Local News

Grants Pass Police received two separate calls regarding a man causing a disturbance at both Grocery Outlet and the WinCo parking lot Sunday.

At 8:29 p.m., a caller reported to dispatch a man had stolen a bottle of wine from the 350 NE Agness Avenue store. He passed all points of sale and began riding away on his bike.

Before crossing the street to WinCo, the suspect swung his bike around toward the Grocery Outlet manager. While on the 231 NE Terry Lane property, the suspect reportedly threw his bike into the roadway and began yelling at an employee who was also reporting to dispatch.

He told dispatch he had just been assaulted by the suspect, who continued harassing customers and was asked to leave the premises. Officers arrived and contacted Sean MacDowell in the landscaping between the Parkway and WinCo parking lot.

MacDowell had a prior trespass from the WinCo, and was further trespassed from the store as well as the Grocery Outlet. He was taken into custody and lodged in the Josephine County Jail.

Charges for MacDowell included Second Degree Disorderly Conduct, Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree, Third Degree Criminal Mischief, and Third Degree Theft.

 

Grants Pass School District 7 has reached a negotiated resolution with Katie Medart and Rachel Sager concerning their federal court lawsuit.

The District said in a statement they and the Board acknowledge that their handling of this matter fell short of their standards and responsibilities. The Board subsequently reversed the termination decision. The District has provided positive letters of recommendation for both.

The Teachers Standards and Practice Commission and Oregon Employment Department recognized that Ms. Medart and Ms. Sager did not commit misconduct. They remain educators in good standing with no TSPC discipline on their records.

The District affirms employees’ rights to speak as private citizens on matters of public concern. The District has revised Policy GBG to protect employees’ freedom and remain compliant with federal and Oregon law. It has expanded access to gender-neutral, single-occupant restroom facilities. The District also has practices in place to protect employee religious freedom.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a man wanted on warrants out of Oregon and California Sunday.

Deputies contacted Aaron Florio at 7:13 a.m. in the 200 block of Hieglen Loop. He was wanted on an Oregon Parole Board warrant as well as a Yolo County Sheriff's Office warrant.

The warrants charged Florio with three counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Fourth Degree Assault, Delivery of Fentanyl, and a parole violation.

Florio was transported and lodged in the Josephine County Jail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested three suspects in three separate incidents at Resting Site 5 Saturday.

At 10:15 a.m., officers reported to a welfare check at 711 NW 5th Street regarding a man supposedly under the influence screaming and yelling. He then walked out of the site with his suitcase.

Officers contacted John Hruska on the NE corner of 6th and A Streets and found he had a warrant out for his arrest. He was transported and lodged in the Josephine County Jail for the warrant and a charge of Meth Possession.

Then at 3:40 p.m., an officer observed Victoria Corona sitting by a shopping cart in the site. She was actively smoking from a tooter with tin foil.

Upon contact with Corona, the tooter was field tested. It returned presumptive positive for Fentanyl. Corona admitted to smoking the fentanyl, and her parole officer was contacted.

A detainer was requested, and Corona was issued a 30-day exclusion order from the site. She was transported and lodged in the Josephine County Jail for Fentanyl Possession and the parole violation detainer.

The third suspect, Brittany Adams, was contacted at the site around 4:11 p.m. She was known to have active warrants out for her arrest charging her with Meth Possession, Second Degree Criminal Trespass, and two counts of Third Degree Theft.

Adams was taken to the Josephine County Jail and lodged on her warrants.

 

The Bureau of Land Management has closed the Lower Table Rocks Trailhead, parking lot, and trail now until mid-December.

The trail system is closed to facilitate paving of the Lower Loop Trail and to create a wheelchair-friendly access at the Lower Table Rocks.

The BLM anticipates the paving project to last one month. They will reopen the trail as soon as the project is complete.

The Table Rocks are designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern because of their cultural and biological significance. More than 50,000 visitors annually hike the Table Rocks, making it one of the most popular hiking locations in southern Oregon.

The Upper Table Rocks Trailhead, located just five miles away from Lower Table Rock, remains open. Other useable trails include the Jacksonville Woodlands Trail, Mountain of the Rogue, East Applegate Ridge Trail, and the Jack-Ash Trail.

 

Medford Police officers responded to a reported disturbance and information that an individual had been shot at the OK Market Saturday. Around 5:19 p.m., at 1192 North Riverside Avenue, officers arrived at the scene, located the victim, and provided aid. Additional responding units secured the area. Preliminary information indicated the suspects and victim exchanged words prior to the shooting, after which the suspects left in a vehicle. They were located a short time later in the surrounding area by patrol units. The driver, Osbaldo Rodriguez, 25, was charged with DUII. The passenger, Juan Carlos Rodriguez, 47, was identified as the shooter and lodged in the Jackson County Jail on charges of Assault in the First Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. The victim was treated at a local hospital and is currently in stable condition.

 

State agencies continue to track botulism cases linked to a nationally recalled infant formula, including two cases of infection in Oregon. The Oregon Health Authority said they and the Oregon Department of Agriculture are collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and public health and food safety officials from other states to investigate the multi-state outbreak connected with consumption of powdered infant formula produced by ByHeart. Nationally, there have been 23 cases of infant botulism from 13 states identified in connection with the outbreak, including two infants from Oregon. Ill infants have been hospitalized, and there have been no deaths. ByHeart has issued a recall of all its infant formula and ODA is conducting recall effectiveness checks to ensure that all recalled product has been removed from stores statewide. OHA and ODA urge people to stop using any ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula, including cans and single-serve sticks.

 

Grants Pass Police conducted a traffic stop Thursday, which led to the arrest of a man possessing drugs and a restricted weapon.

Officers stopped Shelby Acosta after he was observed operating his vehicle with expired tags. His parole officer requested he be placed on a detainer.

During a consent search of Acosta's person and vehicle, officers found a spring-assisted knife, a white powdery substance, and a white crystal-like substance.

Acosta was taken into custody and charged with Meth Possession, Fentanyl Possession, Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon, and the detainer.

Officers transported and lodged Acosta in the Josephine County Jail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a trespassing suspect that was under the influence Thursday morning.

The suspect, Mark Mislon, was reported to be in the parking lot of Foundry Village at 1020 SW Foundry Street. He had drug items with him and staff requested he be trespassed.

Officers contacted Mislon's parole officer, who stated a detainer would be placed on him. Mislon was later located on the corner of SW Isham Street and SW Dimmick Street.

Officers took Mislon into custody and transported him to the Josephine County Jail, where he was lodged on the parole violation detainer. He was also trespassed from Foundry Village.