Local News

No one was hurt, but a Grants Pass motorist was cited yesterday for causing a wreck on Redwood Highway about five miles west of the city. OSP reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle crash near milepost 5 of US Highway 199 on Monday shortly before 4 p.m.. Troopers said evidence at the scene and witness statements indicated a Dodge Journey driven by a 26-year-old Grants Pass woman failed to make sure the intersection was clear before making a left turn and it was struck by a southbound Honda Ridgeline driven by a 50-year-old Grants Pass woman. According to OSP, the Honda was towed while the Dodge was able to be driven from the scene. Both drivers were provided with a copy of the crash report. The 26-year-old woman was cited for multiple unspecified traffic violations.

 

Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) arrested two people late last week while raiding a property in the southern Illinois Valley. The Grants Pass Police Department reports the RADE team served a search warrant in the 35,000-block of Redwood Highway in O'Brien last Thursday. RADE detectives said the search warrant uncovered around a quarter-pound of methamphetamine, 34 firearms including four suppressors, six blasting caps and detonation cord, and over five pounds of red phosphorus. Two individuals located at the residence -- identified as 57-year-old Kurtis Kern Korff and 49-year-old Grace Helen Polk -- were arrested, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Unlawful Possession of Meth and 34 counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Additional charges are pending. RADE was assisted by the Oregon State Police SWAT and Clandestine Laboratory teams along with the OSP Explosives Unit. RADE is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts and dismantles local, multi-state and international drug trafficking organizations using an intelligence-driven, multi-agency, prosecutor-supported approach. RADE is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, composed of members from OSP, GPPD, Josephine County Community Corrections and the Josephine County District Attorney's Office.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man on an outstanding felony warrant and for fighting with officers at Riverside Park last weekend. The Police Department reports officers eventually arrested the 30-year-old male subject near the upper gazebo at the city park on Sunday at 3:25 p.m.. Police said the man was the subject of a disorderly conduct call involving a gun. They said he actively resisted arrest and fought with officers, covering an officer's nose with his hand while wrestling, impeding the officer's ability to breathe. The man has a history of resisting arrest and he was wanted on a Josephine County warrant for failing to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving, Criminal Mischief and Furnishing False Information to Police. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and for new charges of Felony Attempted Assault on a Police Officer, Resisting Arrest and Disorderly Conduct. The case has been forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for prosecution. A search of the park was conducted, but no firearm was located.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a local felony warrant while performing a weekend welfare check at Riverside Park. According to the Police Department, officers responded to reports of disorderly conduct at the city park on Sunday shortly after 2 p.m.. Police said they contacted a 32-year-old male subject and found him to be displaying several signs of intoxication by a narcotic stimulant including erratic movements, muscle rigidity, lack of coordination, profuse sweating and the inability to stop moving. Witnesses reported the man was taking his clothes off and "trying to smash his leg off with a rock." He was placed into custody between the 6th Street Condos and Caveman Bridge. A routine records check revealed that the man was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for Parole Violation related to an unspecified criminal conviction. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two women for allegedly working together to steal hundreds of dollars' worth of merchandise from Walmart. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at the store on NE Terry Lane on Sunday around 2:45 p.m.. Police said two women -- ages 23 and 19 -- were observed by Walmart security gathering more than $1,000 worth of items and coordinating to push the stolen items out of the store together. The 19-year-old woman was detained by loss prevention, but the 23-year-old woman fled to her vehicle and drove away. Officers stopped the woman while she was trying to exit the parking lot in a Toyota pickup that was later retrieved by her grandmother. All of the stolen items were recovered. Both female suspects were lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Theft and Criminal Conspiracy. Both were being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for vandalizing multiple parked vehicles in the downtown area last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers responded to reports of vandalism in the area of SE 6th and I streets late Saturday morning. Police said a 33-year-old female subject damaged at least three parked vehicles in that area by kicking them and causing estimated damages of over $1,000. Callers told officers that the woman was not harming anyone physically, but she was intentionally damaging vehicles while walking by on the sidewalk. Officers caught up to the suspect in the Salmon Parking Lot and she admitted to damaging a couple of vehicles in the lot, so she was placed into custody. She was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters sharpened their community protection skills throughout the city last week. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 673 calls for service along with 242 officer-initiated calls that resulted in 51 arrests, 28 citations, 29 warnings and five highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 51 traffic stops in the city and made 27 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services. The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) contacted a total of 209 potential troublemakers while arresting six people, citing 47 more and warning 59 others. The CRT unit also trespassed 29 individuals, posted 96 transient camps and removed trash from four campsites. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 109 calls last week including 69 for emergency medical service, three reports of fire or smoke, 23 lift assists, seven rescue situations, nine assists to other agencies and three false alarms. The 9-1-1 Dispatch Center fielded a total of 1,232 emergency calls in addition to 736 calls for non-emergency service.

 

The race to replace two departing members of the Josephine County Board of Commissioners appears to have been narrowed down from eight to four total candidates after the first run of ballots in the May Primary Election. For Position #2 on the Board, Chris Barnett had a substantial lead with 44.91% of the ballots with Colene Martin in second place with 25%. Candidates Mark Jones and Dan Mancuso trailed the leaders with 17.18% and 12.03%, respectively. For Position #3 on the Board, Pat Fahey was the leader with 40.01% of the vote while Ron Smith was second with 25.61%. Candidates Nathan Gonzalez and Russell McAlmond trailed the leaders with 22.21% and 11.85%, respectively. It appears Josephine County voters sent all three ballot measures down to defeat. Measure 17-116 to replace the County Charter was losing 66.42% to 33.58%. Measure 17-117 to fund the Animal Shelter and Animal Control was losing 59.19% to 40.81%. Measure 17-118 to authorize a bond for Three Rivers School District building improvements was also losing by a 67.80% to 32.20% tally. For Senate District 2, it was Republican Noah Robinson leading Christine Goodwin by a count of 50.69% to 49.07%. Robinson easily defeated Goodwin in Josephine County, but the district includes portions of Douglas and Jackson counties. For State Representative District 3, Democrat Mark Seligman was defeating Dustin Watkins by a tally of 60.60% to 37.27%. Josephine County Clerk Rhiannon Henkels reported that more than 10,000 ballots were hand-delivered over the past two days and her staff is extremely busy. As of 8 o'clock tonight, the local turnout was 29.3%. Elections staff will continue counting ballots until late tonight and we'll have fresh numbers for you in the morning.

 

The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has renewed the ban on alcohol on the recreation section of the Illinois River Corridor from May 24th through September. As in previous years, the area included in the temporary alcohol ban extends from the Forest boundary on Illinois River Road west of Selma to an area near the McCaleb Ranch including the area surrounding Cedar Camp. The ban is effective approximately 1/4-mile on either side of Illinois River Road in those areas. The ban will not be in effect on privately-owned lands, nor will it apply to those who are driving on Illinois River Road to reach a destination outside the closure area. Violation of the alcohol ban is punishable by law, with the penalties of up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. Wild Rivers District Ranger Scott Blower said the decision to implement the alcohol ban arose from the concern for public safety and it has been met with overwhelming support from both the local communities and those who travel to the river from outside areas.