Local News

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners will hold four public hearings as part of its weekly business session tomorrow morning. The first public hearing is for the designation, alienation, sale, conveyance or exchange of county-owned properties. It paves the way for a future Sheriff's Sale of properties that were acquired through foreclosure for unpaid property taxes. The three other hearings are on the second readings of ordinances amending or repealing chapters of the Josephine County Code. One amends the code relating to ballot measures, another repeals a chapter relating to genetically engineered plants and the other repeals a chapter pertaining to loitering near the county jail. First readings of these ordinances were approved by the Board on September 18th. As always, there will Requests and Comments from Citizens when participants 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.

 

Firefighters returning from the grass fire along Interstate 5 in Sunny Valley came upon another emergency situation late yesterday. On Monday at 5:11 p.m., Rural Metro Fire Department, American Medical Response and Metro West were dispatched to a single-vehicle rollover crash in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 68 just south of the Sexton Summit. Rural Metro officials said arriving units found a semi-truck had rolled and was blocking the slow lane of the freeway. Its load was non-hazardous in nature. The truck driver was evaluated and treated at the scene by medics from AMR and Metro West. Caveman Towing was called in to haul the semi into Grants Pass. The cause of the crash was under investigation by the Oregon State Police.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a local felony warrant for domestic violence during a weekend drug trafficking investigation. The Police Department reports a woman got a Sunday afternoon text from a 25-year-old male subject that he was going over to A-1 Market & Deli on NE 7th Street to sell drugs. Turns out the man is the father of the caller's child. Officers were familiar with the man as he had recently taken his grandmother's vehicle without her permission. A records check showed the man was wanted on a Grants Pass felony warrant containing a secret indictment for Felony Domestic 4th-Degree Assault, Domestic Menacing and Reckless Endangering. The suspect was contacted in front of the market and placed into custody on the warrant. He was lodged in the Josephine County Jail on $25,000 bail. He was not found to be in possession of any drugs.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed an out-of-compliance sex offender following a weekend patrol check at a city park. The Police Department reports officers arrested a 58-year-old male subject at Morrison Centennial Park on Rogue River Highway on Sunday afternoon. Police said they responded to reports of suspicious activity at the park. One caller reported a man actively selling drugs out of a Nissan minivan. Another caller said people were using the park restrooms to use the drugs they purchased from the van. Upon arrival, officers contacted the man in the minivan and found no narcotics, but they did find him with a half-full can of beer. Further investigation revealed the man was a convicted sex offender who had not reported for well over one year. He was immediately placed into custody. The suspect was charged with Felony Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. He was being held without bail. He was also cited for Open Container of Alcohol.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a young man wanted on three local warrants at one of the city's designated campsites yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers contacted the 19-year-old male subject at the SE J Street campground on Monday around 4:15 p.m.. Police said the subject was wanted on three Grants Pass warrants for failing to appear in court for Larceny, 3rd-Degree Theft and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. They said they received a tip that he could be found at the campsite. Officers located the man they identified as "Justis Ivan Cory," confirmed the warrants and then placed him into custody. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on $22,500 bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a repeat impaired driver after she crashed a vehicle at a north-city bakery and fled the scene last night. The Police Department reports officers were dispatched to the hit-and-run motor vehicle accident at Babe's Bakery on NE 6th Street on Monday at 6:13 p.m.. Police said an investigation determined that 26-year-old Samantha Lee Smith crashed her Toyota Tacoma onto the bakery property, damaging a fence and a flowerbed. Officers later located the suspect vehicle which had its license plates removed since the crash and was parked among other vehicles at a retirement center in the 1,000-block of NE 10th Street. Witnesses described the driver. Smith returned with her boyfriend a short time later and tried to leave the center, but she was detained and placed into custody. She showed signs of impairment, but refused to cooperate with the investigation -- so a search warrant was obtained for a legal blood draw performed at Three Rivers Medical Center. Based on the results of the blood draw, Smith was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage and Tampering with Evidence. She was also cited for No Operator's License and Failure to Install an Ignition Interlock Device on her vehicle. She lost her license and was ordered to install the device due to previous DUII convictions.

 

The Oregon State Police likely prevented a suicide attempt on Williams Highway between Grants Pass and Murphy last night. OSP reports troopers responded to a report of a suicidal male subject in the 4,000-block of Highway 238 on Monday at 8:30 p.m.. Troopers said it was reported that the 24-year-old man had cut himself with a knife and was threatening to kill himself by jumping in front of passing vehicles. Upon contact, the man resisted detainment and had to be Tased before he was subdued. According to OSP, evidence of suicidal intention was found on the man and he later admitted to being suicidal. The subject was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center where he was admitted on a Peace Officer's Mental Hold.

 

Multiple agencies battled a small wildfire next to Interstate 5 in the Sunny Valley area late yesterday. On Monday at 3:47 p.m., the Oregon Department of Forestry, Rural Metro Fire Department, Grants Pass Fire & Rescue and the Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District all responded to the blaze on the northbound side of I-5 near milepost 72. Firefighters engaged in an aggressive initial attack and began lining the fire. By 4:25 p.m., crews had stopped forward progress of the blaze and were working to construct line around it, but they were challenged by windy conditions as a Red Flag Warning was in effect. The aggressive attack continued. In a 4:50 p.m. update, ODF reported a Type 2 helicopter was assisting with water bucket drops on the inland side of the fire. Firefighters on the ground continued to line the perimeter and extinguish hot spots. Tall, dry grass and brush mixed with windy conditions contributed to the initial growth of the fire. The main body was caught at an estimated half-acre and a small spot fire to the south was caught at an estimated 1/10th of an acre. One lane of I-5 was closed by the Oregon Department of Transportation during the firefight. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

 

The Oregon Department of Forestry and Jackson County Fire District #3 knocked down a vegetation fire in the Sams Valley area yesterday. Crews from ODF and the local fire district responded to a grass fire near the intersection of Highway 234 and Agate Road early Monday afternoon. Firefighters mounted an aggressive initial attack and had the majority of the fire extinguished and lined in short order. The blaze was located inside a previously created bulldozer line at the solar panel site, which aided efforts. By 2:30 p.m., ODF reported the fire was 100% wet-lined and crews had stopped any further growth. Crews were successful at holding the fire at two to three acres. Resources remained on scene to continue to dig line to create a more solid barrier as mop-up operations were started. The cause of the fire was under investigation. ODF officials caution local residents to be aware that fires can still start and spread easily in these warm, dry conditions. For that reason, high fire danger is still in effect throughout Jackson and Josephine counties. For more information on current fire restrictions, please visit "swofire.com."