Local News

The Oregon State Police arrested two men for multiple crimes after catching them in a stolen vehicle last weekend.

OSP reports troopers pulled over a Ford Escape driven by 61-year-old Joseph Patrick Ohotto of Grants Pass and occupied by 46-year-old Jeffrey Earl Benz of Deming, Washington, on the Grants Pass Parkway near NE Agness Avenue on Saturday shortly after midnight.

Troopers said they stopped Ohotto because the car had been reported stolen from a 70-year-old Grants Pass man. They said Benz fled the scene on foot, but he was apprehended a short time later. A large amount of marijuana was found inside the vehicle and both men were placed into custody.

Joseph Ohotto was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle and a local bench warrant. The stolen vehicle was recovered and the registered owner was notified.

During the jail intake process, Jeffrey Benz was found to be in possession of a large amount of fentanyl and a misdemeanor amount of methamphetamine. He was lodged in jail for Felony Possession of Fentanyl, Misdemeanor Possession of Meth, and outstanding warrants for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and failing to appear in court.