park for 30 days. An unattended and inoperable vehicle was towed from the park. At Baker Park, two men were found to be in possession of fentanyl and were cited. A man was cited for Illegal Camping and Misuse of Open Space. A woman was cited for Misuse of Park Space and Scattering Rubbish. All four were issued 30-day exclusions. At Tussing Park, a man was cited for Misuse of Open Space and Staking a Tent. He was trespassed from the park for 30 days. At Westholm Park, a man and woman were cited for Buffer Zone Violation and Scattering Rubbish. Both were issued 30-day exclusions. At Riverside Park, three people were cited for Illegal Camping after they failed to remove their previously posted campsites. Two of them were trespassed for 30 days.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters were busy protecting citizens and property in the community last week. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 644 calls for service along with 276 officer-initiated calls that resulted in 42 arrests, 22 citations, 43 warnings and four highly intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 59 traffic stops in the city and they made 23 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services. The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) made a total of 187 contacts with potential trouble-makers while arresting three people, citing 24 more and warning 119 others. The CRT unit also trespassed 18 individuals and posted 108 transient camps. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 103 calls last week including 34 for emergency medical service, three reports of fire or smoke, 12 lifts assists, three rescue situations, seven assists to other agencies and 11 false alarms. The 9-1-1 Dispatch Center fielded a total of 1,041 emergency calls.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man on three out-of-county warrants after a traffic stop in the downtown area early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers pulled over a recreational vehicle driven by a 32-year-old male subject at the corner of SW 4th and Bridge streets on Monday at about 3:30 a.m.. Police said they observed the RV traveling south on SW 6th Street, they identified the registered owner and discovered that he was wanted on three warrants issued by the Coos Bay Police Department. Charges contained in the warrants included two counts of Restraining Order Violation plus single counts of failing to appear in court for Reckless Endangering and an unspecified criminal citation. After the warrants were confirmed by Coos Bay PD, the suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail without bail. The RV was towed to the impound yard.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for her boorish behavior at and near a new gas station in the north part of the city last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a trespassing complaint at the Pinnacle 365/Chevron station at NW 6th Street and Manzanita Avenue on Sunday around 10:50 p.m.. Police said the 64-year-old woman was reported yelling, screaming, wandering around and causing public alarm. An employee at the station wanted her removed from the premises and stated that there have been ongoing issues with her ever since she moved into a nearby apartment. The suspect was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct. She was being held without bail. She was also trespassed from Pinnacle 365.

 

The Oregon State Police cited a California truck driver for overturning a fuel tanker trailer on Redwood Highway near Wilderville last weekend. OSP reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle crash on US Highway 199 near Round Prairie Road on Sunday at about 12:25 p.m.. Troopers said evidence at the scene, driver and witness statements indicated the driver of the semi -- a 59-year-old Klamath, California, man -- left the highway after falling asleep at the wheel. They said he overcorrected to get the semi and trailer back onto the roadway, causing the tanker trailer to tip over. According to OSP, an unknown amount of gasoline and diesel fuel spilled from the tanker and into a pond on a nearby property. The property owner was identified as a 73-year-old Wilderville man. Rural Metro firefighters assisted crews from the Oregon Department of Transportation with spill containment and cleanup. The heavy recovery team from Caveman Towing hauled the damaged trailer into Grants Pass. Redwood Highway was completely shut down for more than three hours and traffic movement was slow after that due to a huge backup of vehicles. Following the investigation, the unhurt trucker was cited for unspecified violations.