Local News

The Oregon State Police was investigating the cause of a weekend crash involving the Oregon Department of Transportation on Interstate 5 near Smith Hill Summit. OSP reports troopers responded to the two-vehicle collision in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 74 on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.. Troopers said they were conducting a crash investigation with ODOT's assistance when an ODOT truck struck a sedan parked on the freeway shoulder to avoid a collision with a vehicle passing the crash scene. According to OSP, the ODOT employee was a 39-year-old Grants Pass man driving a Ford F-350 and the other driver was a 51-year-old Wolf Creek woman operating a Cadillac XTS. No one was hurt and no tow was required. Crash reports were provided to both parties.

 

The Oregon State Police has released information about a fatal accident that occurred last week on Redwood Highway near Selma. OSP reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian collision that occurred near milepost 16 of US Highway 199 last Wednesday at 5:23 a.m.. Troopers said a preliminary investigation indicated a northbound Ford F-150 pickup driven by 36-year-old Ethan Wayne Anderson of Cave Junction struck a pedestrian identified as 58-year-old Buck Carlos Gene Arby Ward of Crescent City, California, who was in the roadway for unknown reasons. According to OSP, Ward was pronounced deceased at the scene while Anderson was not injured. The highway was not impacted during the on-scene investigation. Thick fog is being considered a contributing factor in the fatal crash. OSP was assisted by the Illinois Valley Fire District.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man who became violent after getting upset with a teenage girl who was housesitting for his tenants while they were out of town. GPPD officers arrested 55-year-old Lance Arthur Nickerson for the incident at a home in the 1900-block of Cloverlawn Drive on Friday at 7:06 p.m.. Police said Nickerson called 9-1-1 because people to whom he rents a house on his property had allowed a 16-year-old girl to house-sit and watch their cats. They said he was argumentative with the juvenile female, stating that it was illegal for her to be watching the home and he demanded a law enforcement response. Prior to police arrival, an adult acquaintance of the girl arrived to pick her up and take her away from the incident. While the woman was walking the girl home, Nickerson reportedly ran up to her yelling, grabbed her by the shirt and pushed her. The victim wished to press charges against the suspect and he was detained. When officers moved in to arrest Nickerson, he attempted to pull his arms away and physically resisted being placed in handcuffs. During the struggle, the suspect was taken to the ground and he broke an officer's glasses valued at about $500. Nickerson was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Physical Harassment, Resisting Arrest and Criminal Mischief. He was being held without bail pending his court arraignment this afternoon.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on two outstanding warrants following a weekend trespassing complaint at a downtown storage facility. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the call at Storwell Storage in the 400-block of SE H Street on Friday around 9:30 p.m.. Police said an employee monitoring the business remotely called 9-1-1 to report a man and woman just outside the gate shining flashlights. The caller was concerned they might try to break into the storage units. Officers arrived on scene and contacted the subjects including 64-year-old William Ward Fleming, Jr. and 49-year-old Sandra Dow. A records check showed Fleming was wanted on two Grants Pass warrants -- both for failing to appear in court for Methamphetamine Possession. Fleming was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants. Both he and Dow were trespassed from the storage facility.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on two local warrants while investigating a camping violation in the downtown area late last week. According to the Police Department, officers contacted two men -- including 30-year-old Kraig Dean Toothman -- at an illegal campsite near the corner of SE 7th and I streets on Friday morning. Police said a concerned citizen reported Toothman and another man identified only as "Al-Sarf" were sleeping under an awning and a pile of their belongings was under a nearby tree. Officers arrived on scene and contacted the men, discovering that Toothman was wanted on two Grants Pass warrants for failing to appear in court for Possession of Methamphetamine. He was placed into custody and lodged in jail on the warrants. Both Toothman and Al-Sarf were trespassed from that location.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office recovered a stolen firearm during a weekend traffic stop near Merlin. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies pulled over a vehicle driven by a man they identified as "Ronald Caldwell" in the 300-block of Merlin Road on Saturday at 6:47 p.m.. Deputies said they stopped Caldwell for a traffic violation and learned that his driver's license was suspended and he had no insurance. During a search of the vehicle, a 9-millimeter firearm that had been reported stolen out of Kingman, Arizona, in January 2021 was found and recovered. The vehicle was impounded. Caldwell was cited to appear in court for Driving While Suspended, No Insurance and Careless Driving before being released. The investigation is continuing into how he came to be in possession of the stolen gun.

 

Crews at the Grants Pass Water Treatment Plant successfully operated through another big river event on March 16th. That Sunday, the Rogue River crested at 16.99 feet and turbidity while the plant was operating peaked at over 400 NTUs. Grants Pass Public Works Director Jason Canady said the staff pulled together and supported the plant's operator by doing jar tests and flushing instrumentation and sample lines to ensure an accurate representation of the treatment process. Canady reported it was the third time this year the Rogue River has crested over 12 feet. During the past two winters, he said the river only got to 11.5 feet once and never crested above 8 feet during the other events. In the past five years, the river has yet to reach the action level of 18 feet. Flood stage in Grants Pass is 20 feet.

 

One year after launching a $1 million fundraising campaign to preserve the Grants Pass High School Performing Arts Center (PAC), Grants Pass School District 7 is proud to share the progress made thanks to generous grants, community donations and ticket sales from the PAC's 25th anniversary celebration. To date, more than $225,000 has been raised, which has allowed for significant improvements to enhance the PAC's safety, accessibility and technical abilities. With district funding, completed upgrades include new carpet installation, exterior painting, main entrance door replacement, interior wall repairs and painting, and powder-coating and painting of theater handrails. Roof replacement of the PAC is coming this summer. While much has been accomplished, additional funding is needed for new curtains and rigging, additional fly lines to support more shows, an assistive listening system for improved accessibility, an ADA-complaint entrance and improved wheelchair/companion seating, parking lot repaving, an enclosed box office and expanded storage space to meet ever-growing needs. Donations can be made through sponsorship packages as well as online, cash or check donations to Grants Pass School District 7. The Four Way Community Foundation has also established an endowment fund to provide long-term support for the PAC. For more details or to contribute, visit "grantspass.k12.or.us/pac-25-years."

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters navigated through heavy rain and high water as they protected the community last week. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 575 calls for service along with 246 officer-initiated calls last week which resulted in 38 arrests, 28 citations, 46 warnings and six highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 56 traffic stops in the city and they made 25 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS). The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) contacted a total of 21 potential troublemakers while arresting two people and warning 11 others. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 102 calls last week including 36 for emergency medical service, four reports of fire or smoke, 17 lift assists, seven rescue situations, six assists to other agencies and three false alarms. The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded a total of 1,106 emergency calls in addition to 678 calls for non-emergency service.