Local News

A high-speed rollover crash west of Merlin landed the driver in the hospital and with a citation for impaired driving. On Saturday at 10:11 p.m., Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to the single-vehicle wreck in the 2200-block of Galice Road. Arriving units found a vehicle off the roadway, with car parts including the engine scattered in a field. The unidentified male driver was already self-extricated and located down the road by the Josephine County Sheriff's Office. He was taken by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Unable to confirm if the vehicle had been occupied by any passengers, firefighters search the surrounding woods with a thermal imaging camera -- they were unable to locate anyone. The Sheriff's Office later contacted the driver at the hospital and cited him to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants.

 

The driver of a vehicle that crashed near Cave Junction last night escaped serious injury. The Illinois Valley Fire District, American Medical Response and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the single-vehicle wreck on Rockydale Road near Pine Cone Drive on Sunday at 6:55 p.m.. IVFD officials said bystanders put out a smoldering portion of the vehicle before they arrived on scene. They said the unidentified driver was able to self-extricate from the vehicle and they were not injured. Jerry's Towing removed the vehicle from the crash scene and towed it to Cave Junction. The Sheriff's Office was investigating the cause of the accident.

 

The Grants Pass City Council will start its day with the annual Arbor Day Celebration at Garrison Field before beginning its bi-weekly workshop session. The City Council will open the workshop with presentations from Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc., RCC Small Business Development Center and Chamber of Commerce. Next up on the agenda is the Reed Building at Riverside Park, more commonly known as the historic caretaker's cottage. The Council is leaning toward a vote to demolish the building while the Historical Buildings & Sites Commission would like to see it saved and repurposed. After concluding the workshop with a review of the agenda for Wednesday night's regular meeting. Mayor Sara Bristol will convene a Special Meeting in Executive Session. The closed-door meeting is being held for sensitive labor negotiations. Today's workshop begins at 11:45 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters logged a busy week of activity while protecting the community. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 604 calls for service along with 296 officer-initiated calls that resulted in 50 arrests, 32 citations, 85 warnings and five highly intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers made a total of 115 traffic stops in the city and they made 27 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services. The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) made contact with a total of 170 potential troublemakers while arresting four people, citing 51 more and warning 30 others. The CRT unit also trespassed 32 individuals, posted 100 transient camps and removed trash from five campsites. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 97 calls last week including 43 for emergency medical service, three reports of fire or smoke, 14 lift assists, seven rescue situations, eight assists to other agencies and four false alarms. The 9-1-1 Dispatch Center fielded a total of 1,025 emergency calls last week in addition to 664 calls for non-emergency service.

 

Work has commenced on a community effort to reduce hazardous fuels left behind by the 2020 Almeda Fire along the Bear Creek Greenway. The project aims to clear dry, woody material on the ground, address standing dead trees, and improve access for fire and natural resource restoration personnel. It started on publicly-owned lands along the Greenway between Ashland and Talent, extending northward toward Phoenix later this year. Scheduled work on the Talent Greenway section is expected around April 22nd, involving cutting, clearing and burning debris. This collaborative effort involves the cities of Ashland, Talent and Phoenix as well as Jackson County. It's being funded by the Oregon State Fire Marshal Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant Program. Managed by The Freshwater Trust and under contract with Jackson County, the project will necessitate limited closures of the Greenway path for user safety. For updates and temporary closure information, please visit the Jackson County Parks website at "jacksoncountyor.gov/departments/parks/greenway."

 

The Bureau of Land Management is thrilled to introduce Serena Richelle as the 2024 Artist-in-Residence at the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Richelle is a gifted scientific illustrator. She combines science and art to raise awareness about the relationships that exist between species, their importance, their endangerment and what we can do to preserve them. The prestigious Artist-in-Residence program invites talented creators to immerse themselves in the breathtaking natural beauty of the monument and create works that celebrate its unique landscapes, wildlife and cultural heritage. Richelle will spend two weeks in the local monument this spring. She'll be surrounded by the lush forests, rugged mountains and pristine waters that define this remarkable landscape. Serena will have the opportunity to explore the monument, sketch, paint and create in an environment that inspires creativity. As part of her residency, Richelle will host a public presentation. Additional details about the presentation will be available in the coming weeks.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department and Oregon State Police teamed up early yesterday to apprehend a man wanted for numerous local crimes and outstanding warrants. The Police Department reports officers and troopers arrested 27-year-old Nathan Garrett Franks outside the Lucky Duck tavern on NW 6th Street on Friday at about 1:30 a.m.. Police said state troopers spotted the suspect at the Lucky Duck. They said he was wanted on warrants and known to elude aggressively when contacted. As a plan for contact was being made, he exited the tavern and got into a Ford Ranger pickup. Franks was pinned in by GPPD and OSP patrol vehicles. When he tried to flee out the passenger side of his truck, he was Tased by troopers before being successfully placed into custody. He was checked out by medics at the scene, but refused to be transported to the hospital. Franks was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail without bail on a total of 18 charges including 2019 and 2023 warrants for Parole Violation, three counts of Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage and Driving While Suspended. Other charges added to his criminal bill include an out-of-state fugitive warrant, six counts of Attempt to Elude Police, three counts of Reckless Endangering Highway Workers, Reckless Driving, 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief and Suspended Driving.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed two felons this week for breaking into the home of a deceased person in the Wilderville area. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 30-year-old Ryan Scott Crisel and 28-year-old Raymond Wayne Satterfield for the incident at a home in the 11,400-block of Redwood Highway on Thursday night. Deputies said a neighbor called a family member of the deceased and reported that a bunch of people were inside the residence and stealing things after the two men kicked in a door. The caller advised that no one was supposed to be there except family members and a friend of the decedent who was granted permission to pick up some property. Upon arrival, deputies contacted the two suspects and placed them into custody. Crisel and Satterfield were transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on charges of 1st-Degree Burglary and 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. Both were being held without bail. Crisel was found to be wanted on 2022 and 2023 warrants for crimes including Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Burglary, Theft and Driving While Suspended. Satterfield was additionally charged with Felony Parole Violation stemming from a previous criminal conviction.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for breaking into a vehicle outside Southern Oregon Goodwill early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a report of suspicious activity in the parking lot of the store in the Grants Pass Shopping Center at 1:55 a.m. Friday. Police said the 42-year-old man was observed by a nearby resident breaking into a parked vehicle by shattering the passenger window. Arriving officers found him inside the vehicle and placed him into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle and 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was being held without bail. Officers said the suspect admitted that he did not own a pink Razor scooter he had arrived on, but refused to speak about where it came from. The scooter was placed into found property.