Local News

A Cave Junction woman was jailed this week after she threatened another woman with a Taser. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 33-year-old Meghan Melissa Gomez at a residence in the 500-block of North Old Stage Road on Monday night. Deputies report a woman called 9-1-1 to report that she and Gomez were watching television together when Gomez started "acting up" and they got into a verbal argument. The caller said the confrontation escalated to the point that Gomez came after her with a Taser. The victim immediately left the scene and went to her home. According to the report, the incident was witnessed by the suspect's mother. Gomez was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Menacing. She was being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a Merlin man for hurting his wife during a verbal-turned-physical argument at their home this week. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a domestic disturbance in the 200-block of Gary Lane on Monday afternoon. Deputies said an investigation determined that a 56-year-old male subject and his wife were in their bedroom when the woman attempted to call 9-1-1 based on his screaming and yelling at her. The subject grabbed his wife's leg, which caused her to fall off the bed and sustain an injury to the right side of her face. The wife sustained slight bruising on her face, but she refused medical attention. The husband admitted to drinking alcohol that morning and he was placed into custody. The suspect was transported to the Josephine County Jail where he was booked for Attempted 4th-Degree Domestic Assault. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for two crimes at Riverside Park last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to a disturbance at the city park late Sunday afternoon. Police said a citizen was riding their bicycle in the park when they witnessed a man and woman engaged in a physical altercation. The caller told dispatchers the man was pulling the woman's skirt off, she was yelling and it did not appear to be consensual. The caller asked the woman if she needed help, but she did not reply. Officers arrived on scene, broke up the skirmish and contacted 30-year-old Jeffrey Michael Richards. He was found to be in possession of a small amount of a white crystal substance that field-tested positive as methamphetamine. Richards was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Public Indecency and Meth Possession.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to hold the first public hearing on a proposed rural fire protection district during its business session this morning. The hearing on the Josephine County Rural Fire Protection District will include findings of fact, approval of the proposed district and setting the date for the final public hearing plus public comments. In other business, the Board will hold three more public hearings designed to purge unnecessary or outdated chapters of the Josephine County Code. They pertain to property forfeiture, golf carts and septic tank sludge disposal. Second readings of the ordinances are tentatively set for November 6th. As always, there will be Requests and Comments from Citizens in which people are given three minutes to address the Commissioners on virtually any topic related to Josephine County. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

The City of Grants Pass' Downtown Welcome Center is now open and the public is invited to attend a ribbon-cutting celebration on Thursday at 10 a.m.. The Downtown Welcome Center is located at 198 SW 6th Street -- at the corner of 6th and G streets in the Historic District of Grants Pass. The project was approved by the Grants Pass City Council as well as the Grants Pass Historical Buildings & Sites Commission. Come see the redesigned space and meet the people who work there. In addition to the Welcome Center staff who greet people and share information, the City has offices for the Parks recreation staff and an office for the Grants Pass Economic Development Specialist.

 

A 15-year-old Cave Junction boy who had been missing for about a month since he ran away from a secure residential program during a trip to the Portland zoo was found Tuesday in Pioneer Courthouse Square, according to his mother and police. The Oregonian reports Heather Smith and relatives have been in Portland the last week looking for the teen, William Herren. A tip from a homeless youth led the family to the city's downtown about 1:40 p.m. Tuesday, she said. They also called Portland police, who took the boy into custody on a warrant, alleging a violation of his juvenile probation. According to Portland police spokesperson Mike Benner, police had responded to an alleged stabbing at the square but it was a false report and officers instead located the teen and his family. Herren had been placed in a Multnomah County Department of Community Justice's Behavior Rehabilitative Services program after spending three months in juvenile detention in Portland for an alleged burglary and vandalism in his hometown. During a trip with the program to the Oregon Zoo, he fled on September 23rd and was reported missing to police that day. The county's program was intended to provide more "structure, stabilization and treatment" in a "staff-secured, out-of-home placement," according to a county website. His mother said her son was crying but safe.

 

The Josephine County Assessor's and Treasurer's offices have received a large number of calls from county residents with questions about charges seen in newly received property tax statements. The Assessor's Office is seeking to provide concerned citizens with additional information. Josephine County voters outside the City of Grants Pass passed a measure last November to create a new law enforcement district with a permanent tax rate of 99 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. Measure 17-115 passed by a narrow margin of 2%, with 7,619 "yes" votes to 7,320 "no" votes. Since the passage of Measure 50 in 1997, most taxpayers have grown accustomed to seeing an annual 3% increase in assessed value and taxes. This year, the additional 99 cents will increase tax rates outside of Grants Pass by about 12%, which, when added to the normal 3% statutory increase in assessed value, means these taxpayers will see about a 15% year-over-year increase. This increase is incurred even if the property has not experienced new construction, remodeling, subdividing or other improvements. Payments are due by November 15th and can be paid in person, by mail or online.

 

US Senator Ron Wyden is holding an open-to-all town hall meeting in Jackson County on Thursday morning. The 10 a.m. town hall at Phoenix High School's Rose Theater at 745 North Rose Street will be Wyden's second this year in Jackson County and 1,101st overall -- honoring his promise to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon's 36 counties. Doors will open 30 minutes before the town hall for attendees. Today, Senator Wyden is scheduled to tour Mercy Flights and meet with its leadership as it celebrates 75 years of mobile integrative healthcare services in Southern Oregon. Before the town hall tomorrow, Wyden will join The Children's Museum of Southern Oregon/Ivy School to celebrate a federal grant to expand its Oregon Center for Creative Learning Outdoor School. Wyden said he's honored every time Oregonians show the entire country how to hold open meetings with direct conversations that make our communities and state even better places to live and work.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to hold the first public hearing on a proposed rural fire protection district during its business session tomorrow morning. The hearing on the Josephine County Rural Fire Protection District will include findings of fact, approval of the proposed district and setting the date for the final public hearing plus public comments. In other business, the Board will hold three more public hearings designed to purge unnecessary or outdated chapters of the Josephine County Code. They pertain to property forfeiture, golf carts and septic tank sludge disposal. Second readings of the ordinances are tentatively set for November 6th. As always, there will be Requests and Comments from Citizens in which people are given three minutes to address the Commissioners on virtually any topic related to Josephine County. Wednesday's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.