Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a motorist for impaired driving last night following a traffic stop at a Grants Pass Fire & Rescue station. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies pulled over a white Dodge Dakota driven by a 55-year-old male subject at the Parkway Fire Station on Thursday at 8:46 p.m.. Deputies said they observed the subject driving erratically on Parkdale Drive and turning onto East Park Street. After they turned on lights and siren, the man stopped at the fire station while blocking the large doors. The suspect proceeded to perform poorly in field sobriety tests, so he was placed into custody. He was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. The suspect was cited and released at the Grants Pass Sobering Center, but his pickup was impounded.

 

The Oregon State Police cited an Illinois Valley man for causing a crash at a construction site on Redwood Highway near Wonder yesterday. OSP reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle wreck near milepost 12 of US Highway 199 on Thursday at 12:54 p.m.. Troopers said an investigation indicated a 41-year-old O'Brien man was driving a Ford Econoline minivan when he rear-ended a Jeep Renegade driven by a Burien, Washington, man who had stopped for an active flagging operation. No one was hurt. According to OSP, the investigation determined the O'Brien man was at fault. He was cited for Driving While Suspended and No Insurance. His van was towed to an impound yard in Grants Pass.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass man for throwing trash out of his vehicle while driving on a city street yesterday. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Dodge Ram pickup driven by a 62-year-old male subject near the corner of NE F Street and Westbrook Way on Thursday at 1:37 p.m.. Troopers did not disclose any details of the arrest, but the report indicated that they observed the subject throw trash out of his pickup. The suspect was cited to appear in court for Offensive Littering and then released.

 

Grants Pass Fire & Rescue along with fire departments from across Josephine County will be conducting a large-scale training exercise in the downtown area next week. The training exercise is scheduled to take place at River Valley Community Church on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. To facilitate this training, D Street between 6th and 7th streets will be closed from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. all three days. Grants Pass Fire Chief Jimmy Sanchez said these drills are vital for honing their emergency response skills and ensuring the safety of the community. Citizens may notice "training smoke" coming from the church building and surrounding area, but don't be alarmed as it is part of the exercise. Sanchez said he appreciates citizens' understanding and cooperation as they work together to maintain a safe and prepared community. If you're in the area, please plan accordingly and drive carefully around the training zone.

 

The Medford Police Department arrested a young motorist for hitting a pedestrian in the downtown area and fleeing the scene. MPD officers responded to a report of a vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision near the intersection of Riverside Avenue and 9th Street on Wednesday. Officers determined that a pedestrian was walking in a crosswalk when they were struck by a vehicle driven by a suspect later identified as 18-year-old Shane Gavazza of Medford. They said the driver briefly stopped, but then drove away. The unidentified pedestrian was transported by ambulance to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The Serious Traffic Accident Response Team was activated to investigate the incident. Within 45 minutes, investigators gathered video surveillance and witness statements, enabling them to issue an alert for the suspect vehicle -- a silver Nissan Xterra with Oregon license plates. About three hours after the crash, a Jackson County sheriff's deputy located the suspect vehicle in White City. The driver was identified as Gavazza. Gavazza was located, arrested and lodged at the Jackson County Jail on charges of Felony Hit-and-Run and Felony 3rd-Degree Assault. There was no evidence of impairment.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man on four outstanding warrants and several other charges following a traffic stop this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 41-year-old Michael Joseph Petersen in an unspecified location on Wednesday afternoon. Sheriff's deputies said Petersen was a passenger in a vehicle driven by 52-year-old Fernando Dominguez. Few details about the traffic stop were disclosed, but the vehicle was driving on its rims when it was pulled over and Petersen initially gave them a false name of "Daniel Cartwright." Peterson was wanted on two Josephine County felony warrants containing secret indictments for Felony Attempt to Elude Police, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Reckless Driving and Reckless Endangering. He was also found with a loaded Colt .38 special revolver that had been reported stolen out of Medford. It was recovered. Peterson was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants plus new charges of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Possession of a Stolen Firearm, Carrying a Concealed Weapon and Furnishing False Information. Dominguez was cited and released for Driving While Suspended.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on an outstanding warrant while investigating a family disturbance on the west side of the city this week. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident at a home in the 1,000-block of SW I Street late Wednesday afternoon. Police said a woman called 9-1-1 from California to report that her uncle -- 55-year-old Jeffrey Alan Washburn -- had been "acting very strange" for the last month-and-a-half, but her family refused to call law enforcement for assistance. According to the report, Washburn's elderly mother made him go outside to his trailer in the backyard -- but he came back in her house, dumped coffee all over and poured oil on the woodstove. The caller said her uncle had threatened to burn the house down several times and she was concerned for her family's welfare. Upon arrival, officers contacted Washburn and discovered that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for Felony Attempt to Elude Police, Disorderly Conduct and Driving While Suspended. He was placed into custody and lodged in jail. GPPD said the family intends to seek a restraining order due to his bad behavior.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested an out-of-compliance sex offender this week after he allegedly threatened a fellow camper at the NE 7th Street campground. According to the Police Department, officers contacted 45-year-old James Edward Weinshrott at the campground on Wednesday night while they investigated alleged threats he made against a woman who was at Three Rivers Medical Center. The complainant had been transported by ambulance to the hospital for unrelated medical issues. She told deputies that Weinshrott showed up at her campsite two days earlier, threatened to kill her and kicked her dog. She was worried the man might harm her when she returned to the campground. Officers subsequently contacted Weinshrott and found him to be out of compliance with his sex offender registration -- he last registered in October 2023. Weinshrott was placed into custody and booked into the Josephine County Jail for Failure to Report as a Sex Offender. He was also issued a 30-day exclusion from the 7th Street campground.

 

Grants Pass Police cited a young motorist after she lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a utility pole at the intersection of Redwood and Williams highways this week. Police officers and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle wreck near the South Y on Wednesday night. Police said a 17-year-old female subject was driving a Mazda sedan too fast for the conditions and lost control of the car, causing it to collide with a utility pole. The metal pole fell across the merge lane onto Redwood Highway, but no one was hurt. The Oregon Department of Transportation and Pacific Power were notified about the mishap and they sent crews to affect repairs. Total damages were estimated at well over $2,500 and the young driver told police she did not have any insurance on the vehicle, which was heavily damaged and towed from the scene. The motorist was cited for Careless Driving and No Insurance.