KLDR - Local News

Two Texas Men Sentenced to Prison for 2022 Armed Pot Heist in Josephine County

Two San Antonio, Texas, men were sentenced to federal prison and another San Antonio man pleaded guilty for conspiring to travel from Texas to Southern Oregon to commit an armed robbery while disguised as US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents. According to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon, 23-year-old Nevin Cuevas Morales was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release and 23-year-old Michael Rey Acuna was sentenced to 64 months in prison and four years of supervised release. Meanwhile, 32-year-old Juan Carlos Conchas pleaded guilty to Conspiring to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery and Conspiring to Possess Marijuana with Intent to Distribute. On March 12, 2022, the Josephine County Sheriff's Office responded to a rural address after receiving reports of a robbery in progress. Deputies found a residence with a closed driveway gate and two empty vehicles with Texas license plates in the driveway with their doors open. They saw several people running toward the back of the property and found victims inside the house. The victims reported that armed individuals dressed in what appeared to be DEA attire and wearing body armor arrived on the property and used zip ties and duct tape to restrain several of them. Deputies searched the property and found large plastic totes containing marijuana in the buildings and vehicles. They also found body armor, firearms, ammunition, shell casings and phony DEA badges.

Posted on 4/18/25 6:17AM by Sam Marsh

The Family House near Asante Hospital GP Receives $25K Grant from AllCare Health

AllCare Health has announced a $25,000 grant to support the expansion of The Family House at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass. The Family House is a hospitality facility offering low-cost lodging for patients and their families traveling to the Grants Pass hospital for medical care. The Family House expansion project will add seven guest rooms and three RV spaces, which will significantly increase capacity and improve comfort and accessibility. Currently, limited accommodations force the facility to turn away patients and families daily. AllCare Health's grant will furnish the new spaces, helping to ensure that more patients can access timely medical care without the burden of long-distance travel or the expense of lodging. The Family House expansion addresses a critical community need. By providing affordable temporary housing, the program helps reduce healthcare barriers such as missed appointments and delayed diagnoses. The Asante Foundation, which leads the project, continues to seek additional funding to complete the furnishing phase. For more information on The Family House expansion, please visit "asantefoundation.org/campaign/family-house-expansion."

Posted on 4/18/25 6:15AM by Sam Marsh

Wolf Creek Fire District to Show Off Brand New Station at Saturday Open House Event

The Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District will be showing off its new station this weekend. The local fire district is holding an open house on Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. at 1 Old Highway 99 South. The new station is a significant upgrade for the district as well as a benefit for the Wolf Creek/Sunny Valley community. The open house will be a good opportunity to network with those in attendance and learn about the challenges the district has faced in their efforts to protect the rural mountainous area. Perhaps you'd like to become a volunteer firefighter. If you want to come out early, the Wolf Creek Easter Parade starts at 11 a.m..

Posted on 4/18/25 6:12AM by Sam Marsh

Board of Commissioners to Consider Funding Request at Business Session

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners should make quick work of a very light agenda for its weekly business session tomorrow morning. There is only one Administrative Action item on the docket, with no public hearings, presentations or proclamations. The Board is scheduled to consider a funding request from Friends of Country Living, a group that strives to improve and protect the livability of the small community of Sunny Valley. As always, there will be Requests and Comments from Citizens when members of the public are given three minutes to address the Board on virtually any topic pertaining to Josephine County. Friday's public meetings begins at 10 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

Posted on 4/17/25 1:08PM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Woman for Parole Violation after NE City Trespassing Call

Grants Pass Police incarcerated a woman for violating terms of her post-prison supervision by visiting a home from which she had been trespassed and being in possession of narcotics. According to the Police Department, officers arrested 43-year-old Dion Micki Cleek for the incident at a home in the 1300-block of NE 10th Street at 3:17 p.m. Wednesday. Police said a resident of the home called 9-1-1 to report that Cleek showed up and talked her way inside in order to see her children who live there. The caller said she appeared to be under the influence of drugs and they wanted her removed. A Department of Human Services caseworker told them to call law enforcement. Officers arrived on scene and placed Cleek into custody. During intake at the Josephine County Jail, she was found to be in possession of a small baggie containing a white crystal substance that tested positive as methamphetamine. Cleek was charged with 1st-Degree Criminal Trespass and Meth Possession plus the resulting Felony Parole Violation. She was being held on a no-bail detainer.

Posted on 4/17/25 11:17AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Apprehended California Fugitive after Shoplifting Call at Walmart

Grants Pass Police apprehended a California fugitive after she was caught stealing from Walmart yesterday. The Police Department reports officers tracked down and arrested 35-year-old Jenalee Rodriguez near Applebee's shortly after the Wednesday afternoon incident at big box retailer on NE Terry Lane. Police said Walmart called 9-1-1 to report a female subject stole a bottle of water and two doughnuts valued at less than $20 by leaving the store without paying for the items. Upon contact, she admitted to stealing the merchandise. A routine records check revealed that Rodriguez was wanted on an El Dorado County, California, felony warrant for Probation Violation related to a past arrest for Obstructing Law Enforcement. She was immediately placed into custody. Rodriguez was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus a new charge of 3rd-Degree Theft. She was being held on a no-bail detainer. She was also trespassed from Walmart.

Posted on 4/17/25 11:15AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Assisted by RADE in Arrest of Man on Outstanding Drug Warrant

Grants Pass Police received assistance from Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) when they arrested a man on a local warrant at a downtown bar yesterday. The Police Department reports officers made contact with 36-year-old Bryan William Suthann at River City Grill on SE K Street on Wednesday at 1:54 p.m.. Police said Suthann was observed by RADE and he was known to be wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for Probation Violation related to a past arrest for Possession of Methamphetamine. During a consent search, Suthann was found to be in possession of a small baggie containing meth. He was placed into custody and the meth was seized. Suthann was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus a new charge of Meth Possession.

Posted on 4/17/25 11:14AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Motorist for DUII after Crash at Siskiyou Health Center

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving yesterday after he crashed into another vehicle in the parking lot of Siskiyou Community Health Center. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to the fender-bender at the health care facility on NW Hawthorne Avenue on Wednesday at 12:34 p.m.. Police said a female motorist called 9-1-1 to report that she was stopped when the male driver -- later identified as 62-year-old David Lefevre Moreno -- drove straight into her vehicle. No one was hurt and neither of the vehicles -- a Subaru Crosstrek and Dodge Durango -- sustained much damage. Upon arrival, officers found both drivers angry with each other. They said Moreno displayed several indicators of impairment and performed poorly in field sobriety tests. He was placed into custody and provided a breath sample that documented a high level of impairment. Moreno was lodged in jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and his vehicle was impounded.

Posted on 4/17/25 11:12AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Woman for Stealing Small Number of Walmart Items

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for stealing a small amount of merchandise from a local supermarket last night. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at WinCo Foods on NE Terry Lane on Wednesday around 7:30 p.m.. Police said 30-year-old Katelin Renae Schaible attempted to deprive WinCo of $11 worth of merchandise by passing all points of sale with the items concealed inside of her hoody. She was detained by loss prevention and then placed into custody. Schaible admitted to stealing and was lodged in jail for 3rd-Degree Theft. She was being held without bail.

Posted on 4/17/25 11:10AM by Sam Marsh

Female Transient Evicted from another Resting Site for Ordinance Violations

Camping options for a female transient are becoming limited after she was booted out of another city park early yesterday. Grants Pass police officers were performing a patrol check at Lawnridge Park on Wednesday morning when they contacted a woman they identified as "Lori Signs." Signs was cited for Possessing Marijuana in a City Park and since it was her second such citation, she was trespassed from the park for 30 days. She has already been excluded from both downtown resting sites and at least one other city park. Another woman identified as "Laurie Momney" was contacted and warned for her tent being too large. She was given a few hours to remove her oversized tent.

Posted on 4/17/25 11:08AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Cited Man for Camping in Minivan Parked under 'No Parking' Sign

Grants Pass Police cited a man for camping in a minivan at a street corner in the south part of the city yesterday. Police officers responded to the complaint near the corner of Ringuette and West Park Streets on Wednesday shortly after 1 p.m.. Police said they received a complaint that a man in a red minivan was camping under the "No Parking" sign at that location. The van had a cloth divider between the driving and rear cabin areas, making it obvious that someone was camping. Officers determined the registered owner was a man they identified as "Emmett Kling." He was cited for Parking in a No Parking Zone and told to move along.

Posted on 4/17/25 11:07AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Jailed Man for Felony Drug Possession after Shopping Center Call

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for felony drug possession after an investigation into a trespassing complaint near Ross Dress-4-Less this week. The Police Department reports officers arrested 69-year-old Steven Donald Carrier for the incident at the Grants Pass Shopping Center late Tuesday night. Police said Concierge Security called the Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center to report that a male subject who had been previously trespassed from Ross had intentionally disabled a motorhome and walked away. A security guard asked GPPD to impound the motorhome, but they were advised law enforcement does not tow vehicles off private property. Officers arrived on scene and contacted Carrier who had been trespassed from the entire shopping center last December. They also found him to be in possession of more than 19 grams of methamphetamine, which was seized for destruction. Carrier was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Possession of Meth and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. He was being held without bail.

Posted on 4/17/25 6:36AM by Sam Marsh