Local News

The short-handed Josephine County Board of Commissioners this morning approved land sale contracts on two properties that were not sold during a November 2024 Sheriff's Auction. The Board voted 2-0 to approve the order for the sale of properties at 12100 Redwood Highway for $36,000 and 106 East O'Brien Street for $20,230. Vice-Chair Chris Barnett was absent and excused. The Commission failed to approve orders concerning properties at 1375 Fish Hatchery Road near Wilderville and Coyote Creek Road in Wolf Creek after a public hearing. Property Manager Helene Lulich testified it was the first step in preparing the properties for sale after they had been acquired through foreclosure on delinquent tax liens. During the hearing, two representatives from American Mineral Research objected to the sale of the Spotted Fawn Mine on Coyote Creek as they believe the County should not sell properties that have potential mineral resources. Commissioner Ron Smith said he wanted to give AMR an opportunity to survey the property before it is sold and added that to his motion. Chair Andreas Blech refused to give a second. During the public comment period, the Board heard from a woman who voiced her opposition to the religious invocation at the beginning of weekly business sessions. Several people spoke in support of the Josephine Community Library District, with one woman stating that around 25,000 people hold library cards, another woman talking about the importance of libraries to childhood reading and a third woman who spoke about upcoming library events including the Summer Reading Program. Others who provided public comment included former Juvenile Justice Director Jim Goodwin who spoke against the voluntary retirement program and the budget process. His was among several complaints regarding the proposed budget for the 2026 Fiscal Year.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man for causing a disturbance in the Kerby area yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 38-year-old Shayla Bee Sandau for the incident on Redwood Highway at Glendon Road on Wednesday at 3:06 p.m.. Deputies said they were alerted to a male subject chasing a female down the road while she was screaming for help. The woman informed dispatchers that she was trying to leave her house when Sandau grabbed her to stop her from leaving. She said she was in fear of being assaulted, so she ran toward the highway where a motorist stopped, intervened and attempted to give her a ride. Sandau reportedly prevented the woman from entering the vehicle, grabbed the keys out of the ignition and threw them across the highway into a field. The driver was unable to find the keys, which they valued at more than $100. Upon arrival, deputies interviewed the involved parties and placed Sandau into custody. He was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Coercion, Harassment, Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle and 2nd-Degree Theft. He was being held without bail pending his arraignment today.

 

Multiple agencies halted the spread of a small wildfire that broke out in the Illinois Valley near Cave Junction yesterday. On Wednesday at 1:05 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District, Oregon Department of Forestry and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest responded to the vegetation fire on Little Grayback Road near Caves Highway. ODF reported that the fire was a quarter-acre when they arrived on scene. Crews began an aggressive initial attack while additional resources were en route to the scene. By 1:50 p.m., the fire had been wet-lined and crews started mopping up. In a final update at 3:45 p.m., ODF reported the fire was 100% lined and 30% mopped up. Officials said steep slopes and dense brush were slowing down the process, but firefighters would remain on scene until the blaze was extinguished. The cause of the fire was under investigation -- it was GPS-mapped at just over one-third of an acre. The Medford BLM District and Rural Metro Fire Department assisted the effort by providing mutual aid.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a local warrant late yesterday after he was caught pestering his ex-wife at a home in the southeast corner of the city. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a trespassing call in the 1500-block of Hamilton Lane on Wednesday shortly after 5 p.m.. Police said 35-year-old Joshua Cole Wilson was called in by his ex-wife for banging on her front door. They said Wilson was wanted on a GPPD warrant for failing to appear in court for Methamphetamine Possession. Wilson fled the scene, but was located a short time later at nearby Fruitdale Park. When advised that he was under arrest, he resisted being placed into custody by using physical force. He was taken to the ground and arrested at Taser point. Wilson was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus a new charge of Resisting Arrest. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman last night for returning to a residence from which she had been previously trespassed. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to a trespassing call at a home in the 1600-block of NW Highland Avenue shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday. Police said 39-year-old Ashlie Ann Lore returned to the dwelling and sat outside in a Kia Optima with blacked-out windows. They said she was yelling and throwing items at a family member's car. Lore had been trespassed from the property on May 18th, so she was placed into custody. She was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 1st-Degree Criminal Trespass and was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a female motorist for two violations during an early morning traffic stop today in the southeast part of the city. Police officers pulled over a Dodge Durango driven by a woman identified only as "Grimm" near the corner of Fruitdale Drive and Gaffney Way at 12:32 a.m.. Officers said they stopped Grimm after observing expired registration tags on her vehicle. A routine records check showed the vehicle had not been registered in any state since 2020. The woman claimed ownership of the vehicle, but she did not have any paperwork showing a bill of sale. Grimm was also found to be driving with a suspended license and without any insurance. She was cited to appear in court for the violations and the vehicle was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police handed out citations yesterday during patrol checks at a resting site and a city park. According to GPPD, officers contacted Richard Matteson at the 6th & A Street resting site during a morning patrol check. Matteson was cited for Scattering Rubbish. It was his second such citation and he was trespassed for 30 days. During an afternoon patrol check at Baker Park, officers cited two people and warned several others for parking in the "boat trailer only" spaces. They also recovered a shopping cart and returned it to Safeway.

 

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is investigating a suspicious death that took place last week outside the small community of Prospect. The Sheriff's Office reports patrol deputies responded to a report of a victim with a gunshot wound at a residence in the 2,000-block of Shelly Drive last Thursday at 1:27 a.m.. Deputies detained a suspect when they arrived on scene. A Mercy Flights ambulance transported the victim to a local hospital where he died from his injuries. Detectives and medical examiners responded to take over the investigation. The victim is 47-year-old JR Anthony Monteleone, III, of Prospect. The suspect -- 32-year-old Chad Allen McPherson of Prospect -- is charged with 2nd-Degree Murder and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. He has been indicted by a Jackson County Grand Jury and is lodged at the Medford jail facility. The Oregon State Police Crime Lab, OSP detectives, Jackson County Search and Rescue, and the Jackson County District Attorney's Office all assisted with the investigation. Sheriff's officials said the timing of the news release was delayed so Search and Rescue volunteers could conduct an evidence search at the incident location. They thanked the SAR volunteers for locating critical evidence. This case is active and ongoing, with detectives following additional leads.

 

Grants Pass Police incarcerated a convicted felon for weapon, drug and probation violations following a traffic stop near Home Depot this week. The Police Department reports officers pulled over a Volkswagen Jetta driven by 54-year-old Russell Scott Kitts in the 100-block of NE Mill Street Tuesday night. Police said they stopped Kitts for driving the wrong way on NE F Street, finding that his driving privileges had been suspended and he had no insurance. They said he was also found to be in possession of a dagger and a methamphetamine pipe. As a convicted felon, Kitts is prohibited from possessing weapons and/or drugs. Kitts was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon and Meth Possession plus the resulting Probation Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer and his car was impounded.