Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for punching a vehicle while demonstrating aggressive behavior in the downtown area yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the incident at the corner of SE 6th and I streets on Wednesday around 3 p.m.. Police said a 39-year-old male subject caused public alarm, annoyance and inconvenience when he engaged in tumultuous and violent behavior. They said he walked into traffic and punched a vehicle, intentionally ran into a person with his shoulder and then challenged a Dutch Bros employee to fight with him. Officers arrived on scene and placed the man into custody. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for violating a court order by dropping off a letter to the protected party. The Police Department reports officers were alerted to the domestic disturbance at a home in the 2100-block of NW North Hill Drive on Wednesday at 4:16 p.m.. Police said a 45-year-old female subject was contacted and admitted to placing a letter on a neighbor's door that was addressed to a woman who was protected from her by a stalking order. The order stated the subject is not to have any contact with the other woman including written messages. The suspect was placed into custody for Contempt of Court-Stalking Violation before being lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District and Oregon Department of Forestry extinguished two small vehicle fires in the Cave Junction area last night. On Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., IVFD and ODF responded to a single-vehicle fire on Golf Club Drive at Redwood Highway near the Illinois Valley Golf Course. IVFD officials said the occupant was able to get himself and his dog out of the vehicle before the flames started. They said the blaze was put out and the cause was under investigation. On Wednesday at 7:09 p.m., IVFD and ODF responded to a second small vehicle fire in the 500-block of Martin Road. Officials said the fully-engulfed vehicle spread flames to nearby brush and ODF crews were able to stop further spread of the fire into the surrounding wildland while IVFD crews doused the burning vehicle. According to IVFD, they were able to utilize more personnel on these two fires due to a recent Oregon State Fire Marshal Wildland Staffing Grant.

 

The Dutchman Peak fire lookout on Tuesday evening reported a fire burning near Donomore Meadows along the Oregon-California border. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest reports aviation resources and the Galice Wildland Fire Module were immediately dispatched to the area and upon arrival, estimated the fire at 4-5 acres burning in steep timber near the 2025 road. Additional resources assigned to the incident included hand crews, engines, a water tender, a bulldozer and a heavy equipment boss along with air tankers, helicopters and an air attack platform to coordinate air response. Firefighters worked through the night to partially construct hand-line and dozer line at the flanks of the fire. However, the fire burned actively overnight with numerous spot fires at the head of the blaze which has grown to about 25 acres. US Forest Service crews continued suppression efforts on Wednesday. Additional resources have arrived and are engaged on the incident. There will continue to be a robust aviation presence as firefighters work to protect the Donomore Cabin and the Pacific Crest Trail. Additional smoke reports were responded to on the High Cascades, Wild Rivers, Gold Beach and Powers Ranger Districts, and resources have been deployed to these areas. Citizens are advised to stay clear of fire operations where helicopters are dipping from waterways. Please give firefighters plenty space to work safely.

 

Firefighters have been responding to several fires along the lower portion of the Rogue River following thunderstorms on Tuesday night. Resources are engaged on at least 10 small fires in Josephine County, with the majority located on BLM public lands on both sides of the river northwest of Rand and Galice. The fires range in size from 1/100th of an acre to one acre. Officials said these fires have likely remained small due to rain that came with the weather system as well as aggressive initial attacks by firefighters from the Oregon Department of Forestry. Aircraft has been key on these incidents as all fires are in remote areas with difficult terrain. Crews are hiking in as far as two miles to reach fires on steep, dangerous ground. The current list of fires includes the Crooks Creek Fire east of Selma, Horseshoe Bend Fire north of Horseshoe Bend Campground, Howard Creek Fire northwest of Rand, East Fork Big Windy Fire near Windy Creek, Big Windy Creek Fire north of East Fork Big Windy Fire, Trout Creek Fire north of Trout Creek, Long Gulch Fire southwest of Trout Creek, Missouri Creek Fire north of Bear Camp Road, Hewett Creek Fire south of BLM Road 32-10-36 and Montgomery Creek Fire southwest of Rainie Falls. Firefighters and aircraft continue to monitor the area for additional lightning-sparked fires. BLM and ODF are bracing for chances of additional thunderstorms that are predicted for this coming weekend.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for attacking his girlfriend in front of their young child at a southeast city residence this week. The Police Department reports officers arrested the 26-year-old male subject for the incident at a home on Watson Drive on Wednesday night. Police said the subject and his girlfriend got into a physical argument at their residence. After the man disengaged from the victim, he grabbed their 9-month-old baby who was crying after witnessing the incident. The woman screamed that she was going to call police and her boyfriend fled the scene with their baby. According to the report, the man's Dodge Ram pickup had no child car seat. Officers contacted the suspect by phone and he agreed to meet them at the Parkway Fire Station. He denied choking his girlfriend twice and claimed she punched him. The evidence suggested otherwise and he was placed into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for suspicion of two counts of Felony Domestic Strangulation and he was being held without bail. The baby was returned unharmed to the mother.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested an Illinois Valley man on a local warrant this week during a traffic stop on Redwood Highway near Grants Pass. OSP reports troopers pulled over a black BMW 650 sedan driven by the 37-year-old male subject near milepost 3 of US Highway 199 on Wednesday night. Troopers said they stopped the car for observed traffic violations and discovered that the driver was wanted on an arrest warrant for Unlawful Manufacture of a Marijuana Item and Unlawful Possession of Marijuana. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail and was being held in lieu of posting $50,000 bail. He was also warned for the traffic violations. The BMW was turned over to his passenger, a 31-year-old Cave Junction woman.

 

Dry fuels and dangerous weather patterns forecasted for Jackson and Josephine counties have prompted the Oregon Department of Forestry to increase the fire prevention measures on industrial operations. As a result, Industrial Fire Precaution Level 3 for logging sites and commercial operations will go into effect on Friday at 12:01 a.m.. For the general public, extreme fire restrictions remain in effect and unchanged. Under IFPL 3, several industrial activities are prohibited between the hours of 1 and 8 p.m.. This includes power saws at loading sites; loading or hauling of any product or material; blasting; welding, cutting or grinding of metal; and any other spark-emitting operation not specifically mentioned. In addition, some activities are permitted to operate overnight between the hours of 8 p.m. and 1 p.m. where mechanized equipment capable of constructing fire line is immediately available to quickly reach and attack a fire start. This includes ground-based operations, power saws, rotary head saw feller-bunchers with a continuous firewatch, non-rotary head saw feller-bunchers and tethered logging. IFPL 3 is considered a restricted shutdown and some activities are not permitted at any time. For more information about ODF's fire season public and industrial restrictions, visit their website at "swofire.com."

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday proclaimed July 21st-27th as "Probation, Parole and Community Supervision Week" as the only action item on the agenda -- but the real action occurred during public comments. The official proclamation was read by Commissioner Herman Baertschiger and it was presented to Josephine County Community Corrections Director Scott Hyde. During Requests and Comments from Citizens, former Commissioner Dan DeYoung read his official resignation letter and made no mention of allegations of sexual harassment as a reason for stepping down after 7-1/2 years on the Board. Instead, DeYoung stated that he has been isolated on the Board of Commissioners for the past 18 months as a series of 2-1 votes left him on the losing side of many important decisions. He said he could not "in good conscience" continue to collect a paycheck to finish his tenure when he is unable to provide effective leadership to the community he loves. He added that many of the decisions made since January 2023 have hurt citizens and led to an all-time low in the morale of county workers.