Local News

Oregon Department of Transportation maintenance crews will be in Ashland and Medford next week to repair cracked and rutted pavement on Oregon Highway 99.

The public should expect daytime lane closures with delays of less than 20 minutes and congestion near each work zone.

Work begins Monday the 24th from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the southbound lanes of East Main Street between Pioneer Street and Gresham Street in downtown Ashland. Crews will work the same time Tuesday the 25th in the northbound lanes of Lithia Way between East Main Street and Helman Street.

Crews will then work on Highway 99 between Beall Lane and Table Rock Road in Medford from Wednesday the 26th through Thursday the 27th from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Expect lane closures with pilot cars and flaggers providing traffic control.

Drivers are urged to slow down in the work zone and watch for workers and equipment in the roadway. Consider an alternate route to avoid delays and congestion. This work is weather dependent and subject to change. See TripCheck.com for the latest road conditions and closures.

 

A woman trespassed from The Market & Deli returned to the business, only to be arrested by Grants Pass Police.

The 911 Dispatch Center was contacted regarding the suspect at 7:12 p.m. She was reportedly walking behind the nearby Bottle Drop at the time of the call, but had been inside the 1070 Rogue River Highway business yelling profanities after having already been trespassed from the location earlier in the day.

The caller stated the suspect was heavily under the influence, but wasn't threatening anyone. She was wearing a green tank top and black leggings, and officers soon located her at Eddy's Burgers. Upon contact with Carly Jensen, officers took her into custody and transported her to jail for lodging on a Second Degree Trespass Charge.

 

A man called 911 Thursday morning wishing to turn himself in for a United States Marshalls Service warrant.

Dispatch was notified that the suspect, Ernest Guevarra, was walking on the side of Fruitdale Drive in the 2300 block at 11:26 a.m. He said he wanted to turn himself in, and that he was wearing gray shorts, a black shirt, and hat. He was advised to stay where he was, but he said he wanted to keep walking.

He was cooperative when arriving deputies with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office contacted and detained him on Fruitdale near Hamilton Lane. The US Marshalls Service office in Los Angeles was contacted, and Guevarra's warrant for a Dangerous Drugs charge was confirmed.

He was subsequently taken into custody by deputies and lodged in the Adult Jail Facility for his warrant.

 

A traffic stop led to the arrest of a suspended driver early this morning.

Grants Pass Police pulled over a white SUV at the corner of W Park Street and Redwood Highway at 12:07 a.m. The driver, Jordan McFarland, was stopped for failing to obey a traffic control device, and found to be driving while suspended, a misdemeanor.

He wasn't driving for an emergent reason, and was taken into custody by officers. McFarland was transported to the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility for his Driving While Suspended charge. His vehicle was towed from the scene.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a WinCo shoplifting suspect that had been previously trespassed from the store.

Security with the 231 NE Terry Lane grocer requested a police response around 8:24 p.m. after a shoplifting incident had occurred. The suspect was reportedly being hostile and cussing while resisting security personnel. Dispatch was informed the suspect had also been previously trespassed from the store.

Officers arrived to find the suspect, later identified as Jacob Ford, outside the store with security. He had been observed stealing $3.48 worth of merchandise before passing all points of sale. Police took Ford into custody, applied a spit hood to him, and transported him to the Josephine County Jail.

His previous trespass indicated a lifetime ban from the WinCo, and he was lodged for Third Degree Theft, and Second Degree Criminal Trespass.

 

A man sitting by the Motel 6 pool area harassing guests was arrested for trespassing Thursday.

The suspect had a pipe in his possession and was reported outside the 1800 NE 7th Street motel pool area at 8:12 p.m. Dispatch was told guests were complaining, saying the suspect wouldn't leave them alone and kept asking for a lighter.

The caller, an employee of the motel, wished to pursue a trespass charge, and officers with the Grants Pass Police Department arrived to find the suspect on the north side of the complex. He was found to have been trespassed from the location back in May, and he was taken into custody.

Officers identified the suspect as Brandon Stradford and transported him to the Josephine County Jail. He was lodged for Second Degree Criminal Trespass at 8:38 p.m.

 

Further progress continues on the Fielder Mountain Fire as resources close in on completing mop-up operations and repair work. The Oregon Department of Forestry reports the fire is now 81% contained. ODF's Complex Incident Management Team (CIMT) 1 will be transferring command of the fire back to the Southwest Oregon District at 6 p.m. tonight. Local district personnel have been shadowing the team for the past day to gain situational awareness about the status of the fire and the work that needs to be completed. Firefighters still assigned to the fire will continue mopping up along the western and northern control lines to extinguish any remaining hotspots within the first 300-feet of the fire’s perimeter. Resources continue to build water bars and flatten bulldozer berms across the incident. Roads in the fire area will be left open to allow for future use if needed. Today, isolated thunderstorms are in the forecast, with temperatures predicted in the mid-90s.

 

Deputies from the Josephine County Sheriff's Office responded Wednesday at 7:46 a.m. to a residence in the 300 block of Cherokee Lane in Grants Pass for a report of a male being shot in the chest. Upon arrival, deputies detained multiple individuals and rendered aid to the victim. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police responded to the scene and began their investigation. The suspect was identified as Eric Commins. He had fired multiple rounds from a .22 caliber pistol at the victim inside the residence. Commins cooperated with the investigation and was later arrested and lodged in the Josephine County Jail for First Degree Assault, and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. The victim, Alejandro Soto, was transported to Rogue Regional Medical Center to be treated for his injuries. No further details are being released.

 

A 39-year-old White City man died Tuesday night after becoming unresponsive during a Jackson County Sheriff’s Office DUII arrest. Dispatch received a 911 call at 9:17 p.m. from a man who was speaking incoherently and appeared to be confused. During the call, he reported that someone may have drugged him. Deputies responded to the area of Table Rock Road and Orr Drive, where they found the man in the roadway obstructing traffic and exhibiting signs of intoxication. During the investigation, deputies learned the man had driven to the location and took him into custody for a controlled substance DUII at 9:44 p.m. He resisted deputies, who lowered him to the ground to maintain control and called for additional units. Deputies also requested medical personnel to stage nearby. The man then appeared to lose consciousness. Deputies placed him in the recovery position and requested medical personnel respond to the scene. Moments later, the man regained consciousness and began talking and physically resisting deputies again. Oregon State Police troopers arrived to assist. Mercy Flights medics arrived at 9:51 p.m. and evaluated him on the ground. The man was moved to a gurney and soon became unresponsive. Paramedics immediately began life-saving measures, which continued until 10:42 p.m.