Local News

A domestic violence call sent Josephine County Sheriff’s Deputies flying to the 4200 block of Galice Road Friday afternoon just after 4:00 p.m. According to the Sheriff’s log, a 911 caller reported the incident stating the man living in a trailer below them in an altercation with the wife and 11-year-old who was slapped when he tried to intervene. The caller said the man was choking the wife and took her back to the trailer while she was screaming for help. Deputies initially detained two persons and located two firearms, one reported as stolen. One suspect was arrested during the course of the investigation and was found to be a repeat offender. The 32-year-old man was lodged in the county jail facing four charges including being a felon in possession of body armor, theft by receiving, being a felon in possession of a weapon and a post-prison sanction. He remained in custody Saturday morning.

 

Josephine County Sheriff’s Deputies recovered a stolen vehicle and arrested a 39-year-old man Friday afternoon in Cave Junction. Deputies ran the license plate of 2013 silver Chevy Cruise backed up at Napa. It returned stolen and the Deputies boxed it in, detaining one man associated with the Chevy. The suspect initially denied being affiliated with the Chevy but later admitted driving it there. He stated he saw the car at the north end of Grants Pass Thursday night and knew it belonged to the victim. He continued he planned to return to her and had messaged her stating he would return it but needed to get some money first. He volunteered his phone and no messages were found to the victim.

 

A Klamath Falls motorcyclist was killed earlier this week when he crashed into a log truck in southern Jackson County. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the two-vehicle collision near milepost 11 of Highway 66 on Wednesday morning. OSP said the preliminary investigation indicated a westbound Harley Davidson motorcycle operated by 66-year-old George Henry Macomber of Klamath Falls crossed the double yellow line into the eastbound lanes for unknown reasons and crashed head-on into an eastbound Kenworth log truck driven by 44-year-old Robert David Sandene of Cave Junction. According to OSP, Macomber was transported to and declared deceased at a local hospital. Sandene was not injured in the collision. Troopers said the exact cause of the fatal crash remains under investigation.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a man wanted on nationwide and statewide felony warrants in south Grants Pass this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested the 35-year-old male subject in the 1500-block of Williams Highway on Wednesday afternoon. He was placed into custody at gunpoint. Few details have been disclosed about the apprehension, but the man was wanted on a US Marshals warrant for Probation Violation related to a weapons arrest and an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a previous weapons conviction.

 

The driver of a construction vehicle escaped injury when he crashed in the North Valley area early yesterday. On Friday at 8:04 a.m., Rural Metro Fire Department, American Medical Response and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the single-vehicle wreck in the 3100-block of Merlin Road. Rural Metro officials said the truck rolled into a tree and caught on fire. They said the unidentified driver was able to extricate himself from the wreckage and run to safety. He was not hurt, but the construction vehicle sustained heavy damage

 

The Oregon Department of Transportation has announced a project to improve safety at three rural intersections in the Rogue Valley -- including one west of Grants Pass on Redwood Highway next week. On Monday through Friday, motorists should watch for nighttime lane closures and daytime shoulder closures on US Highway 199 at Midway Road. ODOT officials said this project will provide additional advance warning and delineation to improve safety at the dangerous intersection just west of Rogue Community College's Redwood Campus.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed two people who were allegedly involved in a shooting in the southern Illinois Valley this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies were alerted to the shooting incident in the 700-block of Lone Mountain Road near O'Brien on Thursday morning.
Deputies said a man called 9-1-1 to report that he was taking his children to the bus stop when someone in a silver Honda Civic shot his truck and left the area. No one was injured, but the truck was damaged and the man's children were frightened. A short time later, the victim's wife called 9-1-1 to report that a white male adult in a blue truck was harassing them by driving back and forth past their house, slowing down, smiling at them and driving away. She told dispatchers she believed the man was associated with a property off East O'Brien Street. During the investigation, deputies developed probable cause to arrest a 37-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman as suspects in the shooting and ongoing harassment of the family.

The male suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

The Josephine County Republican Women are proud to announce the three finalists of their second annual US Constitution Scholarship Essay Contest. Three young women in the Class of 2024 have been chosen from a total of 24 applicants in Josephine County. This year's essay question was "Since the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law…abridging freedom of speech or the press," what is the effect of social media on our decision making and our elections in the 21st Century? First place and a $5,000 scholarship was won by Evie Hitchcock of the Mountain View Academy Homeschool Program. Second place and $4,000 went to Rebekah Guymon of Grants Pass High School and third place and $3,000 went to Brynna DeLonge of Grants Pass High School. All three young women will be introduced at the Josephine County Republican Women's luncheon on Tuesday at the Grants Pass Golf Club.

 

The Josephine County Clerk's Office was reporting a low turnout for the May 21st primary election.
On Friday evening, the Clerk's Office reported that only 13,366 out of 69,909 registered voters -- or 19.12% -- had returned their ballots. Out of the 13,366 ballots received, 12,815 had been accepted. Tuesday's primary election in Josephine County features eight candidates running for two positions on the Board of Commissioners, a ballot measure that would replace the Josephine County Charter, a local option tax to financially support the Josephine County Animal Shelter, and a bond levy to improve safety and security in aging Three Rivers School District buildings.The ballot deadline for the election is next Tuesday at 8 p.m.. Completed ballots can be mailed in or hand-delivered to designated drop sites before the deadline.