Local News

For the second time this week, Grants Pass Police have arrested a man for unlawfully entering the yard of an equipment rental business. The Grants Pass Police Department reports officers responded to a trespassing complaint at Grants Pass Equipment Rentals on Rogue River Highway around 12:35 a.m. Wednesday. Police said 45-year-old Jon Michael Wigelsworth was observed inside the gated area of the rental business by the owner after he received camera notification on his phone. They said he was contacted as he was trying to climb out of the secured area and he admitted he planned on stealing gasoline. Jon Wigelsworth was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft, 3rd-Degree Criminal Mischief and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. On Monday night, 35-year-old Ian Seiwell Hogue was arrested and charged with four crimes after he illegally entered the same equipment yard.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass area woman on outstanding warrants this week after contacting her near the Merlin Interchange. According to OSP, troopers contacted 58-year-old Heidi Lynn Lyman-Dobson at the intersection of Merlin Road and Highland Avenue late Tuesday night. Troopers said they spotted Lyman-Dobson and knew she was wanted on two outstanding warrants. Charges against her included Felony 1st-Degree Arson and failing to appear in court for Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle. Heidi Lyman-Dobson was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants.

 

The Pacific Northwest Region of the US Forest Service will waive most day-use fees at sites on national forests in the region on Veterans Day. The fee-free day on Saturday is in recognition of our nation's veterans and it's the last fee-free day for the US Forest Service in 2023. The fee waiver applies to recreation fees charged for amenities such as picnic tables, developed trailheads and visitor centers. Fees for camping, cabin rentals or other permits still apply, and fees will continue to be charged at day-use fee sites operated by concessionaires -- unless individual managers choose to participate. The Forest Service offers several fee-free days throughout the year to encourage Americans to explore the outdoors and visit their public lands. The fee-free days include Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, Presidents Day, National Get Outdoors Day, Juneteenth, National Public Lands Day and Veterans Day. For more information on fee-free days and recreation passes, please visit "fs.usda.gov/visit/passes-permits."

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved an order confirming a Sheriff's Property Sale that occurred on November 1st. The Board voted 2-0 to approve the order by accepting the Sheriff's Return of Sale and Sheriff's Certificate of Sale before authorizing the distribution of proceeds from the sale. Commissioner John West was absent. Property Management reported only one out of four properties that were for sale actually sold. The sale price for the unspecified property was $207,501, which -- minus a 10% administrative fee -- netted the county $186,750. The proceeds will go to the Property Management Fund. During Comments and Requests from Citizens, the Board heard from a Wolf Creek man regarding code enforcement and two people promoted Veterans Day events taking place on Saturday. A Veterans Day event is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Merlin Community Park and a Candlelight Vigil is set for 5 p.m. at the Josephine County Republican Party headquarters across from the Courthouse in Grants Pass. Commissioner Dan DeYoung concluded the 14-minute session with the reading of a Veterans Day poem.

 

The Oregon Housing Stability Council has approved $56.7 million in Small Projects and Veterans funding to 11 affordable housing developments across the state including one in Jackson County. These investments from Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) will provide a total of 261 homes in smaller developments for veterans, seniors, people experiencing homelessness, agricultural workers and wildfire survivors. OHCS defines smaller developments as those having 40 homes or fewer in one complex. Five developments selected for funding are in rural areas and six are in urban areas. Locally, the Talent 2 Senior Apartments will receive $5.2 million to provide 26 homes. The funding will assist seniors who lost their homes to the devastating Almeda Fire in 2020. Brookings CORE Response -- a nonprofit that serves veterans experiencing homelessness -- was awarded $3.2 million for the creation of the Veterans Housing Project, which will provide 18 much-needed homes in Gold Beach.

 

The Josephine County Republican Party is inviting citizens to a Veterans Day Candlelight Vigil in Grants Pass this weekend. The Veterans Day event will take place at the GOP headquarters across from the Josephine County Courthouse on Saturday. It starts at 5 p.m.. All are welcome to bring a candle to light to honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Dress warm and bring a chair. There will be patriotic music and speakers from the veteran community including Retired US Air Force Sergeant Chris Barnett and Pat Allen from the Old Guard Riders who will speak about "Wreaths Across America." Prayers for veterans will be followed by a roll call of Josephine County's departed veterans. A folded American flag will be presented to veterans by Bryan Welden and there will be free food for veterans during the event. If you are a military veteran or know of a veteran that they can honor, please contact "JoCoGOP.Communications@gmail.com."

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners this morning approved an order confirming a Sheriff's Property Sale that occurred on November 1st. The Board voted 2-0 to approve the order by accepting the Sheriff's Return of Sale and Sheriff's Certificate of Sale before authorizing the distribution of proceeds from the sale. Commissioner John West was absent. Property Management reported only one out of four properties that were for sale actually sold. The sale price for the unspecified property was $207,501, which -- minus a 10% administrative fee -- netted the county $186,750. The proceeds will go to the Property Management Fund. During Comments and Requests from Citizens, the Board heard from a Wolf Creek man regarding code enforcement and two people promoted Veterans Day events taking place on Saturday. A Veterans Day event is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Merlin Community Park and a Candlelight Vigil is set for 5 p.m. at the Josephine County Republican Party headquarters across from the Courthouse in Grants Pass. Commissioner Dan DeYoung concluded the 14-minute session with the reading of a Veterans Day poem.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for violating terms of his probation related to a domestic assault case and recovered a stolen vehicle at a residence near Riverside Park yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 41-year-old Guy Caley McFarland at a home in the 1300-block of SE Vista Drive on Tuesday at 11:36 a.m.. Police said Josephine County Community Corrections contacted them for help in locating McFarland, who was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for Probation Violation related to a recent arrest for 4th-Degree Domestic Assault. They said the suspect was found hiding in the attic of the garage after his wife consented entry. According to the report, a stolen vehicle with heavy front-end damage and a flat fire was located in the driveway of the residence. It was towed to a local impound yard after McFarland denied any association with the vehicle. Guy McFarland was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man on a local warrant and tacked on a charge of being out of compliance with his sex offender registration after a trespassing complaint at a laundromat last night. According to the Police Department, officers arrested 63-year-old William Ward Fleming, Jr., at EZ Wash Laundromat on SW G Street on Tuesday at 6:25 p.m.. Police said they responded to a call about a man smoking something out of a pipe while sitting under a table at the laundromat. They contacted Fleming and learned that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Furnishing False Information to Police. A methamphetamine pipe was seized. It was also discovered that Fleming was a convicted sex offender who had not registered locally since August 2022. William Fleming was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. He was being held without bail after being additionally cited for the narcotics violation.