Local News

Grants Pass Police cited a man on a California warrant and for driving violations at a temporary city campground over the weekend. According to the Police Department, officers were performing a patrol check at the SE J Street campground when they spotted an unplated vehicle at the entrance on Saturday evening. Police contacted the driver -- identified as 22-year-old Nolan Robert Gooding -- and discovered that he was wanted on a Santa Clara County misdemeanor warrant for Vandalism and/or Tampering with a Vehicle. He was also found to be driving without insurance. The warrant was non-extraditable, so Gooding was cited and released -- but his vehicle was towed to a local impound yard. By order of the Grants Pass City Council, the J Street campground was scheduled to close at 1 p.m. Friday. However, the closure has been postponed until January 20th in order for the interim City Attorney to research whether the closure -- and restricted "resting" times at the 7th Street campground -- can be legally enforced.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a Grants Pass man for a weekend domestic violence incident that occurred in the Jones Creek area. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 35-year-old Joshua Charles Dugan for the incident in the 600-block of East Jones Creek Road at 1:08 p.m. Saturday in the lobby of the Grants Pass Police Department. Deputies said they responded to a report that Dugan came to the Jones Creek home to take possession of a duck cage and he walked to the children's bedroom window so he could speak to them. They said the suspect became angry and punched the window, causing glass to hit another man in the face. No children were hurt. According to the report, the caller's boyfriend walked outside and began arguing with her ex-husband, and that argument escalated into a physical fight. The other man was bleeding from several small lacerations on his face, but he declined medical attention. The suspect then fled the scene in a vehicle. After being placed into custody at GPPD, Dugan was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 4th-Degree Assault, 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief, three counts of Reckless Endangering and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. He was being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a Grants Pass man for a weekend incident of domestic violence just south of the city. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a reported disturbance in the 200-block of Deerhorn Drive on Saturday around 10 p.m.. Deputies said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that her husband had her daughter's husband pinned down after the intoxicated man was breaking things and harming people. They said it all started when the parties were moving a refrigerator and an argument escalated into physical violence. According to the report, the men were outside the home and both the women and children were inside when deputies arrived on scene. They contacted the men, interviewed all parties and placed a 23-year-old man into custody. On the way to the Josephine County Jail, the suspect was able to flip the handcuffs to the front of his body so deputies stopped and readjusted the cuffs. The man was lodged in jail for 4th-Degree Domestic Assault and he was being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a Grants Pass woman after she took a neighbor's dog and threatened to kill it because it was barking. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the animal incident at a home in the 300-block of NE Josephine Street on Saturday shortly after 2 p.m.. Deputies said the owner of the dog called 9-1-1 to report that their intoxicated female neighbor stole the dog out of their yard, telling the owner that she would kill the animal if she heard it barking again. The owner -- who claimed their dog was being tortured -- was able to regain possession of their animal before calling the police. Deputies arrived on scene, interviewed both parties and placed 64-year-old Devonne Dranae Hanson into custody. She was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Theft and was being held without bail.

 

A "Toyota Crash Alert" notified the Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center about a weekend crash in the Jerome Prairie area. On Saturday at 3:27 p.m., Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to a single-vehicle wreck on Demaray Drive near Woodland Park Road. Rural Metro officials said rescue crews found a Toyota pickup approximately 30 feet off the roadway into a tree. They said the driver was injured and trapped in the truck. After crews secured the vehicle from sliding down into the creek, the driver was removed and transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment. Officials said modern technology that incorporates crash detection systems built into vehicles are generally accurate in alerting responders to real incidents and providing locations. However, crash detection features built into smart phones are subject to frequent false alarms.

 

The Grants Pass City Council will interview budget committee candidates and decide individual committee assignments during its workshop session today. The City Council will open the workshop by interviewing candidates for the Grants Pass Budget Committee. A total of eight citizen members will be chosen to work alongside the eight Council members to develop a spending plan for the next fiscal year. Next up is committee liaison appointments for 2025. Councilors serve as liaisons to various city advisory groups such as the Urban Area Planning Commission, Historical Buildings & Sites Commission and Parks Advisory Committee. Lastly, the Council will review the agenda for Wednesday night's regular meeting. Today's workshop begins at 11:45 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.

 

The Cave Junction City Council will transition to the new year during its regular meeting tonight. Following a State of the City Address by outgoing Mayor Meadow Martell, the City Recorder will swear in new Mayor Jesse Dugas as well as Tina Casey Jones and Jason Peters as City Councilors. The new City Council will then consider an ordinance establishing the position of City Administrator. Mayor Dugas is scheduled to appoint Jean Ann Miles as City Council President and Rebecca Patton as City Administrator, subject to passage of the ordinance. Lisa Richardson is slated for appointment to the 9-1-1 Board upon confirmation. The last item on tonight's agenda is a public hearing on the Rockydale Well Improvement Grant. Tonight's meeting starts at 7 at Cave Junction City Hall, 222 Lister Street.

 

The Oregon State Fire Marshal wants to clear up confusion about state firefighters and equipment sent to Southern California last week to help with the wildfires. There has been some misinformation spreading on social media and from some news outlets claiming the deployed equipment had to pass California emissions tests, and that Oregon crews and equipment were turned away or delayed. Oregon firefighters left the state last Wednesday from various locations in the state -- including Southern Oregon. These strike teams traveled to Sacramento where they stayed the night. Early Thursday morning, they went through a routine safety check with Cal Fire to make sure the engines were technically sound. Oregon strike teams were scheduled to arrive in the Los Angeles area on Thursday. There was no delay in the process or travel. Firefighting equipment is held to the highest standards to ensure the safety of firefighters. No Oregon engine was turned away. All 15 teams completed the safety checks and they all arrived in Southern California on Thursday to begin their 24-hour shifts early Friday morning.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters logged another busy week of activity while protecting the community. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 533 calls for service along with 260 officer-initiated calls last week that resulted in 52 arrests, 38 citations, 25 warnings and four highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 61 traffic stops in the city and they made 14 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services. The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) made a total of 155 contacts with potential troublemakers while arresting five people, citing three more and warning 25 others. The CRT unit also trespassed seven individuals, posted 134 transient camps and removed trash from three campsites. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 89 calls last week including 37 for emergency medical service, 9 reports of fire or smoke, 14 lift assists, 11 rescue situations, 5 assists to other agencies and 6 false alarms. The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded a total of 1,083 emergency calls.