Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for his drug-fueled and alarming behavior in a southeast city neighborhood last night. The Police Department reports officers responded to multiple reports of suspicious activity near the corner of SE Gaffney Way and Grandview Avenue on Tuesday at about 6 p.m.. Police said 30-year-old Dustin Michael Fontana was reported to be engaging in alarming and tumultuous behavior. Witnesses stated that he was running on the road, chasing cars and attempting to hit them. The suspect was also seen checking the door handles on vehicles and knocking over at least one trash can. One witness reported that Fontana almost got hit by a truck and his response was to jump in front of another vehicle, hitting it with his hand and lifting his shirt as if to mimic pulling out a weapon. Officers eventually contacted Fontana in the 1700-block of Gaffney Way, detained him and found him to be in possession of a glass pipe with burnt residue that tested positive as methamphetamine. It was seized for destruction. Fontana was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and Meth Possession. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a "frequent flyer" for an incident at the downtown Post Office yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the incident at the postal facility on NW 6th Street on Tuesday around 3:40 p.m.. Police said 32-year-old Whitney Ann Word was observed by a Post Office worker searching for what she believed to be a rock directly outside a window after the employee heard two loud smashing sounds and seeing large holes in the window. Word was found to be in possession of $48 worth of unpaid-for postal merchandise when she was contacted by officers outside the facility. She was immediately placed into custody and charged with 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief and 3rd-Degree Theft. Word was lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail and her belongings were logged into evidence for safekeeping.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for stealing merchandise from Home Depot last night. The Police Department reports officers responded to the shoplifting complaint at the store on NE Mill Street on Tuesday at 8:10 p.m.. Police said 38-year-old Steven Carsten Juergensen had been detained by Home Depot loss prevention after he passed all points of sale with stolen flashlights and a speaker valued at nearly $160. Juergensen reportedly did not want to speak about the crime. He was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft. He was also trespassed from Home Depot.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a convicted felon who entered the secure lot at GPPD headquarters last weekend. The Police Department reports the incident involving 53-year-old Michael Ray Hastings occurred on Sunday night. Police said Hastings climbed the fence off NE 6th Street, entered the secure lot and was found lying behind the short retaining wall to the ramp for the exterior training room door. They said he was uncooperative, hostile and appeared to be under the influence of a narcotic stimulant. Hastings was held at Taser point until additional units arrived and he was placed into custody for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. During a consent search, he was found to be in possession of a knife that opens by centrifugal force. A records check showed that he is a convicted felon banned from possessing any weapons. Hastings was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for the trespassing incident and he was additionally charged with Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man twice at a local motel this week -- once on an outstanding warrant and the second time when he trespassed at the lodging facility. The Police Department reports the first incident involving 60-year-old Clint Edward Robertson at the Super 8 Motel on NE 7th Street occurred on Monday night. Police said a motel employee called 9-1-1 to report Robertson and his female companion were fighting, drawing several complaints from other guests. Officers contacted the man while he was walking away from the motel and discovered that he was wanted on a Medford Police Department warrant for failing to appear in court for Probation Violation related to an arrest for 4th-Degree Assault. After Robertson was placed into handcuffs, he complained of physical pain and requested medical attention. He was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for evaluation so he was cited to appear in court and released. Early Tuesday morning, the motel employee called 9-1-1 again to report that Robertson had returned after being warned for trespass on Monday night. He walked to the back of the property and was found sleeping in his vehicle. Robertson was placed into custody. During a consent search, he was found to be in possession of a small container with methamphetamine residue. Robertson once again complained of physical pain -- but this time he was taken to the hospital, evaluated, cleared and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus new charges of Meth Possession and Criminal Trespass.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a man wanted on an outside felony warrant at a transient camp in Wolf Creek this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 28-year-old Allen Totten Behrle on Monday afternoon. Deputies said they received a tip about transients living near the bridge in Wolf Creek Park. They located the camp and a male subject later identified as Behrle fled on foot. He returned to the camp a short time later and was detained. A routine records check showed that Behrle was wanted on a Medford Police Department warrant for failing to appear in court for 1st-Degree Theft, 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief and 3rd-Degree Criminal Mischief. Behrle was placed into custody and transported to the Josephine County Jail where he was booked on the outstanding warrant. He was being held pending transfer to the Jackson County Jail in Medford.

 

Rural Metro Fire Department extinguished a fire that moved quickly through blackberries and damaged an unoccupied horse trailer west of Grants Pass this week. Rural Metro crews responded to the reported fire in the Jerome Prairie area on Monday afternoon. The fire -- which was held to only 1/100th of an acre -- was the result of an escaped open burn located on Jerome Prairie Road near Woodland Park Road. Officials said the proximity of the burn pile next to blackberries, a gust of wind and loss of water due to a power outage led to the escape. Despite rain showers and the official end of the 2024 fire season, safe debris burning still carries some requirements. Even though the risk of catastrophic wildfire is greatly reduced, the possibility of flames damaging valuable items nearby is still possible. Rural Metro officials encourage residents to keep burn piles small and manageable, maintain a buffer around the pile to prevent spread, stay in attendance for the duration of the burn, have a shovel and reliable water source on hand, don't burn in breezy conditions and keep a charged cell phone in your possession to call 9-1-1 if the burn escapes.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners will continue its first public hearing on a proposed rural fire protection district as part of a busy agenda for its weekly business session this morning. The Board will continue the hearing on the first reading of an order that would form the Josephine County Rural Fire Protection District and set the date for the second hearing and potential adoption of the order. Another public hearing will be held for the adoption of a supplemental budget for the current fiscal year and a third public hearing will be held for an application to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. They will be followed by a presentation of the American Rescue Plan Act quarterly report. As part of the Consent Calendar, the Board will make an appointment to the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council and re-appointments to the Fair Board. Next the Commissioners will convene as the governing body of the 4-H Extension Service District to hold a public hearing for repaying the loan of money to the district from the Josephine County General Fund. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

Tomorrow is Halloween and the Grants Pass Downtown Merchants will once again provide a big "treat" for young ghosts, goblins, monsters and super heroes. The Annual Downtown Trick or Treat event runs from 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursday. Downtown merchants will be handing out free candy to trick-or-treaters in this safe and fun event. Come visit the newly-remodeled Downtown Welcome Center at the corner of 6th and G streets. This event is sponsored in part by a new organization called "Main Street Grants Pass." It's a collective of dedicated business and property owners who are leading an impact-driven movement dedicated to re-energizing and strengthening the heart and soul of our community.