Local News

Two adults in custody at the Josephine County Jail are facing additional charges after outstanding warrants were served on them late last week. The Sheriff Office reports deputies served a Jackson County misdemeanor warrant on 37-year-old DeShawn Winzer on Friday for failing to appear in court for 4th-Degree Assault, Reckless Driving and Reckless Endangering. Winzer was already lodged in jail for Felony Parole Violation stemming from a previous conviction for an unspecified crime and he was being held without bail. Also on Friday, jail deputies served a Jackson County felony warrant on 44-year-old Brian Moerhing for failing to appear in court for Possession of Heroin and Possession of Methamphetamine. Moehring was already being held behind bars as a Material Witness in an unrelated criminal investigation. He remains in custody with no scheduled bail.

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters were "locked in" on active community protection during the final days of summer. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 668 calls for service as well as 309 officer-initiated calls last week that resulted in 51 arrests, 23 citations, 53 warnings and two highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 79 traffic stops in the city and they made 21 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services. The GPPD Community Response Team (CRT) contacted a total of 150 potential troublemakers while arresting two people, citing 27 more and warning 58 others. The CRT unit also trespassed 12 individuals from city homes and businesses. Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 98 calls last week including 45 for emergency medical service, four for reports of fire or smoke, 18 lift assists, seven rescue situations, four assists to other agencies and four false alarms. Fire crews also performed 11 business inspections and assisted the public four times. The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded a total of 1,155 emergency calls along with 765 calls for non-emergency service.

 

The Cave Junction City Council meeting this evening features discussion regarding a potential ordinance regulating water wells in the city. Grants Pass well contractor Kevin Gill will be attending the meeting and he will present information to start a discussion that could change the ordinance. No action is expected from the panel tonight. Also on the agenda is a resolution to adopt an Equal Employment Policy. Cave Junction residents will also have the opportunity to address Mayor Meadow Martell and the Council during the public comment period. Tonight's meeting starts at 7 in the City Council Chambers at Cave Junction City Hall, 222 Lister Street.

 

The Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management has reopened public lands within and near the two largest wildfires in southwest Oregon this year. The Upper Applegate Fire near Ruch started on June 20th and it was finally contained at 1,143 acres while the Salt Creek Fire between Eagle Point and Butte Falls started on July 7th and it was contained at 4,102 acres. The Oregon Department of Forestry said the cause of the Upper Applegate Fire was illegal mowing of dry grass and the cause of the Salt Creek Fire remains under investigation but it was likely caused by human activity. Before venturing out to public lands near these two wildfire areas, BLM officials warn citizens to be aware that safety concerns still exist. Ash and dust from the fires may contain toxic and cancer-causing chemicals. Watch out for fire-weakened trees and limbs that can fall without warning. If the wind picks up, leave the area immediately. In wet weather, water or mud may build up quickly and cause a landslide. Stump holes can remain hot long after a fire is out and footing can be unstable if roots have burned out underground.

 

The Grants Pass Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management is excited to announce that repair work has finished on the Rainie Falls Trail nearly three months ahead of schedule. BLM officials said the barriers were removed Friday and the public is once again allowed to use the trail on the south side of the Rogue River near Grave Creek. The area has been closed since the Rum Creek Fire in 2022. Officials said there is still the potential for hazards in the burned area including falling trees and limbs, debris flows, falling rocks and other safety concerns. The Rum Creek Fire caused rock, trees and other debris to fall on the tread of the trail. Retaining wall features built out of wood, railroad ties and metal stakes were burnt and damaged to the point of failure. The trail posed extreme fall hazards. The BLM contracted with Work Horse, Inc., out of Enterprise, Oregon, to repair the trail at a cost of approximately $230,000. Grants Pass BLM Field Manager Heidi Lowery cautions the public to "please hike carefully on the re-opened trail and keep an eye out for hazards."

 

Small grants that make a big difference for ensuring access to arts programming -- especially in rural areas -- have been awarded to 135 arts organizations by the Oregon Arts Commission (OAC). Each local arts organization will receive $2,355. Small Operating Grants support arts organizations throughout the state with annual budgets of less than $150,000. Eligibility is limited to organizations that provide ongoing, sustained artistic and outreach programming and current IRS 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt status. Here in Southern Oregon, organizations receiving OAC Small Operating Grants include Barnstormers Theatre and Fusion Performing Arts Alliance in Grants Pass, Southern Oregon Guild in Cave Junction, Art Presence in Jacksonville, Ashland Children's Theatre, Ashland Flute Circle, Ashland New Plays Festival, Rogue Valley Symphonic Band, Siskiyou Singers, Siskiyou Violins, Guitar Society of Southern Oregon and Oregon Art on a Mission.

 

The Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team (SOCET) assisted the US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon with the arrest and conviction of an Eastern Oregon man for the online enticement of a minor. The US Attorney's Office reports 28-year-old Reuben Phillip Harvey of Seneca was sentenced this week to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Court documents reveal that in March 2023, Harvey used an online messaging application to communicate with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 15-year-old girl as part of a broader investigation into online child exploitation. Harvey expressed his interest in young girls to the undercover officer and discussed logistics for a possible meet-up. During these conversations, Harvey also communicated to the officer his fear of getting caught, going to prison and becoming a sex offender for engaging in an intimate relationship with a child. On March 14, 2023, Harvey traveled to meet the child and parked his vehicle a few blocks from where he believed she lived. Shortly after, Harvey was arrested. A search of his phone revealed dozens of internet searches for child sexual abuse material and searches related to his meet-up with the purported child. In August 2023, a federal grand jury in Medford returned an indictment charging Harvey with Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Child. On June 10th of this year, he pleaded guilty to that charge. Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children is encouraged to contact Homeland Security Investigations at 1-(866)-347-2423 or submit a tip online at "report.cybertip.org."

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a felon on an outstanding warrant and some new crimes after he tried to elude them through the city while riding a bicycle early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers eventually arrested 28-year-old Brandon James Bledsoe on West Park Street near Riverside Veterinary Clinic on Friday at 3:43 a.m..Police said they initiated a traffic stop on Bledsoe while he was riding a bike without proper lighting equipment in the 500-block of SE Mill Street. He refused to yield to lights and siren, leading officers on chase on M Street to 6th Street and across Caveman Bridge toward Williams Highway. He turned around at the South Y and headed toward Riverside Park where he crashed his bike near the vet clinic. While being placed into custody, Bledsoe was found to be in possession of brass knuckles and a spring-loaded pocket knife. He was also found to be wanted on a Grants Pass felony warrant for failing to appear in court for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, 2nd-Degree Forgery and Escape. Bledsoe was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus new charges including two counts of Felon in Possession of a Restricted Weapon and Escape. His bicycle was logged into evidence for safekeeping.

 

Local law enforcement agencies have seen an uptick of scam calls in recent weeks. According to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, these scam calls have defrauded three local victims of about $17,000. Sheriff's officials remind residents that phone scammers are actively victimizing the Southern Oregon community. Do not send money to someone representing themselves as law enforcement on the phone. The Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement entities will never call you to collect money and legitimate agencies will never ask for payment in the form of gift cards or bitcoin. When in doubt, hang up and call your local law enforcement agency. Please share this information with friends and family who may be vulnerable to such scams.