KRRM - Local News

Commissioners Set to Consider Library Annexation Request at Weekly Session

There is only one action item on the agenda for the Josephine County Board of Commissioners for its weekly business session tomorrow morning. The Commissioners will hold a public hearing for an annexation to the Josephine Community Library District by petition of the landowner. In this case, it’s a 5.33-acre property on Cloverlawn Drive. The Board will start the session with its monthly recognition of employees. As always, there will be Requests and Comments from Citizens in which people are given three minutes to address the Board on virtually any topic related to Josephine County. Wednesday's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

Posted on 10/8/24 11:41AM by Sam Marsh

Josephine County Man Jailed on Felony Warrant after North Valley Police Pursuit

A Josephine County man was jailed on a local felony warrant and he may be facing additional charges after he led a multi-agency pursuit in the North Valley area on Monday afternoon. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies and the Oregon State Police troopers arrested 25-year-old Griffan Ian Lucas in a field next to Interstate 5 in the Hugo area at 1:38 p.m. yesterday. Deputies said the incident started with a Monday morning call from a property owner in the 600-block of Oxyoke Road who reported that someone broke into his minivan. A short time later, a caller reported a surveillance camera caught a male subject trying to break into their house and another caller reported that multiple cigarette lighters had been stolen off their back porch in recent weeks. An investigation led deputies to a property in the 700-block of Mossy Oak Drive where Lucas bolted out the back door when they tried to enter the residence. The suspect ran down Mossy Oak to El Conejo and toward I-5 where he was believed to be hunkered down in the brush. The Sheriff's Office brought in a K-9 officer and the Oregon State Police deployed a drone to search for the suspect through the air. After an extensive search of the area, Lucas was located and he struggled with law enforcement as they placed him into custody. Further investigation led police to the suspect's home where he had hidden numerous stolen items including cell phones, iPads and more in a tree house. The items were seized as evidence in the case. Lucas had several cuts from eluding law enforcement, so he was checked out by medics before being lodged in jail on a Josephine County felony warrant for failing to appear in court for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and for Escape. He is likely facing additional charges from the residential and vehicle burglaries.

Posted on 10/8/24 11:22AM by Sam Marsh

Deputies Snared Man for Multiple Crimes after Strange Incident West of Selma

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for multiple crimes after a strange incident on Illinois River Road west of Selma last night. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies contacted and arrested 55-year-old John Christopher Latch on Illinois River Road below the Six Mile Campground on Monday at 8:51 p.m.. Deputies said dispatchers received a 9-1-1 call from two women who reported a male subject with a red suitcase and a sleeping mat lying in the middle of Illinois River Road. The man had been there for several hours and he refused to speak to one woman who asked if he was okay. Upon arrival, deputies discovered Latch was wanted on warrants out of the state of Washington -- but authorities there said the warrants were not extraditable. It was also learned that the subject had been flagged as hostile and was known to carry a baseball bat and razors. None of those weapons were found, but the subject was uncooperative and struggled with deputies as they placed him into custody. Latch refused to wear a seatbelt as he was transported to Grants Pass. He was lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail for three counts of Felony Aggravated Harassment and one count of Disorderly Conduct. Aggravated Harassment usually indicates that a suspect spit on law enforcement.

Posted on 10/8/24 11:20AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Nabbed Felon for Warrant & Weapon Crime after Camping Complaint

Grants Pass Police arrested a local felon on an outstanding warrant and for a weapon crime yesterday while investigating an illegal camping complaint on the east side of the city. The Police Department reports officers contacted and arrested 44-year-old Donn Reeves Fincher on NE Fairview Avenue on Monday at 10:54 a.m.. Police said they received multiple calls about a man and woman who were staying in a green tent in the middle of the sidewalk along Fairview. They contacted both and discovered that Fincher was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Methamphetamine Possession. The woman was not identified. During a consent search, Fincher was found to be in possession of a spring-assisted knife which was seized as evidence. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing any type of weapon. Fincher was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus a new charge of Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon. His tent and personal belongings were logged into evidence for safekeeping.

Posted on 10/8/24 11:19AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Arrested Kerby Woman Wanted on Felony Warrant after RR Highway Stop

The Oregon State Police arrested a Kerby woman on a local felony warrant after a weekend traffic stop on Rogue River Highway in Grants Pass. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Toyota Corolla driven by 24-year-old Chamey Cherell Nelson near milepost 1 of Highway 99 on Sunday at 11:48 a.m.. Troopers said they stopped the Toyota because it was associated with a known wanted person. Nelson was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for Unlawful Use of a Weapon and 1st-Degree Burglary. Once the warrant and Nelson's identity were confirmed, she was taken into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on $100,000 bail. Her vehicle was released to a family member at the scene of the traffic stop.

Posted on 10/8/24 11:18AM by Sam Marsh

OSP Snared Astoria Woman for Causing Traffic Issues near Freeway Rest Area

The Oregon State Police arrested an Astoria woman for causing a weekend traffic problem on northbound Interstate 5 near the Manzanita Rest Area. According to OSP, troopers responded to the disturbance on I-5 in the North Valley area on Saturday at 11:38 p.m.. Troopers said they received multiple calls about a female subject interfering with passing motorists on the freeway by running at vehicles from the shoulder. They said it was fortunate the 49-year-old woman did not cause any wrecks and was not injured. Upon contact with the woman, she was uncooperative and resisted arrest. The suspect was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Resisting Arrest and Disorderly Conduct.

Posted on 10/8/24 11:16AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Incarcerated Young Man for Shoplifting Incident at Fred Meyer Store

Grants Pass Police arrested a young man for attempting to steal merchandise from Fred Meyer yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at the store on the Grants Pass Parkway on Monday shortly after 2 p.m.. Police said 19-year-old Daniel David Deleone took $47 worth of vitamins and deli food from Fred Meyer and bypassed all points of sale with the intent of depriving the business of their property. The suspect made it out of the store and got into a silver Ford hatchback occupied by a woman later identified as "Nikita Holmes." Arriving officers contacted Deleone, placed him into custody and lodged him at the Josephine County Jail for 3rd-Degree Theft. Both he and Holmes were trespassed from Fred Meyer.

Posted on 10/8/24 11:15AM by Sam Marsh

South Carolina Man and Passenger Not Hurt after Car Hit Bear on Interstate 5

A South Carolina man and his passenger escaped injury when their vehicle struck a bear on Interstate 5 in the North Valley area last night. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the mishap in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 63 on Monday at 10:10 p.m.. Troopers said a 32-year-old man from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was driving a Chevrolet Malibu when he struck a bear that was on the freeway. They said the driver and his 29-year-old female passenger from Lennon, Michigan, were not hurt. According to OSP, the driver was warned for Violating the Basic Rule which indicates he was driving too fast for the conditions. The man arranged for his own tow through the automobile rental company. No word on the condition of the bear.

Posted on 10/8/24 10:42AM by Sam Marsh

One Person Hurt in Violent Crash on Redwood Highway in the Illinois Valley

One person was hospitalized after a violent crash on Redwood Highway in the Illinois Valley yesterday. On Monday at 12:40 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District, American Medical Response, Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Transportation were dispatched to the single-vehicle rollover wreck on US Highway 199 near Eight Dollar Mountain Road. IVFD officials said arriving units found a vehicle upside-down and blocking the northbound lanes of the highway. They said one person was extricated from the wreckage and transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with unspecified injuries. ODOT crews controlled traffic while Jerry's Towing removed the vehicle and hauled it to Cave Junction. The cause of the crash was being investigated by OSP.

Posted on 10/8/24 6:39AM by Sam Marsh

Drug Investigation at GP Convenience Store Led to Felony Warrant Arrest

A drug investigation at a downtown Grants Pass convenience store early yesterday led to the arrest of a man on two outstanding felony warrants. The Police Department reports officers and American Medical Response rushed to the scene of a possible drug overdose at 7-Eleven on SW 6th Street on Monday at about 3 a.m.. Police said witnesses reported a male subject was having difficulty breathing while sitting in a vehicle at the store. They were advised to take the man out of the vehicle and lay him down on the ground until help could arrive with Narcan. After the 55-year-old man was revived, officers learned that he was wanted on two Medford felony warrants, both charging him with failing to appear in court for 1st-Degree Forgery. The man was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center where he was evaluated and then cleared for lodging at the Josephine County Jail.

Posted on 10/8/24 6:38AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Woman on 2021 Felony Warrant after Walmart Incident

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman on a three-year-old felony warrant while investigating a weekend disturbance at Walmart. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to the incident at the Walmart Tire Center on Sunday around 7:45 a.m.. Police said a delivery truck driver stated that a female subject was yelling at him and accusing him of being a thief. The caller wanted law enforcement to come to the store on NE Terry Lane to resolve the situation. Arriving officers interviewed the involved parties and discovered that 51-year-old Angela Michelle Fraley was wanted on a 2021 Grants Pass felony warrant for failing to appear in court for 1st-Degree Theft. Fraley was lodged for the warrant at the Josephine County Jail.

Posted on 10/8/24 6:31AM by Sam Marsh