Local News

The Grants Pass City Council had planned to cancel its first meeting in August due to the Josephine County Fair, but next week's meeting is back on. The City Council is scheduled to take action on ordinances repealing the municipal code sections pertaining to Camping in Parks and Criminal Trespass on City Property. The panel will also consider a resolution adopting allowable locations for camping in accordance with an existing ordinance. In late June, the United States Supreme Court overruled an injunction brought by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that forced the City of Grants Pass to allow the unhoused population to "rest" in all parks except Reinhart Volunteer Park. The nation's highest court determined the city's restrictions on camping in public spaces do not constitute "cruel and unusual punishment" as contended by the lower court. It appears the City Council is now ready to move forward with time, place and manner restrictions on public camping by banning the practice in most city parks.The Council has identified five places where public camping will be allowed. They include a strip of land near the new Water Treatment Plant, an empty lot next to the Grants Pass Police Station, the "Texas Property" next to Baker Park, a grassy area near the Hillcrest Fire Station and a parcel on the far west side of Riverside Park.

 

A suspect wanted for abandoning his children in the woods near Jacksonville earlier this year has been arrested after a nearly six-month nationwide manhunt. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office reports the suspect -- 24-year-old Justin Ryan Trompeter -- was arrested on July 12th after being spotted in Medford and taking police on a high-speed pursuit through Jackson and Josephine counties. Early that morning, Medford police officers located a vehicle associated with Trompeter driving near the Rogue Valley Mall and initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle briefly stopped before eluding northbound on Interstate 5. MPD ended their pursuit and the Jackson County sheriff's deputies located the vehicle traveling north past I-5 Exit 40 at high speed and continued the pursuit into Grants Pass. The Oregon State Police, Grants Pass Police Department and Josephine County Sheriff's Office took over the pursuit on Redwood Highway. While trying to elude police, Trompeter called 9-1-1 and threatened suicide by cop. The chase continued on side roads toward Merlin where the suspect crashed his vehicle into a ditch. He engaged in a brief standoff with law enforcement before giving up in the area of Pickett Creek Road and Hussey Lane. Trompeter was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. He was then taken to the Jackson County Jail where he was lodged on 14 separate charges including Felony Domestic Assault, Robbery, Harassment, Theft, Child Neglect, Reckless Driving, Felony Attempt to Elude Police, Reckless Endangering and Parole Violation.

 

An Illinois Valley man is in custody for allegedly committing a total of 13 old and new violent crimes involving weapons. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested the 28-year-old male subject identified as "Austin Keith Owsley" in the 2700-block of Lakeshore Drive near Selma on Thursday afternoon. The Sheriff's Office provided few details about the arrest, but Owsley was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for 1st-Degree Robbery, two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, 4th-Degree Assault and Interfering with Making a Police Report. Owsley was additionally charged with Felon in Possession of a Weapon, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Possession of a Short-Barreled Shotgun, Pointing a Firearm at Another Person, Menacing, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and two counts of Attempt to Commit a Felony Crime. No other information was disclosed.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on a statewide felony warrant while contacting another man in the downtown area this week. The Police Department reports officers arrested a 30-year-old male subject in the 300-block of NW 6th Street on Thursday night. Police said they were contacting another man during a downtown patrol check when the subject they identified as "Jacob Levi Reeder" saw them and started running. He was tracked down and detained a short time later when officers discovered the reason why he was fleeing. Reeder was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Felony Parole Violation. He was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested an Illinois Valley woman who refused to leave a house her father built after it was sold to another person. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 1700-block of Deer Creek Road near Selma earlier this week.
Deputies said a 68-year-old woman had been evicted from a property where a house built by her father was constructed. They said she returned and broke into the house, went upstairs and fell asleep in her old bedroom. The woman's ex-husband advised that she was not being aggressive. He said she adamantly believes that the sale of the house is fake because her father built it. Responding deputies found the gate open, but the driveway was blocked by the woman's vehicle. She had reportedly trespassed on the property before and she struggled with deputies as they placed her into custody.

 

Coos Bay and Central Point are the next stops for Oregon lawmakers' Statewide Transportation Safety and Sustainability Outreach Tour next Wednesday and Thursday. These visits to communities across the state are helping legislators understand the unique needs of Oregonians and the challenges of maintaining a safe, accessible and reliable transportation system. Public hearings will be held in each location and community members are encouraged to provide their comments. The public hearing in Coos Bay will be held on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Marshfield High School. The public hearing in Central Point will be held Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Jackson County Expo Park. Members of the public interested in testifying can register in person starting 30 minutes before each meeting begins. The committee will also hear remote testimony, if time permits, which the public can register for on the committee's webpage at "olis.oregonlegislature.gov." For both meetings, ODOT is partnering with local transit agencies, cities and counties to take legislators on a bus tour through those areas during the day to see the condition of local roads, bridges, and bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

 

The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center handled 1,260 emergency calls this past week, which was busy for both dispatchers and partner agencies. As usual, the bulk of the calls between July 25th and July 31st were for the Grants Pass Police Department with 963. GPPD was followed by 299 calls for American Medical Response and 96 calls for Grants Pass Fire & Rescue. Rural Metro Fire Department received a total of 57 calls, followed by the Illinois Valley Fire District with 35, Oregon Department of Forestry with 33, Williams Rural Fire Protection District with 6 and Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District with 3. Last Sunday around noon, the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center received multiple calls about a grass fire along Interstate 5 in the Sunny Valley area. Three dispatchers were on duty at this time and they received 78 emergency calls within 30 minutes. While dispatchers were answering these calls, they were also dispatching units on the radios, handling other emergency calls for service and processing requests from units in the field.

 

The Grants Pass School District is offering free preschool for four- and five-year-old children this fall -- but space is limited. The new District 7 preschool program will accommodate no more than 36 children, with priority given to families demonstrating need. The program will feature play-based learning, developmental curriculum, outdoor experiences and two inclusive classrooms. The location of the new preschool will be the Early Learning Center at Highland Elementary School. There will be two sessions from 9 to 11 a.m. and from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, with no preschool on Wednesdays.

 

An Illinois Valley man is in custody for allegedly committing a total of 13 old and new violent crimes involving weapons. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested the 28-year-old male subject identified as "Austin Keith Owsley" in the 2700-block of Lakeshore Drive near Selma at 3:34 p.m. Thursday. The Sheriff's Office provided few details about the arrest, but Owsley was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for 1st-Degree Robbery, two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, 4th-Degree Assault and Interfering with Making a Police Report. Owsley was additionally charged with Felon in Possession of a Weapon, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Possession of a Short-Barreled Shotgun, Pointing a Firearm at Another Person, Menacing, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and two counts of Attempt to Commit a Felony Crime. No other information was disclosed. Owsley was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail where he was being held on $250,000 bail.