Local News

A Winchester man has been jailed on a total of 41 charges for his alleged role in a months-long crime spree that included property and vehicle theft and other crimes in Josephine County.

An indictment obtained by the Roseburg News Review said 38-year-old Keegan James Spencer Cooper stole tools, equipment, a trailer and other property from the Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve near Cave Junction.

Cooper allegedly also took several vehicles and then removed, defaced, altered or destroyed the vehicle identification numbers. The alleged crimes occurred between October 2023 and this month.

On March 5th, a special agent with the Bureau of Land Management who was deputized by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant on Cooper's property in connection with "a large-scale burglary at the Oregon Caves National Monument in excess of $100,000," according to court records.

During the search, a trailer attached to Cooper's company truck had a spare tire with "Oregon Caves" written on it and a National Park Service sticker that was partially removed. In addition, 36 other items were found that had been stolen from the national monument. A short-barreled shotgun was also found during the search.

Cooper allegedly took off to Diamond Lake an hour before the search warrant was served. He was located by Douglas County sheriff's deputies and placed into custody. He was transported to Roseburg and lodged at the Douglas County Jail.