Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on an outstanding warrant and a new charge last night during a trespassing call at a downtown supermarket. According to the Police Department, officers responding to a trespassing complaint at Safeway on SE 7th Street on Monday around 10:50 p.m.. Police said a store manager reported a male subject wearing a backpack loitering around the entrance. The man previously had been trespassed from the store on January 8th. Responding officers contacted the 30-year-old man, confirmed the trespassing warning and learned that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Resisting Arrest and Criminal Trespass. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant along with a new charge of Criminal Trespass. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a city park camper on an outstanding felony warrant during a patrol check early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers were patrolling Riverside Park in the 10 o'clock hour when they contacted the 42-year-old woman. Officers said they ran a routine records check that revealed the woman was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for failing to appear in court for Criminal Mischief. She was lodged in jail on the no-bail warrant. Meanwhile, GPPD cited numerous campers for ordinance violations in city parks. A number of them were cited for failing to remove previously posted campsites and several were issued 30-day park exclusion orders.

 

Two people were injured and another was cited after a multi-vehicle collision on SW Bridge Street yesterday. Grants Pass Police and emergency personnel responded to the four-vehicle crash at the intersection of Bridge and Pine streets on Monday at about 2:35 p.m.. Officers said an investigation indicates the flow of traffic slowed down and one vehicle rear-ended another, causing a chain-reaction between a blue sedan, gray sedan, Range Rover and Honda Civic. According to the report, two people were transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with unspecified injuries. Following the investigation, one of the drivers was cited for Speeding.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Jacksonville man for impaired driving after a traffic stop on Williams Highway in Murphy late yesterday. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Toyota Tacoma driven by a 66-year-old man on Highway 238 near Murphy Creek Road on Monday at 4:54 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the man for traffic violations and he displayed several signs of impairment. They said he performed poorly in field sobriety tests, so a search warrant was obtained and they transported him to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw that documented his impairment by alcohol. The suspect was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving and Driving While Suspended. His pickup was towed to the impound yard.

 

Rural Metro Fire Department said a closed door and a charged garden hose kept a fire small in the bathroom of a recreational vehicle in the Murphy area last night. On Monday at 6:49 p.m., Rural Metro responded to a reported structure fire in the 300-block of Shamrock Lane. Originally reported as a house on fire, arriving units found an RV being used as a residence. The occupant had used a garden hose to douse the flames prior to the arrival of firefighters who performed mop-up to ensure all heat was mitigated. Rural Metro officials said the occupant reportedly had a candle burning in a small space that evidently fell over or came into contact with flammable materials. No injuries were reported. The American Red Cross was summoned to assist the occupant with temporary alternate living arrangements.

 

Two people were killed late yesterday in a violent crash on Riverbanks Road about two miles east of Redwood Highway. On Monday at 6:03 p.m., Rural Metro Fire Department, Grants Pass Fire & Rescue and American Medical Response were dispatched to the single-vehicle wreck in the 2200-block of Riverbanks Road. Rural Metro officials said the crash occurred in the sharp S-curves between Marcy Loop and Douglas Drive. They said efforts to rapidly extricate and treat the two occupants were performed, but both were confirmed to be deceased on scene. Law enforcement was conducting the investigation and notifying next-of-kin. The Oregon State Police is the lead agency and it has not yet identified the deceased. Traffic was detoured while the crash scene was active. Officials said witnesses to this tragic event and citizens who assisted with rescue efforts were exposed to a very graphic scene. Anyone struggling with trauma or who was otherwise affected by the incident and might find the need to talk to someone is welcome to call Rural Metro at (541)-474-1218

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a motorist for impaired driving after he wrecked his vehicle near the Hellgate Bridge last weekend. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle rollover crash near milepost 6 of Galice Road -- between Hellgate Lookout and the bridge -- on Sunday around 8:40 p.m.. Deputies said another motorist reported the crash of a light-blue sport utility vehicle that had struck the guardrail twice before landing upside-down partially in the inbound travel lane. The caller said the driver appeared to be intoxicated and was walking toward Merlin from the wreck. Upon arrival, deputies contacted the 30-year-old male driver who displayed strong signs of impairment. After performing poorly in field sobriety tests and being checked out by medics, the man was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. The wrecked SUV was towed into Grants Pass. A white Bull Mastiff named "Daisy" went missing after the crash, but the dog was found on Monday.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for a felony-level crime after she vandalized her ex-boyfriend's vehicle in the Redwood area last weekend. The Police Department reports officers responded to a reported vehicle vandalism in the 1400-block of Kokanee Lane on Sunday at 7:45 p.m.. Police said a 42-year-old woman had been in an argument with her ex-boyfriend at his Kokanee Lane residence and before leaving the property, she dug several deep gouges along multiple panels of his vehicle with a key or similar object. Damage was estimated to be well over $1,000. The woman's actions were captured on surveillance video and she was contacted at her home on NW Sunset Drive. After admitting to the offense, she was placed into custody, charged with 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief and lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a woman for spray-painting the outside of someone's trailer at an RV Park just east of Grants Pass last weekend. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the vandalism incident at the park in the 3200-block of Pearce Park Road late Saturday night. Deputies said a man called 9-1-1 to report he caught his 76-year-old neighbor spray-painting his RV black and applying some colorful metaphors to the outside of the trailer. The woman also reportedly stacked fencing against the trailer door in an effort to trap him inside. The woman could be heard laughing and screaming inside her own trailer when deputies arrived on scene. It was unclear why she victimized her neighbor. The suspect was contacted and placed into custody. She was lodged in jail for 3rd-Degree Criminal Mischief and trespassed from her neighbor's RV space.