Local News

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass woman for lying about her identity during a weekend traffic stop in the Redwood area. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Hyundai Accent driven by a 27-year-old woman from Hoquiam, Washington, near the corner of Redwood Avenue and McDonald Lane on Saturday at 3:13 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the car for speeding and noticed that one of the passengers -- later identified as 26-year-old SteveyAnn Marie Gullotto -- was not wearing a seat belt. They said she gave them a false name due to having an active warrant. Gullotto was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Furnishing False Information to Police. She was being held without bail. The contents of the warrant were not disclosed.

 

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in identifying the owner of a motorhome that was last seen in the Grants Pass area. The vehicle may be associated with a missing person from the Prospect area. Sheriff's officials said 68-year-old Deenah Padgett was last seen August 30th on River Road in Prospect. She went camping with her boyfriend and when he came back to camp, she was gone. Padgett is described as white female adult, 4-feet-8-inches tall and about 95 pounds, with brownish-red graying hair. If anyone has information on the owner of the motorhome or the whereabouts of Deenah Padgett, please call the Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon dispatch non-emergency number at (541)-776-7206. The direct number to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office is (541)-774-6800. Please refer to Case #24-4928.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a felon for multiple crimes after he and another man were caught breaking into a barn in the northeast part of the city. The Police Department reports officers arrested 23-year-old Joseph Allen Wilson, III, for the incident near the corner of NE 10th and Madrone streets on Saturday at 9:32 a.m.. Police said Wilson was unlawfully on the property of a vacant residence and he was observed by the owner's friend who called for law enforcement assistance. The suspect remained with the complainant until officers arrived on scene. He admitted that he unscrewed a barn door and unlawfully entered. Another man fled in a van. Wilson attempted to steal a generator valued at $500 from inside the barn. Multiple small tools and bolts were located in his pockets during a consent search. He was also found to be in possession of a spring-assisted knife and brass knuckles, which were seized as evidence as he is a convicted felon. Wilson was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Burglary, 2nd-Degree Theft, 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass and two counts of Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police snared a man wanted on an outside warrant while investigating a weekend disturbance in the northwest part of the city. According to the Police Department, officers arrested 55-year-old Joseph Dominic Haag for the incident in the 900-block of NW B Street on Saturday at 5:31 p.m.. Police said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that she went to get her friend's walker from Haag's residence when Haag and her husband got into an argument. The caller said the subject began making verbal threats and stated that if she came back to the residence, he would hurt her. According to the report, Haag reached for a pistol and placed it in his pants. He has a history of being physically violent, but he did not point the gun at anyone. Upon arrival, officers detained Haag at gunpoint in his front yard. He was not found with any firearm, but admitted to having the described gun inside his home. He was found to be wanted on a Jackson County warrant for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage and Criminal Mischief. He was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a felon for violating his post-prison supervision after he tried to steal merchandise from Walmart at the start of the weekend. The Police Department reports officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at the store on NE Terry Lane on Friday afternoon. Police said 31-year-old Kody Tyler Halverson stole less than $100 in clothing from Walmart, fled from loss prevention and then police. He was spotted running across Terry Lane and officers located him near Game Stop where they placed him into custody. The stolen items were returned to Walmart. According to the report, Halverson had a prior trespass warning at the retailer. Halverson was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 3rd-Degree Theft, 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

Two people were injured in a weekend pileup on Interstate 5 near the Hugo Exit. Rural Metro Fire Department, American Medical Response and the Oregon State Police were dispatched to the four-vehicle collision in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 66 on Friday at 11:21 p.m.. Rural Metro officials said AMR medics triaged the scene and determined that two occupants of separate vehicles required transport to Three Rivers Medical Center with moderate injuries. No one else was seriously hurt. OSP was investigating the cause of the multi-vehicle crash, but it was reported that the chain of events may have started after one of the vehicles attempted to avoid an object on the freeway.

 

A busy agenda awaits the Grants Pass City Council when it convenes for its bi-weekly workshop session today. The City Council will open the workshop with Urban Renewal Agency projects and funding. That will be followed by discussion on the Owl parking lot, which will eventually be developed into a downtown plaza. Next up is a presentation on American Rescue Plan Act allocations. Under ARPA rules, contracts for pandemic-related projects must be signed by the end of the year and the projects must be completed by the end of December 2026. Also on the agenda is a motion from the Committee on Public Art and review of the agenda for Wednesday night's regular meeting. Today's workshop begins at 11:45 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.

 

The Jackson County Sheriff's Search and Rescue (SAR) team successfully located and rescued a Central Point man from Mt. McLoughlin over the weekend. The Sheriff's Office reports the 40-year-old man set out alone to climb the 9,493-foot Mt. McLoughlin at 7 a.m. Saturday. After summiting, he began his return but lost the trail and veered south into untracked terrain. After several hours of walking over broken volcanic rock, he texted his girlfriend, advised her he was lost, running out of food and water, and his cell phone battery was running low. At about 5 p.m., he texted a request for help and his girlfriend immediately relayed the request to Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon, who notified SAR. Using cell phone forensics, SAR was able to pinpoint his location and set out to reach him. The team advised the lost man to sit down and stay put to await help. It was dark, getting cold and he was wearing only a cotton t-shirt and shorts. He was also suffering from mild cramping in his legs due to dehydration and fatigue. SAR members hiked up from Highway 140 through dense foliage and over lava fields consisting of boulders the size of small cars. Searchers successfully located him around 9:30 p.m.. A physician and SAR volunteer evaluated him at the scene and -- after rehydrating him with water and feeding him high-energy snacks -- they determined he was able to hike out with assistance.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters welcomed the fall season with another active week of community protection. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 648 calls for service along with 298 officer-initiated calls last week that resulted in 79 arrests, 34 citations, 61 warnings and seven highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 70 traffic stops in the city and they made 27 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services. The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) contacted a total of 195 potential troublemakers while arresting nine people, citing eight more and warning 32 others. The CRT unit also trespassed 10 individuals, posted 84 transient camps and removed trash from three campsites. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 111 calls last week including 38 for emergency medical service, six for reports of fire or smoke, 18 lift assists, one rescue situation, six assists to other agencies and seven false alarms. The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded a total of 1,238 emergency calls.