Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office is seeking public assistance in locating two men who have not returned from a weekend hunting trip. The Sheriff's Office reports 71-year-old Donald Pratt and 39-year-old Eric Pratt went hunting in the Illinois Valley early Sunday. Their vehicle was captured on cameras, it is believed they went up Lone Mountain Road in O'Brien and may be near the Sourdough Campground. They are in a white Toyota pickup with a white canopy with Oregon license plate 267 CZH. Donald Pratt is described as a white male adult, 6-feet-tall and 240 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Eric Pratt is described as a white male adult, 6-feet-4-inches tall and 300 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of these two men is urged to contact the Sheriff's Office at (541)-474-5123. Please reference Case #24-25041.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on a California fugitive warrant during a weekend traffic stop in the city. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a silver sport utility vehicle driven by a woman they identified as "Chastity Pinedo" in an unspecified location on Saturday at 8:23 a.m.. She was found to be driving while suspended without insurance or registration on the SUV. A male passenger in the vehicle told officers his first name was "Tyler," but he did not want to provide his last name. Since Pinedo was on parole, police contacted her corrections officer who confirmed the male subject was 25-year-old Tyler Thomas Burrow. He was found to be wanted on a Humboldt County, California, felony warrant as a suspect in a missing person case and was arrested at Taser point. A consent search of the SUV yielded a sunglasses case that contained multiple needles and a small clear baggy with a crystal substance that tested positive as methamphetamine. They were seized for destruction. Burrow was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the fugitive warrant plus new charges of Meth Possession and Furnishing False Information to Police. He was being held without bail pending extradition to Humboldt County. Pinedo was cited for Driving While Suspended and instructed to call a licensed driver to move the vehicle or it would be towed.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for roughing up his wife in the Redwood area early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested a 57-year-old male subject for the incident in the 1700-block of Misty Meadows Way on Sunday at about 1 a.m.. Police said the subject and his wife got into an argument that escalated into a fist fight. They said the man punched his spouse and then pulled her down in the hallway before using his forearm to apply pressure to her neck. The victim told officers she had trouble breathing, but she refused medical treatment. According to the report, the subject fled the residence in a vehicle but he returned when officers were there and was placed into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 4th-Degree Domestic Assault and Domestic Strangulation. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two men on outstanding warrants during weekend patrol checks on railroad property in the city. According to the Police Department, the first incident occurred on Saturday at 11:21 a.m. when officers contacted 32-year-old Kyle Flury Palomino walking along the railroad tracks. He was immediately recognized by law enforcement. Palomino was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for failing to appear in court for Methamphetamine Possession. He was lodged in jail. He and some other unidentified subjects were also trespassed from the railroad property. The second incident occurred on Saturday at 2:37 p.m. when officers contacted 39-year-old Travis Randal Davenport and two women walking along the tracks near SE 9th Street. He also was immediately recognized by law enforcement. Davenport was wanted on a Josephine County warrant for failing to appear in court for Disorderly Conduct. He was found to be in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine which was seized for destruction. He was lodged in jail on the warrant. He and his female companions were trespassed from the railroad property.

 

A weekend welfare check resulted in the apprehension of a man wanted on a Grants Pass felony warrant. The Police Department reports officers arrested 39-year-old Zachary Michael Gatten near the corner of NE Manzanita Avenue and 6th Street on Saturday at 3:06 p.m.. Police said they were alerted to a male subject lying on the ground who would only "twitch" when citizens called out to him. Officers contacted the man, identified him as Gatten and placed him into custody on an outstanding felony warrant for failing to appear in court for 1st-Degree Theft. During a consent search, Gatten was found to be in possession of a cylindrical glass pipe with burnt residue. He admitted to smoking methamphetamine from the pipe which was seized for destruction. Gatten was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus a new charge of Meth Possession. He was being held in lieu of posting $25,000 bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for drug possession during a weekend patrol check at one of the two designated campgrounds in the city. According to the Police Department, officers contacted and then arrested 36-year-old Jack David Spurgeon at the SE J Street campground around 10 a.m. Saturday. Police said they were patrolling the campground when they spotted Spurgeon in his tent with drug paraphernalia. They said he had an open container with a baggy containing a white crystal substance that tested positive as methamphetamine. Spurgeon was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Meth Possession. His tent and belongings were logged into evidence for safekeeping. He was also trespassed from the campsite for 30 days.

 

A Cave Junction residential kitchen fire last night displaced two adults and a dog. On Sunday at 9:30 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District responded to a reported fire in the 200-block of South Caves Avenue. IVFD officials said the fire was reported to have been put out as crews were arriving on scene. They checked the entire residence for any extension of the flames, but found none. There were no injuries reported, but the American Red Cross was called in to assist the two adult occupants and their dog. Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to the incident, but they were canceled when the fire was declared out.

 

An Illinois Valley property owner was cited for an illegal open burn over the weekend. On Saturday at 6:05 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District and Oregon Department of Forestry were dispatched to the open burn in the 5900-block of West Side Road. IVFD and ODF officials acknowledged that the local fire danger is now "low," but there is still no burning allowed. They said the burn pile was extinguished and a citation was issued to the responsible party. Officials urged people not to burn until ODF declares the 2024 fire season over.

 

Rural Metro Fire Department wants you to help put a "freeze" on fall and winter fires. Rural Metro officials said heating is the second-leading cause of home fires. If you heat with wood, oil or gas, install a carbon monoxide alarm and test it at least once a month. Have a qualified professional clean and inspect your chimney each year. Store cooled ashes from the fire box in a tightly-covered metal container and keep it outside at least 10 feet away from your home or other combustible materials. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from any heat source like fireplaces, woodstoves, radiator or space heaters. Plug only one heat-producing device into an electrical outlet at a time. Turn space heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed. Remember, working smoke alarms save lives. For more information, call Rural Metro at (541)-474-1218.