Local News

Grants Pass Police cited a motorist last weekend after she crashed into two parked vehicles in a northwest city neighborhood. According to the Police Department, officers and emergency crews responded to the three-vehicle collision in the 1,000-block of NW Washington Boulevard on Sunday around 4:45 p.m.. Police said an investigation determined that 33-year-old Tarren Thomas was driving a Lincoln SUV north on Washington Boulevard when she wrecked into a Honda CRV and a Ford Focus parked along the curb. They said they contacted Thomas at the scene and there were no signs of impairment. Thomas was subsequently cited to appear in court for Failure to Maintain Lane and No Insurance. Her SUV sustained moderate damage and it was towed away. Crash reports were supplied to all the involved parties.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving in Josephine County last night. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Dodge Journey driven by a 35-year-old male subject in an unspecified location on Monday at 9:06 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the Dodge for traffic violations and the driver showed strong signs of impairment. They said the driver performed poorly in field sobriety tests and was transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was more than twice the legal driving limit. The suspect was lodged at the Sobering Center for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His vehicle was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man wanted on a local warrant during a weekend patrol check at convenience store. According to the Police Department, officers contacted 38-year-old Austin Bently Bowman at A-1 Market & Deli on SW G Street on Sunday afternoon. Police said they observed Bowman outside the store and knew that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for probable cause of 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was immediately detained. After the warrant was confirmed, Bowman was cited to appear in court and then released.

 

The Oregon State Police placed a Klamath Falls man on a mental hold early today after responding to a report of a disabled motorist on Interstate 5 near Sunny Valley. OSP reports troopers were dispatched to a disabled Dodge Dart in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 70 at 1:09 this morning. Troopers said the 27-year-old male driver of the vehicle made several suicidal statements to dispatchers and he met the criteria for a Peace Officer's Mental Hold. The distraught man was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for the hold and his vehicle was left at the scene at his request.

 

The Oregon State Police jailed a Medford man for several crimes after a weekend traffic stop on the east side of Grants Pass. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Dodge Ram pickup driven by 42-year-old Matthew Roy Barbosa on the Grants Pass Parkway underneath the Interstate 5 milepost 55 overpass around midday Saturday. Troopers said they stopped Barbosa for traffic violations and quickly learned that the pickup had been reported stolen. The suspect was detained and a search of the vehicle located a hidden compartment filled with US currency, a digital scale and drug paraphernalia. The convicted felon was also found with unspecified weapons. According to OSP, Barbosa gave inconsistent statements about how he came to be in possession of the stolen truck and he was placed into custody. The cash, drugs, drug paraphernalia and weapons were seized as evidence. Barbosa was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Methamphetamine Possession and two counts of Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon. He was being held without bail. The stolen pickup was returned to a 65-year-old Grants Pass woman.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man last weekend for stealing merchandise from Walmart and being in possession of a large amount of methamphetamine. The Police Department reports officers responded to a shoplifting call involving 33-year-old Jeffrey Allen McPeake at the store on NE Terry Lane on Sunday around 4:20 p.m.. Police said McPeake stole $121 in items from Walmart by concealing them on his person, taking them past all points of sale and exiting the store without paying. He was located at the nearby Taco Bell and placed into custody. McPeake admitted to the theft and consented to a search of his person. During the search, a container was located that contained a very large amount of a crystal substance that fielded tested positive as meth. He also had packaging materials, multiple knives and the stolen items on his person, which were seized. McPeake was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Delivery of Meth and 2nd-Degree Theft. He was being held without bail. His bicycle and belongings were logged into evidence for safekeeping.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for generating multiple calls for service regarding her strange behavior in a southeast neighborhood last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers responded to several reports of suspicious activity involving a female subject in the area of SE I and 11th streets on Sunday around 8:45 p.m.. Police said 38-year-old Shani Renee Fedosky was running around in the area and was observed going into private residential yards and attempting to hide from law enforcement. One resident in the 500-block of I Street allowed officers to go into his backyard to check for the woman after he saw her on his Ring camera. While checking the backyard, officers saw Fedosky flee and run westbound on I Street. She continued to flee until she was cornered and placed into custody. Due to Fedosky's observed behavior and the number of calls she generated, she was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct. She was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for stealing gasoline from a vehicle parked at Options for Southern Oregon in broad daylight last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the theft complaint at the Options facility on NW Manzanita Avenue on Sunday at about 2:15 p.m.. Police said they were alerted to the theft by an Options employee who saw a man they identified as "Nathan Dion" siphoning gas from one of the Options box trucks. Officers swooped in and caught the suspect, who admitted to the petroleum heist. Dion was charged with Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle and Petty Theft. He was cited to appear in court and released from custody.

 

Ashland Parks and Recreation is gradually reopening parks and facilities after last week's winter storm. Ashland Parks Director Rocky Houston said the storm caused downed trees and ice, leading to the temporary closure of all city parks due to unsafe conditions. Houston said on Monday that most parks and amenities have resumed their normal schedules. However, visitors are advised to proceed with caution as some areas may still have downed trees or branches. Closures remain in effect at Siskiyou Mountain Park, Hald Strawberry Park, Ashland Watershed Trails, Ashland Japanese Garden in Lithia Park, Lithia Park pickleball courts, Hunter Park tennis courts and certain park restrooms. For updates on the status of Ashland Parks and Recreation facilities and programs, visit "ashlandparksandrec.org."