Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested an uncooperative young motorist for impaired driving and other crimes late yesterday after he crashed into a parked vehicle on NE A Street.

The Police Department reports officers responded to the two-vehicle collision on NE A near the Pinnacle 365 store on Thursday shortly before 6 p.m..

Police said an investigation determined that a 19-year-old male subject was driving a black BMW west on A when he struck the rear-end of a silver Chevrolet sedan, pushing the parked sedan up onto the sidewalk, causing substantial damage to both vehicles and damaging a flower bed belonging to A Street Dental.

A medic who also responded to the crash advised the young driver appeared to be highly intoxicated. The driver refused to provide a breath sample, so a search warrant for a legal blood draw was obtained and he was placed into a patrol vehicle for the ride to Three Rivers Medical Center. The suspect then spit on the back seat of the patrol car, kicked the windows, and flung dirt and debris inside the car.

After a blood sample was taken at the hospital, the young driver agreed to submit a breath sample -- but he immediately changed his mind and requested an attorney.

The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief and 3rd-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was also cited for the breath test refusal and his car was impounded.