Local News

Grants Pass Police apprehended three fugitives wanted on local warrants in just over an hour last night. According to the Police Department, the first incident occurred on Monday at 6:38 p.m. when officers arrested 55-year-old Mark Wayne Tyler at the corner of NE 7th and E Streets. Police said Tyler was standing in a travel lane flipping off passing motorists. He was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Criminal Trespass and was lodged at the Josephine County Jail. The second incident happened on Monday at 7:16 p.m. when officers arrested 22-year-old Alexander David Sarver at a home in the 1,000-block of SW I Street. Sarver was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving, Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage and Criminal Mischief. He was lodged in jail. The third incident took place on Monday at 7:53 p.m. when officers arrested 40-year-old Ryan Nicole Welshonse at the Sunset Inn on NW 6th Street. Welshonse was the subject of trespassing complaint at the motel and when she was contacted, it was learned that she was wanted on three Medford Police Department warrants for failing to appear in court for Probation Violation related to Contempt of Court. She was lodged in jail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a transient for stealing a blanket and lantern off the front porch of a southwest city residence early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a theft complaint in the 700-block of SW L Street on Monday around 7 a.m.. Police said 43-year-old Donn Reeves Fincher was observed on a ring camera by the property owner taking the items that were valued at $25. They said Fincher was easily identified as the suspect due to his bright clothing and stolen items that were located in a shopping cart he was pushing a short distance away from the home. Fincher was booked into the Josephine County Jail for 3rd-Degree Theft. He was also trespassed from the residence. Officers noted the lantern was returned to the victim, but the blanket was heavily soiled and disposed of.

 

Grants Pass Police evicted five campers for ordinance violations in city parks yesterday. At Baker Park, Andre Fisher, William Jensen and Jessica Pitts were all seen with trash around their tents which had been posted last week. Jensen and Pitts were cited for Illegal Camping and Scattering Rubbish, while Fisher was cited for Unlawful Utilization of Space. All three were trespassed from the park for 30 days. Twelve more camps were posted while four abandoned and soiled tents were taken to Southern Oregon Sanitation (SOS) for disposal. At Fruitdale Park, Kayasith Thavisack was cited for Scattering Rubbish and Unlawful Utilization of Space. He was trespassed from the park for 30 days. Fourteen tents were posted with a removal date of November 9th. One tent containing drug paraphernalia was disposed of. At Riverside Park, Vincent Manning was observed smoking with trash outside his tent which was inside the designated buffer zone. He was cited and trespassed from the park for 30 days. One tent filled with drug paraphernalia was disposed of and a load of trash was taken to SOS for disposal.

 

Firefighters rushed to a reported fire at the Grants Pass Golf Club late yesterday. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue and Rural Metro Fire Department responded to the blaze that engulfed a groundskeeper shed at the golf course off Espey Road on Monday shortly after 4 p.m.. Grants Pass fire officials said the fire was knocked down and controlled within 20 minutes. There were no injuries reported and no damage estimate was available. Officials said the cause of the fire was under investigation. Firefighters were assisted at the scene by the Grants Pass Police Department and American Medical Response.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man for causing a disturbance that forced a lockdown at a local elementary school early yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to the incident at Fort Vannoy School in the 5,000-block of Upper River Road on Monday around 7:20 a.m.. Deputies said a caller reported that a male subject was at the school with a can of gasoline and a stick, threatening to burn the school down and threatening harm toward staff members. Because of the subject's words and actions, the school immediately went into lockdown. When deputies arrived on scene, they located 33-year-old George Edward Muse on the roadway outside the school. He attempted to run from them after being given lawful commands, but was apprehended in short order. After Muse was taken into custody, deputies located the can of gasoline and stick near the fence-line of the school. Deputies and staff checked the area for any other threats before the lockdown was lifted. George Muse was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 1st-Degree Disorderly Conduct and 3rd-Degree Attempted Escape. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for attacking his mother and then threatening her boyfriend in the south part of the city last weekend. The Police Department reports officers responded to a domestic disturbance in the 1800-block of Harbeck Road on Sunday around 7:35 p.m.. Police said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that her son -- 22-year-old Christopher Anthony Rohrer -- had assaulted her and threatened her boyfriend when he tried to intervene. The caller said she went to her room and locked the door, but her son kicked the door open and tried to attack her again until the boyfriend stepped in to separate them. According to the report, Rhorer stated he was going to load his gun and shoot his mother, though he never got his firearm or brandished it. Christopher Rohrer was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 4th-Degree Domestic Assault and Domestic Menacing. He was being held without bail.

 

A Grants Pass woman who is on probation for threatening a family member was arrested last weekend for trespassing on the property. Grants Pass Police responded to a report of disorderly conduct involving 41-year-old Gayle Lee Hooper at a home in the 700-block of NW 2nd Street on Sunday at about 6:40 p.m.. Police said the reporting party advised he allows Hooper to come and go from the residence as long as she is sober. The caller said she came to the residence and was causing disturbance, so she was asked to leave. Hooper's probation stipulates that she have no contact with the reporting party, her probation officer was contacted and requested a detainer be placed on their client. Gayle Hooper was charged with Probation Violation and she was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a male transient for throwing rocks, obstructing traffic and yelling at pedestrians near the downtown area last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to a disturbance caused by 32-year-old Brian Fletcher Ellington, Jr., at the corner of NW 4th and B streets on Sunday shortly after 11 a.m.. Police said they received a call that Ellington was throwing rocks at an anonymous complainant and his house, but no one was hurt. They said they observed the man enter a public roadway, obstruct traffic and yell at pedestrians, which caused public alarm. He was placed into custody without further incident. Brian Ellington was booked into the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and the resulting Parole Violation stemming from a conviction for Felony Criminal Mischief. He was being held on a no-bail detainer. Officers noted that the reporting party did not want to identify himself and he was highly critical of the local law enforcement agency. However, the caller did request additional patrols in the area due to "transient issues."

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving and more after she hit a curb in the downtown area, damaged her vehicle and left the scene. The Police Department reports officers pulled over a vehicle driven by 41-year-old Jennifer Lynn Smith near the corner of NE 6th and Jackson streets on Sunday at about 1 a.m.. Police said Smith was the subject of a traffic complaint in which an impaired driver struck a curb and flattened both tires on the driver's side of the vehicle. The caller told officers he was walking home from a local bar where he saw Smith and a male companion drinking earlier in the evening. Officers said Smith exhibited signs of impairment and admitted to being "drunk." After performing poorly in field sobriety tests and providing a breath sample, she was placed into custody. Her male passenger was detained but not arrested. A female passenger was given a courtesy ride home. Jennifer Smith was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage. Her damaged vehicle was impounded.