Local News

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for threatening his girlfriend while breaking a window on her vehicle in the south part of the city. The Police Department reports officers arrested 41-year-old Jeremy Douglas McGhee for the incident at an Independence Drive residence on Wednesday night. Police said McGhee's girlfriend called 9-1-1 to report that he was intoxicated after drinking a bottle and a half of liquor and was "smarting off" when he told him to "shut up." McGhee then flipped over a tray table containing food and threw a small dog toy at the woman, striking her. She was frightened, but not hurt. According to the report, the victim tried to leave the home because she was in fear McGhee would seriously injure her. While seated in her car, McGhee used his fist to shatter the front driver-side window of the vehicle before she was able to drive away and call for law enforcement assistance. Officers arrived on scene and placed McGhee into custody. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Domestic Menacing and was being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a woman for breaking into the garage of a Cave Junction residence this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 34-year-old Meghan Melissa Gomez for the incident in the 200-block of Nolan Lane late Wednesday afternoon. Deputies said the male occupant called 9-1-1 when he returned home and found Gomez inside the attached garage going through his belongings and removing some items. The victim said the female subject took a seat at the south end of his driveway and refused to leave. She also refused to identify herself. Upon arrival, deputies contacted Gomez and she admitted that she did not have permission to be inside of the garage. A consent search of her backpack revealed $300 worth of stolen items along with a glass pipe and a small baggie of a white crystal substance that tested positive as methamphetamine. Gomez was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 1st-Degree Burglary, 2nd-Degree Theft and Possession of Meth. She was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for shoving employees while stealing a small amount of merchandise from WinCo Foods this week. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at the supermarket on NE Terry Lane on Wednesday night. Police said a female subject was captured on video surveillance as she bypassed all points of sale and exited WinCo with just over $17 worth of unpurchased items. When she was confronted by loss prevention, she intentionally shoved them in an attempt to flee. Officers arrived on scene and found her with some fentanyl. The female suspect refused to identify herself and appeared to be having a medical emergency, so she was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for an evaluation. She was cleared by the hospital and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 3rd-Degree Robbery, 3rd-Degree Theft and Fentanyl Possession. A few hours later, "Jane Doe" was identified through fingerprints as 26-year-old Mahdi Kohl Eider. Eider was found to be wanted on two Jackson County warrants and one Medford warrant -- all charging her with Probation Violation related to arrests for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. She was held without bail on the warrants and additionally charged with Furnishing False Information to Police.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office was still seeking assistance in locating a woman who was first reported missing last week. According to the Sheriff's Office, 42-year-old Sarah Caron was last seen on July 17th between 2 and 3 p.m. in the area of a Josephine County structure fire. The specific address of the structure has not been disclosed. Sheriff's officials said they were attempting to locate Sarah Caron to check on her welfare. She was misidentified in the initial release as "Sharon Caron." Caron is described as a white female adult, 6-feet-tall and 160 pounds, with red hair and unknown eye color. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Sarah Caron is encouraged to contact the Sheriff's Office at (541)-474-5123.

 

Josephine County Public Works has announced that the main entrance to its facility behind the Fairgrounds will be closed Monday and Tuesday for a sewer project. The main gate on River Heights Way will be inaccessible due to the construction work. The secondary gate on Ringuette Street will be open to all traffic. Public Works understands this is an inconvenience for all visitors and officials appreciate your patience and cooperation during the project. For more information, contact Josephine County Public Works at (541)-474-5460.

 

The Board of Commissioners on Thursday made a proclamation on behalf of Josephine County Community Corrections. Board Vice-Chair Chris Barnett read the proclamation naming July 20th-26th as "Probation, Parole and Community Supervision Week." Community Corrections Director Scott Hyde thanked the Board for the positive endorsement of the work done by the department's approximately 80 employees. Conspicuously absent from the meeting was an agreement between the Oregon State University Extension Service and Josephine County. Board Chair Andreas Blech postponed consideration of the agreement last week, stating that the pact was "not ready." With less than one week before the County Fair, no action was taken. It should be noted that Blech cast the lone dissenting vote when the Board recently reinstated the 4-H Extension Service District. During the public comment period, former Juvenile Justice Director Jim Goodwin spoke in favor of increased transparency by the Board when it comes to personnel decisions. Former Grants Pass City Councilor Vanessa Ogier spoke about what she called the "dismantling" of Josephine County Emergency Management operations.

 

Total payroll employment in Jackson County fell by 310 jobs in June, with private education & health services posting the largest drop. The Oregon Employment Department reports there were 100,850 people working in Jackson County last month for a seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 5.3%, which was up slightly over the 5.2% mark recorded in May. Private education & health services was down by 460 jobs. Employment in Jackson County also declined in professional & business services and other services. Industries with estimated job gains in June were leisure & hospitality, retail trade, wholesale trade and construction. Government employment slipped by 80 jobs last month. Local government education shed 100 jobs while slight gains were posted in state and federal government. Over the past year, payroll employment in Jackson County climbed by 360 jobs, or 0.4%. Payroll employment in neighboring Josephine County fell sharply by 2.8%. Since June 2024, Jackson County industries adding jobs included private education & health services, leisure & hospitality, retail trade, and professional & business services.

 

The Redwood Foundation for Education has announced $385,000 in grant awards to nine organizations serving the youngest members of our community through the Coalition for Kids Fund. The Coalition for Kids Fund was established in 2020 to support programs that strengthen protective factors in families and the community while increasing health outcomes for children in their earliest years of life. Each year, local community-based organizations serving children from birth through age 5 in Josephine County are eligible to submit grant applications to be reviewed by the C4K Fund Advisory Committee. In the largest grant, Oregon Center for Creative Learning was awarded $250,000 to support the capital campaign for the Grants Pass Children's Museum and Ivy School. Siskiyou Community Health Center was awarded $30,000 to support Project Baby Check -- a free and voluntary home visiting program that focuses on healthy child development. Scholarships and grants are made possible through the generosity of our local community.

 

The Board of Commissioners this morning made a proclamation on behalf of Josephine County Community Corrections. Board Vice-Chair Chris Barnett read the proclamation naming July 20th-26th "Probation, Parole and Community Supervision Week." Community Corrections Director Scott Hyde thanked the Board for the positive endorsement of the work done by the department's approximately 80 employees. Conspicuously absent from the meeting was an agreement between the Oregon State University Extension Service and Josephine County. Board Chair Andreas Blech postponed consideration of the agreement last week, stating that the pact was "not ready." With less than one week before the County Fair, no action was taken. It should be noted that Blech cast the lone dissenting vote when the Board recently reinstated the 4-H Extension Service District. To date, Blech has yet to vote against any of the controversial measures approved by the former Board of Commissioners that included Herman Baertschiger, John West and him. During the public comment period, former Juvenile Justice Director Jim Goodwin spoke in favor of increased transparency by the Board when it comes to personnel decisions. Former Grants Pass City Councilor Vanessa Ogier spoke about what she called the "dismantling" of Josephine County Emergency Management operations. Several people spoke in favor of programs offered by the Josephine Community Library District including dog handlers involved in K9 Reading Buddies.