Local News

The Oregon State Police jailed a Grants Pass man for allegedly threatening a truck driver with a knife on Interstate 5 in northern Josephine County during an apparent road rage incident late yesterday. OSP reports troopers arrested 51-year-old Yancey Gene Herriage at the Manzanita rest area off the southbound lanes of I-5 on Thursday around 4:35 p.m.. Troopers said they responded to a call stating the male driver of a Toyota 4-Runner brandished a knife at the driver of a semi-truck while traveling on the freeway. The truck driver was identified as a 44-year-old Canyonville man. No one was hurt. According to OSP, troopers contacted Herriage at the rest stop and placed him into custody based on statements from the truck driver and a subsequent interview. Herriage was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Menacing. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man on a statewide felony warrant last night after he allegedly stole money from a woman and then lied to officers about his identity. The Police Department reports officers arrested 33-year-old Troy Anthony Goodwin at the former Solar Man building in the 100-block of SW M Street next to the 7-Eleven store on Thursday at 9:55 p.m.. Police said a woman called 9-1-1 to report she had given a ride to Goodwin who stole around $160 from her purse and then retreated into the old Solar man facility. The building owner gave consent to search the premises and the suspect was found hiding in a trailer at the back of the property. He provided several fictitious names. Once Goodwin's true identity was established, officers discovered that he was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a 2021 conviction for an unspecified weapon offense. Goodwin was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and a charge of Furnishing False Information. He was being held on a no-bail detainer. A charge of 2nd-Degree Theft was referred to the District Attorney's Office for consideration due to conflicting statements made by the victim.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a well-known offender for violating his probation after responding to a midday disturbance in the north part of the city. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to four people fighting in the 1500-block of NE 6th Street on Thursday at the beginning of the noon hour. Police said the group had dispersed by the time they arrived on scene, but they detained 33-year-old Kyle Flury Palomino due to his frequent criminal exploits. They contacted his corrections officer who requested that his client be detained. Palomino was wanted for Probation Violation related to a recent arrest for Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. Two other men -- identified by GPPD as "Douglas" and "Delicino" -- were warned about their poor public behavior and told to move along.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on an outside felony warrant after searching for him early today. The Police Department reports officers located 44-year-old Robert John Schmoke at U-Turn for Christ near Riverside Park at about 5:15 this morning. Police said Schmoke was wanted on a Jackson County felony warrant charging him with failing to appear in court for Attempt to Elude Police, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. According to the report, GPPD was asked to find Schmoke by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and he was located after a brief investigation. Schmoke was lodged at the Josephine County Jail where he was being held pending transfer to the Jackson County Jail in Medford.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man with a bad habit of impaired driving in the north part of the city late last night. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a domestic disturbance involving 65-year-old Sean Dennis O'Keefe in the 1200-block of NE 6th Street on Thursday around 11:20 p.m. Police said a nearby resident called 9-1-1 to report two men and one woman who were yelling and screaming at each other while causing public alarm. Upon arrival, officers detained the subjects including O'Keefe. No one was hurt in the incident. O'Keefe was placed into custody after police discovered that he was wanted on three Grants Pass warrants -- all charging him with failing to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on $30,000 bail. During intake at the jail, O'Keefe was found to be in possession of two small baggies with a white crystal substance that he admitted was methamphetamine. A charge of Meth Possession was referred to the District Attorney for consideration.

 

Grants Pass Police charged two women with petty theft and drug possession yesterday after twin shoplifting incidents at Walmart. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the theft complaints at the store on NE Terry Lane on Thursday at 12:25 p.m.. Police said 37-year-old Sabrina Marie Wilson was contacted outside Walmart after she admitted to concealing more than $30 worth of items without any means to pay for them. She was also found to be in possession of a small amount of fentanyl. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Heather Elaine Dixon was brought into the Walmart loss prevention office after attempting to leave the store without paying for more than $33 in food items. She admitted to stealing from the store and to possessing a small amount of fentanyl. Both Wilson and Dixon were cited to appear in court for 3rd-Degree Theft and Fentanyl Possession before being released from custody. The fentanyl was seized and destroyed.

 

A Medford man has been arrested on more than 30 sex abuse charges after he was found with two teenage girls in his car at an Interstate 5 rest area near Grants Pass. KOBI-TV NBC 5 reports court records show the Oregon State Police approached 29-year-old Anthony James Parker at the Manzanita rest area on January 2nd. Two girls -- ages 16 and 17 years old -- were in Parker's vehicle. State troopers said the two girls initially claimed that Parker was their brother, which was false. When both girls' parents were contacted, the 17-year-old's mother told troopers she did not know her child was with Parker. The woman responded to pick her up and take her back home. The 16-year-old's mother knew her daughter was with Parker and had given them permission to be together. It was later determined that the younger girl was pregnant, allegedly with Parker's child. Further investigation showed the older girl's phone contained sexually explicit photos that Parker had sent to her. According to OSP, Parker told troopers he'd been dating the pregnant girl since last May and was trying to date the other girl. Parker is scheduled to appear in Douglas County Circuit Court on Monday.

 

A Grants Pass Police Department investigation into a violent crime resulted in the arrest of a man this week. The Police Department reports officers arrested 39-year-old Sean Patrick Mitchell in the 200-block of NW 4th Street late Wednesday night. Police said they contacted Mitchell in his parked vehicle at that location and they knew he was a suspect in a criminal investigation. While he was being placed into custody, a glass pipe with methamphetamine residue was found in plain view near the front driver-seat. The pipe was seized for destruction. Mitchell was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for probable cause of Menacing plus a new charge of Meth Possession. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman on a statewide felony warrant after an early morning contact yesterday on the west side of the city. The Police Department reports officers arrested 39-year-old Ciera Michelle Lokken near the corner of SW J and Alder streets on Thursday at 4:34 a.m.. Police said they spotted Lokken pushing a shopping cart at that location and they were familiar with her from frequent law enforcement contacts. She was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a 2021 conviction for an unspecified weapon offense. Lokken was placed into custody without incident and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. Community service officers returned the cart to the business from which it was taken. Jail records indicate Lokken has been arrested for violating her post-prison supervision at least nine times in the past year.