Local News

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners Tuesday workshop will begin with an order in the matter of Appointment of the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board of Commissioners for 2026, per the county charter. Following the order, the board will cover business from the Clerk, Sheriff, Information Technology, Community Justice, Forestry, Public Health, Transit, Airports and Human Resources Departments. After board business concerning Josephine County Airports Advisory Board Bylaws and pending other matters, the workshop will adjourn. Tuesday's County Administration Workshop will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the BCC Conference Room. Those wishing to attend in person must abide by the clear bag policy. The meeting will be streamed at www.josephinecounty.gov/livestream.

 

Grants Pass Police contacted a suspect with two dogs at the South Y early Sunday morning.

At 2:28 a.m., the suspect, Carrie McCoin, was found to have an active warrant out for her arrest from the Medford Police Department charging her with Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle.

McCoin was detained by officers, and she initially agreed to give her two dogs and belongings she had with her to an acquaintance to watch until she was released. While enroute to the Josephine County Jail, McCoin became highly uncooperative and began making threats.

She claimed she never gave officers permission to give her dogs to the acquaintance. Officers subsequently lodged McCoin in jail for her Out of County Hold Warrant.

 

Oregon State Police responded to a single vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 199 at milepost 8 Friday evening.

Upon arrival at the scene, troopers contacted the driver, identified as Colin Shackelford. He only had minor injuries, and it was found that he failed to maintain his lane when leaving the roadway, striking a guardrail and going down the embankment.

Shackelford had a warrant out for his arrest, so he was arrested by troopers. His vehicle was towed from the scene, and he received further medical evaluation at Three Rivers Medical Center.

 

Grants Pass Police were notified of a trespassing complaint in the 200 block of Redwood Highway Saturday afternoon.

The report came in to dispatch at 4:21 p.m. that a man was pounding on the caller's front door, and had been for about 10 minutes. The man proceeded to sit in a chair near the front door of the apartment.

The caller reported the man had a bike with him, but wasn't sure if there were any weapons or if the man was intoxicated.

Officers arrived and contacted the suspect, identified as Robert Smith. He was told to leave multiple times, but he proceeded to ramble and drink the fluid out of a cigarette container on the front porch.

Smith was taken into custody and charged with Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree, as well as a parole violation detainer. He was trespassed from the location, then transported and lodged in the Josephine County Jail.

 

A single-vehicle accident occurred Saturday afternoon at Caves Highway and Laurel Road in Cave Junction.

The Illinois Valley Fire District, AMR-Josephine County, and Oregon State Police responded to the scene around 12:52 p.m.

One individual was evaluated and determined to have sustained no injuries.
A portion of the building was also struck in the accident.

The Oregon State Police will be conducting the investigation and arranging for the vehicle's removal.

 

The Ballot Return report for the Recall Election against Commissioner Chris Barnett shows a voter turnout of 23.16% so far.

The latest report, provided by County Clerk Rhiannon Henkels, shows a grand total of 16,311 ballots received. Of those, 15,641 ballots have been verified. There is a total of 70,439 eligible voters in Josephine County.

According to a notice on the county website, the schedule for January 6, 2026 Recall Election reporting begins that same Tuesday after 8 p.m., followed by further results January 14th and 23rd posted by 5 p.m., pending schedule changes dependent on receipt of ballots.

Certified Results will be posted no later than February 2nd, but no sooner than January 28th posted by 5 p.m.

 

PlanIT Geo's Certified Arborists will be conducting a tree inventory in Grants Pass, starting January 6.

Tree inventories are an important tool for local urban forest managers, as they provide a big-picture view of the urban forest and can be used to identify potential threats to the trees in the city. They also help locate potential gaps in canopy coverage, prioritize maintenance efforts, and guide future policy.

In this tree inventory, PlanIT Geo’s ISA Certified Arborists will be mapping and evaluating all of the trees and planting sites within the city rights-of-way and public parks. Trees in these locations will be identified and assessed for health, condition, location information, and maintenance needs.

Once collected, tree and planting site data attributes and locations provide urban forest managers the power to proactively manage their tree population, reduce potential liabilities, and prepare for potential threats to the state’s urban forest.

The Arborists will be easily identifiable wearing high visibility safety vests, carrying tablets, and driving a vehicle marked with magnets displaying the PlanIT Geo company logo.

 

A man living in the 7000 block of Monument Drive was going into buildings on the property and taking things, according to a witness's report to 911.

The caller told dispatch he didn't want to pursue theft charges, and said he had restraining order paperwork he planned on turning in. After further conversation with dispatch, he was interested in pursuing charges so long as the suspect wasn't legally allowed back on the property following arrest.

This was the fifth call in three days about the suspect, who also lives on the property. The man proceeded to the caller's front porch and threw items around. In doing so, several small solar snowman lights valued at $10 were damaged.

Deputies arrived at the scene and contacted the suspect, James Atto, who admitted to damaging the items and knew it was wrong. He claimed he did it to get the cops to show up because the caller allegedly had dead bodies in his freezer.

Atto also admitted to taking a heater, but claimed the caller let him borrow it. He allowed deputies to retrieve the heater from his RV and return it, then he was taken into custody. The caller requested Atto be trespassed from the property, save for his RV.

Atto was transported and lodged in the Josephine County Jail for Criminal Mischief. A charge of Second Degree Theft was forwarded to the District Attorney's Office.

 

Kelly's Automotive Service, in both Grants Pass and Medford, announced its annual event, Wipe Out Hunger, will begin Monday.

Starting January 5th and going until February 13th, everyone is encouraged to donate a 40 ounce or larger jar of peanut butter and a 12 ounce jar or larger of Jelly to be donated to the food insecure in our community.

In exchange for your donation, you will receive a pair of standard windshield wipers up to $45 in value installed on your vehicle.

Soy, Sun, or Almond butters are also accepted, and all the food will be given to the Salvation Army and ROC Food Pantries for distribution.

Donations are accepted at both locations: 1661 NE 6th Street in Grants Pass, and 2990 Biddle Road in Medford.