Local News

US Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have announced a federal investment of $143,430 for the City of Medford to improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower overall energy use.The federal investment is from the US Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and conservation Block Grant Program. The City of Medford will use this funding to establish a plan baseline for energy use, identify how to reduce consumption and emissions, and develop an equity framework for prioritizing actions and investments while engaging and educating community members.Medford Mayor Randy Sparacino said the funding will help them continue to implement sustainable strategies to improve energy efficiency in the community. He thanked Senators Wyden and Merkley for their "unwavering" support.Wyden and Merkley have worked to allocate more resources to help transition to a clean energy economic. Earlier this month, the federal lawmakers from Oregon announced over $5 million for clean energy projects across the state.

 

The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center continues to dispatch local agencies to a large number of emergency situations every week. According to the agency's weekly post on Facebook, the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center received a total of 1,154 emergency calls from August 22nd-August 28th. The Grants Pass Police Department received the vast majority of the calls with 1,124. GPPD was followed by American Medical Response with 300 and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue with 100. Rural Metro Fire Department was dispatched to 62 calls while both the Illinois Valley Fire Department and Oregon Department of Forestry were sent to 17 calls. The Williams Rural Fire Protection District received 10 calls while the Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District got 3. Dispatchers also received 529 internal calls and they made 599 outbound calls.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for allegedly beating up his girlfriend in a downtown neighborhood early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to a domestic disturbance at a residence in the 700-block of SE Riverside Avenue on Thursday around 11 a.m.. Police said the Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center received multiple calls about a man and woman physically fighting at that address. Some callers advised the man was going after the woman with a hatchet, but that was not confirmed. Responding officers contacted the female victim who stated her boyfriend had struck her several times that morning and threatened her. She denied medical treatment for minor injuries, but photos were taken for evidence. A short time later, the 40-year-old male suspect was contacted. He stated the fight had been verbal and that he did not touch his girlfriend. Crimes scene photos of the woman's injuries refuted that claim and he was placed into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 4th-Degree Domestic Assault and he was being held without bail.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass felon on a local warrant and for a moving violation during a traffic stop in the north part of the city late yesterday. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a blue Chevrolet Silverado pickup driven by a 44-year-old male subject near the corner of NE 7th Street and Manzanita Avenue on Thursday at 4:26 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the vehicle for a traffic violation and discovered the driver's license was felony suspended. They also learned that he was wanted on a local felony warrant for Parole Violation. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus a new charge of Felony Driving While Revoked. His pickup was parked and secured.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on an outstanding warrant while investigating a report of suspicious activity near Diamond Home Improvement early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to a reported homeless encampment along a fence south of the home improvement store on NE 7th Street on Thursday shortly after 7 a.m.. Police said the caller reported seeing the illegal campsite as well as damaged goods on a pallet. The caller said it appeared random items and soil had been thrown all over the area. Responding officers contacted 30-year-old Kraig Dean Toothman and another man they identified as "Jordan Haas" at the campsite. Toothman was arrested on two Grants Pass warrants for failing to appear in court for Criminal Mischief and Petty Theft. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail. Haas was discovered to be out of compliance with his sex offender registration, but he fled the area on foot and was not located. Trespass warnings were entered for both men at Diamond.

 

Grants Pass Police cited two male motorcyclists and a female passenger following a traffic stop in the downtown area last night. The Police Department reports officers pulled over two motorcycles for speeding at NW 6th and A streets on Thursday at 9:07 p.m.. Police said both motorcycle riders were found to have suspended operator licenses with no emergent reason to be riding. They said a female passenger on one of the bikes was found to be wanted on a Douglas County warrant for Probation Violation related to an arrest for Contempt of Court. Both motorcyclists were cited for Driving While Suspended and No Motorcycle Endorsement. They were also warned for Speeding. The woman was cited to appear on her warrant in Canyonville Justice Court on September 16th.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for committing domestic violence involving a firearm in the Redwood area of the city early yesterday. The Grants Pass Police Department reports officers responded to a report of a disturbance that was occurring on George Tweed Boulevard on Thursday at about 2:30 a.m.. Officers arrived and discovered that 21-year-old Aidan Davis had fled the scene after allegedly firing a rifle into the ceiling, attempting to shoot a 22-year-old female and physically assaulting an elderly male. Both victims sustained minor injuries during the incident, but neither was hospitalized. Police officers located Davis's vehicle abandoned nearby and they began a search for the dangerous suspect. Detectives from GPPD and the Oregon State Police arrived to conduct an investigation. The manhunt resulted in the suspect being located inside a residence on SW Esther Lane where he had been hiding with the assistance of a 20-year-old female identified as "Alyssa Nichols." Nichols was arrested for Hindering Prosecution when she exited the residence. Police surrounded the residence and called for Davis to exit. They deployed a loud diversion device in front of the residence, which caused the suspect to quickly exit the house. He was placed into custody without further incident. Davis was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, two counts of Domestic Menacing plus single counts of Domestic 4th-Degree Assault, Domestic Strangulation and Attempted 1st-Degree Domestic Assault. Both he and Nichols were being held without bail.

 

A Josephine County Community Corrections client was jailed after she tried to assault her parole officer this week. The Grants Pass Police Department reports officers arrested a 59-year-old female subject in the 200-block of Redwood Highway on Wednesday. Police said the subject's corrections officer was transporting the woman to a mental health evaluation when the woman grabbed her by the hair and tugged on it. The officer reported her client was not being cooperative and requested police respond to assist. Upon arrival, officers placed the subject into custody. At least one witness saw the incident and reported it to the Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Attempted Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. She was being held on a no-bail detainer. Jail records show the woman had also been arrested for Parole Violation on August 17th.

 

One person was hospitalized after a head-on collision between two vehicles on Williams Highway at the entrance to Gateway Church early yesterday. On Thursday at 7:55 a.m., Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to the crash on Highway 238 between Grants Pass and Murphy. Rural Metro officials said the highway was completely shut down as crews worked to treat patients and process the scene. One out of five occupants was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center with unspecified injuries. Northbound commuter traffic was detoured at the Jaynes Drive intersection. The Oregon Department of Transportation reopened one travel lane with flaggers by 9 a.m.. The cause of the crash was under investigation by the Oregon State Police.