Local News

Grants Pass Police received assistance from Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) when they arrested a man on a local warrant at a downtown bar. The Police Department reports officers made contact with 36-year-old Bryan William Suthann at River City Grill on SE K Street on Wednesday afternoon. 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.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving this week 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 around midday Wednesday. 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.

 

The Rogue Interagency Training Association (RITA) has opened registration for the Southern Oregon Wildfire School and is now accepting applications. The training -- which will take place June 20th and 21st -- is open to structural firefighters in Southern Oregon who are looking to gain skills in wildland firefighting. The two-day course is field-based and features air operations communications and a "live" fire suppression training. Firefighters will learn how to effectively communicate with pilots and direct helicopter water bucket drops as well as learn tactics to suppress wildland fires by utilizing small, controlled fires. This training opportunity allows local structural firefighters to gain firsthand experience in wildland firefighting in a controlled environment. This is the fourth year of the Southern Oregon Wildfire School and it's being held in the Ashland area this year. Registration information is available at "orrita.com/classes."

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners should make quick work of a very light agenda for its weekly business session this 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. Today's public meeting begins at 10 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

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.

 

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."

 

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..

 

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.

 

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.