Local News

A Coos County man was hurt yesterday when he crashed his vehicle on Interstate 5 in northern Josephine County. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the single-vehicle rollover accident in the southbound lanes of I-5 at milepost 73 near Sunny Valley on Monday at 12:49 p.m.. Troopers said evidence at the scene indicated a gray BMW sedan driven by a 60-year-old North Bend man was traveling too fast for the wet conditions, lost control and entered the dirt shoulder where it rolled and came to rest on its top. According to OSP, the driver was transported by ambulance to the hospital with suspected minor injuries. The male juvenile passenger declined medical treatment. A-1 Towing responded to recover the vehicle and tow it to Grants Pass. State troopers responded to at least six weather-related crashes in Josephine County plus several more in Jackson County. Officials said most of the wrecks occurred because people were driving too fast for the wet road conditions.

 

Rural Metro Fire Department extinguished a fire that moved quickly through blackberries and damaged an unoccupied horse trailer west of Grants Pass yesterday. Rural Metro crews responded to the reported fire in the Jerome Prairie area on Monday at 2:18 p.m.. The fire -- which was held to only 1/100th of an acre -- was the result of an escaped open burn located on Jerome Prairie Road near Woodland Park Road. Officials said the proximity of the burn pile next to blackberries, a gust of wind and loss of water due to a power outage led to the escape. Despite rain showers and the official end of the 2024 fire season, safe debris burning still carries some requirements. Even though the risk of catastrophic wildfire is greatly reduced, the possibility of flames damaging valuable items nearby is still possible. Rural Metro officials encourage residents to keep burn piles small and manageable, maintain a buffer around the pile to prevent spread, stay in attendance for the duration of the burn, have a shovel and reliable water source on hand, don't burn in breezy conditions and keep a charged cell phone in your possession to call 9-1-1 if the burn escapes.

 

The Oregon State Police is asking for witnesses to a recent non-lethal shooting in Josephine County to come forward with any video of the incident. On Saturday at about 2 a.m., police responded to a report of shots fired at a large party on Spencer Creek Road near Murphy. An adult male was taken to a local hospital by private vehicle from the party and he was treated for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to the abdomen. OSP detectives said many of the party attendees were juvenile and intoxicated. However, they said all the individuals involved in the altercation that led to the shooting have been identified and are over 18 years of age. Several party attendees fled from the scene, resulting in two rollover crashes with minor injuries. Investigators do not believe there are any public safety threats stemming from this incident. They do believe multiple cell phone videos of the incident exist and they are asking witnesses to come forward. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact OSP's Southern Command Center at 1-(800)-442-2068 or dial *OSP from a mobile device. Please reference Case SP24-350006. The investigation is ongoing and OSP is not releasing the names of the involved parties at this time.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for multiple counts of domestic violence after a weekend incident was overheard on a gaming microphone and reported to law enforcement. The Police Department reports officers arrested 38-year-old Shayne Alden Pitard for the incident at a residence on Rogue River Highway on Sunday at 12:44 p.m.. Police said a woman was playing a video game when she heard another woman screaming to stop hitting her. The woman called 9-1-1 to report her children are friends of the victim's children, which made it easy for officers to locate the incident location. According to the report, the victim disclosed that her husband assaulted, menaced and choked her that morning. Officers placed Pitard into custody and noted there had been ongoing physical abuse including striking his wife with a dangerous instrument. The victim was assisted by the Women's Crisis Support Team. Pitard was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 2nd-Degree Domestic Assault, Felony 4th-Degree Domestic Assault, Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon, plus two counts each of Domestic Strangulation and Domestic Menacing. He was being held without bail.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a teenage girl for attacking her mother and her mother's ex-husband at a residence near Wilderville this past weekend. OSP reports troopers responded to the disturbance at a home in the 900-block of Cheney Creek Road early Saturday morning. Troopers said they were notified that a 17-year-old girl was involved in a physical altercation with her parents after returning home from a party with friends. The mother reported her daughter returned home intoxicated and started an argument, which escalated when the daughter broke an air conditioning unit in her bedroom to exit the home. According to OSP, the daughter then used a shovel to break the windows on her mother's Chevrolet Malibu and cause additional damage to the car. The teen daughter was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for medical clearance and then lodged at the Josephine County Juvenile Justice Center on charges of Felony 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief, Menacing and Disorderly Conduct.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two motorists for impaired driving during separate incidents on the same day last weekend. The Police Department reports the first incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when officers pulled over a Subaru driven by a 54-year-old woman near the corner of Leonard Road and Kokanee Lane. Police said they stopped the vehicle for swerving and not maintaining its travel lane. They contacted the driver and she showed signs of impairment from alcohol. She initially agreed to perform sobriety tests, but then declined. She had two past convictions for impaired driving over the past 10 years, so she was lodged in jail for Felony Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. The second incident happened on Saturday evening when officers responded to a hit-and-run crash in the 1600-block of NW Hawthorne Avenue. No one was hurt, but there was damage to both vehicles. Police said a 44-year-old man was driving an Acura sedan when he made an illegal right turn and collided with Mazda sedan before fleeing the scene. The suspect was located a short time later at his home in the 2100-block of NW Heidi Lane. He displayed signs of impairment and was placed into custody before being lodged in jail for DUII, Reckless Driving and No Insurance.

 

A motorist was injured last weekend when she crashed her vehicle into an embankment along Interstate 5 near Grants Pass. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the single-vehicle wreck in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 53 at 8:18 a.m. Sunday. Troopers said evidence at the scene indicated the 58-year-old female driver was traveling too fast for the wet conditions, lost control and drove into the dirt embankment. They said she was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of unspecified injuries. 3 Boys Towing responded to recover the vehicle and hauled it to Grants Pass. The driver was given a copy of the crash report at the hospital. Apparently, no citations were issued.

 

The Oregon Department of Transportation was busy responding to numerous crashes on Southern Oregon roadways on Monday. ODOT officials said most of the wrecks occurred because people were driving too fast for the wet road conditions. As drivers adjust to fall weather, ODOT is offering a few reminders for safer driving on wet roadways. Leave more additional space between your vehicle and other vehicles, reduce your speed to prepare for sudden stops, and make sure your windshield wipers, tires and brakes are all in good condition. More safe driving tips can be found at "tripcheck.com."

 

Local law enforcement got a boost last week with five deputies graduating from the Oregon Public Safety Academy. All will serve as corrections deputies. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office congratulates Deputies Zacha and Serabia while the Jackson County Sheriff's Office congratulates Deputies Case, Lacombe and Mallory. All six deputies spent the past six weeks at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) in Salem. All three Jackson County deputies were in the class color guard, with Deputy Case as the color guard leader. Deputy Lacombe was selected to speak at last Friday's graduation ceremony. Josephine County Sheriff Dave Daniel and Jackson County Sheriff Nate Sickler said they look forward to the deputies continued service in their jail facilities in Grants Pass and Medford.