Local News

Two people were hurt late yesterday in a motor vehicle accident on Riverbanks Road west of Grants Pass. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle collision near milepost 15 of State Route 260 on Tuesday at 4:58 p.m.. Troopers said a preliminary investigation indicated a Nissan Sentra driven by an 18-year-old Grants Pass man failed to maintain his lane and crashed head-on into a Dodge Ram pickup driven by a 37-year-old Cave Junction man. According to OSP, the two occupants of the Dodge were transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with unspecified injuries while the two occupants of the Nissan denied any injuries. Both vehicles were towed to Grants Pass. The young driver of the Nissan was either cited or warned for a traffic violation.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Brookings man for impaired driving last night following a traffic stop on Redwood Highway just west of Grants Pass. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Chevrolet Colorado driven by a 28-year-old motorist on US Highway 199 near Midway Avenue on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the vehicle for several traffic violations and the driver showed signs of impairment by both alcohol and drugs. They said he performed poorly in field sobriety tests so he was transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided breath and urine samples, but refused to be evaluated by a drug recognition specialist. The suspect was charged with suspicion of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Controlled Substances. He was cited to appear in court and his pickup was impounded.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving early today following an incident on Interstate 5 in northern Josephine County. According to OSP, troopers responded to a disabled Subaru driven by a 40-year-old man in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 76 at 12:37 this morning. Troopers said they contacted the driver and he displayed signs of impairment. They said he performed poorly in field sobriety tests and he was taken to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was nearly twice the legal driving limit. The suspect was lodged at the Sobering Center for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His disabled Subaru was impounded and towed to Grants Pass.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for drug possession yesterday during a welfare check in the Redwood area. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the intersection of Elmer Nelson and Hubbard Lanes on Tuesday at noon to perform a welfare check on a man who was reported to be slumped over in a Honda Accord. Police said they contacted a man they identified as "Josh Thompson" who was asleep in the driver's seat of the car with a glass methamphetamine pipe in plain view. They said Thompson admitted that the pipe was his and he had smoked from it the prior evening. He also handed over a plastic container with meth inside it. Because Thompson was cooperative and honest with law enforcement, he was cited to appear in court for Meth Possession and released. He told officers he was not interested in the deflection program.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for two felony crimes after he broke a garage door to gain entry to a residence near Baker Park. According to the Police Department, officers eventually arrested 22-year-old Tevon James McCornack at the corner of East Park Street and Clara Avenue on Monday afternoon. Police said they responded to a burglar alarm in the 1,000-block of East Park Street during the noon hour and found obvious signs of forced entry. McCornack was caught on video walking around the gated property, but he wasn't there when they arrived on scene. GPPD requested assistance from the Oregon State Police and a Josephine County Marine Deputy in order to locate the suspect. Officers shut down traffic on East Park Street and law enforcement units were posted on both sides of the river. A K-9 unit was deployed to search the home, but the suspect was not found. More than two hours later, police detained McCornack and he admitted to breaking the garage door to gain entry. He also admitted to opening the inside door to gain entry into the residence, but he fled the scene when the alarm was triggered. McCornack was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Burglary and Felony 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was being held without bail.

 

The Oregon State Police jailed a Selma man on both old and new charges after he tried to elude them on Redwood Highway in southwest Grants Pass. OSP reports troopers arrested 44-year-old Matthew Albert Rosenberry near the intersection of US Highway 199 and Dowell Road on Saturday night. Troopers said they initiated a traffic stop on a Toyota pickup driven by Rosenberry for a traffic violation, but he fled and no pursuit was initiated. They located the vehicle parked nearby a short time later and attempted to make contact. According to OSP, Rosenberry tried to flee again resulting in a use-of-force incident involving multiple Taser deployments before the suspect was subdued. He was found to be wanted on a local felony warrant for Felony Parole Violation. Rosenberry was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus new charges including two counts of Felony Attempt to Elude Police and single counts of Reckless Driving, Resisting Arrest and Reckless Endangering.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested three men associated with stealing equipment from a residence in Selma last weekend. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to a burglary incident in the 200-block of Warren Road on Sunday night. Deputies said a man called 9-1-1 to report that he was holding three men at gunpoint whom he caught stealing a chainsaw and generators from his property. A fourth suspect ran off into the woods and deputies were unable to find him. According to the report, 48-year-old Darren Allen Sanchez and 44-year-old Cody Burton Schatz were both charged with two felony counts of 1st-Degree Burglary and one felony count of 1st-Degree Theft. Both were transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail without bail. Another man -- 44-year-old Michael Ray Allee -- was found to be wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Methamphetamine Possession. He was lodged in jail on $10,000 bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a local felony warrant plus theft and drug charges after he was caught shoplifting at Grange Co-op this week. The Police Department reports officers responded to the theft complaint at the store on West Schutzwohl Lane at Dowell Road late Monday afternoon. Police said they were contacted by a Grange Co-op employee watching the local store from a remote location via video surveillance. The worker reported that a man and woman arrived at the store in a black Volkswagen, and that the man entered the store, attempted to steal merchandise and was detained by loss prevention. The woman fled in the car when she saw the man in custody. Officers arrived on scene and contacted 36-year-old Kevin Mathew Paschal who was found to be wanted on a Grants Pass felony warrant for failing to appear in court for 4th-Degree Assault. He was also found to be in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine. Paschal was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus new charges of 2nd-Degree Theft and Meth Possession. The investigation was continuing to determine the identity of his female companion.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office was investigating a hit-and-run motor vehicle accident that occurred yesterday in Kerby. On Tuesday at 3:53 p.m., the Sheriff's Office, Illinois Valley Fire District and American Medical Response were dispatched to the two-vehicle collision in the 24,300-block of Redwood Highway. Deputies said there were no injuries, but one of the drivers fled the scene. Jerry's Towing removed the remaining vehicle. The Sheriff's Office was looking into the identity of the hit-and-run driver.