Local News

Josephine County Sheriff's deputies conducted a traffic stop and arrested the driver for criminal mischief charges and a detainer.

On Tuesday at 2:08 p.m., deputies pulled over a vehicle at the corner of Lone Mountain Road and Redwood Highway. The suspect driver, Mitchell Thornton, was advised he was under arrest due to probable cause in two different cases.

Thornton refused to get out of his vehicle, but deputies were able to take him into custody at 2:13 p.m. He was charged with four counts of First Degree Criminal Mischief, and his parole officer placed a detainer on him.

Deputies transported Thornton to the Josephine County Jail where he was subsequently lodged.

 

The Bureau of Land Management is improving access at Lower Table Rocks trail by completing paving work on the Lower Loop Trail.

This work will temporarily close the trailhead, parking lot, and trail until mid-April, marking the final phase of paving improvements that began last fall.

The BLM expects the paving project to take about three weeks and will reopen the trail as soon as the work is complete. More than 50,000 visitors annually hike the Table Rocks, making it one of the most popular hiking locations in Southern Oregon.

The Upper Table Rocks Trailhead, located five miles away from Lower Table Rock, remains open. Other trails in the area offer alternatives, including the Jacksonville Woodlands Trail, Mountain of the Rogue, East Applegate Ridge Trail, and the Jack-Ash Trail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office, with an assist from a K-9 Unit, arrested a man wanted on a felony warrant.

On March 13th at about 7:08 a.m., a deputy conducting Forest Service Patrol located two vehicles parked on the side of the road near milepost 3 on Illinois River Road.

Both vehicles had trash scattered around them. The deputy contacted a male in one of the vehicles and recognized him as 37-year-old Christopher Michael Harwood. He had a felony no-bail warrant for his arrest out of the Oregon State Parole Board charging him with Assault on a Peace Officer.

After being told he was under arrest, Harwood kicked out one of the vehicle’s windows and fled on foot down a steep hill toward the Illinois River.
Josephine County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Yana responded and conducted a search of the area.

Yana located and apprehended Harwood at the bottom of the hill under a tree near the river and apprehended Harwood. During the apprehension, Harwood attempted to choke the K-9. Yana was uninjured and Harwood was taken into custody.

He was transported to the Josephine County Jail and lodged for Second Degree Escape, Resisting Arrest, Interfering with a Law Enforcement Animal, and his warrant.

 

Oregon State Police responded to a fatal single-vehicle crash on Highway 238, near milepost 12, in Josephine County Sunday at 9:21 p.m. The preliminary investigation indicated a westbound Ford F-150, operated by Jacob David Bailey, 33, of Grants Pass, failed to negotiate a curve, left the roadway, and rolled multiple times. Bailey was declared deceased at the scene. The highway was impacted for approximately four hours during the on-scene investigation. OSP was assisted by Applegate Fire.

 

Two vehicle incidents Tuesday prompted the response of the Illinois Valley Fire District.

At 1:56 p.m., a traffic accident occurred in the 2000 Lone Mountain Road in O'Brien.

I.V. Fire, AMR, and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the same location as a previous incident. A single vehicle collided with two parked cars and subsequently came to rest on the hillside.

The individual involved self-extricated and sustained no injuries. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office is conducting an investigation into the incident, and the vehicle was removed from the scene.

Then at 9:44 p.m., I.V. Fire responded to a vehicle fire on Kerby Mainline Road in Kerby. The fire had descended a hillside and branched out into the surrounding vegetation.

Fire suppression efforts helped in containing forward spread of the fire. An investigation is being conducted.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners began their workshop with Legal Counsel Business. A motion to adopt a policy addressing criteria for exclusion from county property and Telephonic Contact Prohibition passed 3-0, with added language for clarification of electronic communication. Legal Counsel Wally Hicks presented a policy for news media meeting attendance, particularly in executive sessions. He recommended reaching out to the community to comment on the policy for a week, then bring the results to the board for a decision. The board moved to approve the order in repealing the implementation of the clear bag policy with the exception of the language. A motion to accept a full price offer for 210 Tacoma property, after paperwork identifying no potential FAA or financial issues are located, passed 3-0. Commissioner Ron Smith dissented on a motion to approve counter offers for the Dimmick Campus, and staff was instructed to continue working until a 1798 SE N Street lease agreement is finalized regarding a Memorandum of Understanding between the county and HP Civil, Inc.

 

A man was arrested by Grants Pass Police after exposing himself to staff at the Hampton Inn and Suites.

Monday at 11:46 a.m., the manager of the 110 NE Morgan Lane inn called 911, saying a housekeeper was cleaning a room, when the suspect came in and exposed himself to the employee. It was unknown if the man was associated with the room, and he hadn't been seen since the incident.

Officers soon contacted the suspect, Jagroop Singh, on the north side of the building. He was taken into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Public Indecency.

 

An attempted theft at the Grange Co-op was reported to Grants Pass Police Monday.

Just before 10 a.m., the suspect was reported to have been caught stealing almost $50 worth of merchandise from the 1710 W Schutzwohl Lane store. Loss prevention said the suspect was being cooperative.

Upon arrival, officers contacted the suspect, Morgan Wessel, who was found to have a Curry County Sheriff's Office warrant for Second Degree Theft. During a search of her bag, officers located a container with a white crystalline substance. A field test yielded a positive result for the presence of methamphetamine.

Officers took Wessel into custody and transported her to the Adult Jail Facility. She was lodged on her warrant and charges of Third Degree Theft and Meth Possession.

 

Officers with the Grants Pass Police Department arrested a man following a report of a broken windshield and stolen backpack.

A call to dispatch around 6:45 a.m. Monday reported the suspect had broken the window of a Dodge Neon at the Mill Street Car Wash. He then left the scene west bound on foot.

According to the officer's report, the suspect, George Saint Clair, had been in an argument with a woman before breaking the vehicle's windshield and taking her backpack. He was soon located by law enforcement on the nearby train tracks. Saint Clair admitted to taking the backpack from the woman, who wished to pursue charges against him.

The owner of the Dodge Neon couldn't be determined. Officers then took Saint Clair into custody and lodged him in the Josephine County Jail for Third Degree Theft. A charge of Second Degree Mischief was referred to the District Attorney.