Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for violating a court order by contacting a former roommate in the Redwood area yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a domestic disturbance at a home in the 2100-block of Redwood Avenue on Thursday around 10:50 a.m.. Police said a man called 9-1-1 to report that his former roommate -- 49-year-old Bret Leon Murphy-Court -- attempted to call him while an active restraining order was in place. The caller told dispatchers that Murphy-Court wanted to retrieve his belongings from the residence. He blocked the number after a total of three calls. Murphy-Court is reportedly living with his girlfriend in the Cave Junction area. Officers located him and placed him into custody at 3:23 a.m. today. Murphy-Court was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for three counts of Contempt of Court -- No Contact Order Violation. Jail records show he had been arrested earlier this week for Harassment and Resisting Arrest.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for drug possession early yesterday following a traffic stop at a city park. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a light-colored sedan driven by 58-year-old David Carrie Wilson at Baker Park at 10:16 a.m. Thursday. Police said they stopped Wilson for expired registration tags on his car and learned that he was driving without insurance. They said a glass pipe with narcotics residue was protruding from his right front pocket in plain view. It field-tested positive as methamphetamine. The pipe, meth and additional drug paraphernalia were seized. Wilson was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Meth Possession. His vehicle was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving after he flattened a sign and then crashed at a southwest city intersection yesterday. The Police Department reports officers and emergency crews responded to the wreck at SW 4th and Bridge streets on Thursday around 3:30 p.m.. Police said a fellow motorist who was following a Chevrolet SUV driven by 29-year-old Zachery Bryce Williams saw him veer across all three lanes of SE 7th Street and hit an ODOT "Wait Here for Crossing Pedestrians" sign before turning west on K Street and stopping on the north side of Active Home Furnishings. According to the report, another driver witnessed the crash at 4th and Bridge where Williams high-centered his SUV on some boulders. He was not hurt, but he was unable to move his vehicle. Responding officers contacted him and said he showed signs of impairment. Williams admitted to inhaling nitrous oxide "whip-its" just prior to the crashes. He was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving and Criminal Mischief. He was cited and released, but his vehicle was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a young motorist for impaired driving early yesterday after a traffic stop in the downtown area. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a black Dodge pickup driven by a 21-year-old female subject near the corner of NE 7th and A streets on Thursday shortly after midnight. Police said they stopped the woman for making an unsafe right-hand turn and her inability to maintain a single travel lane. They said she showed several indicators of impairment and they could smell the odor of alcohol on her breath. The young motorist performed poorly in field sobriety tests, was placed into custody and transported to the Josephine County Jail where she provided a breath sample that exceeded the legal driving limit. The suspect was lodged in jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and her pickup was impounded.

 

Two people and their dog escaped injury when they rolled their vehicle in the Selma area yesterday. On Thursday at 3:54 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District and American Medical Response were dispatched to the single-vehicle rollover crash in the 2500-block of Lakeshore Drive. IVFD officials said arriving units found the vehicle on its top, but two occupants and their canine passenger sustained no injuries. Jerry's Towing responded, removed the vehicle and hauled it to Cave Junction. It was unclear whether there would be an investigation into the cause of the crash.

 

The Medford Police Department received multiple reports of a shooting near the Bear Creek Greenway in the area of 8th Street on Wednesday afternoon. An MPD community service officer was on the Greenway about one block away, heard the gunfire and quickly relayed information to responding officers. Officers arrived within minutes and located the adult male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. MPD officers, Medford Fire personnel and Mercy Flights medics provided immediate life-saving aid. Based on witness accounts and the initial investigation, officers promptly obtained and broadcasted a description of the suspect. Within 15 minutes, an MPD detective located the suspect walking at the Medford Center near Tinseltown Theater. The suspect -- 38-year-old William K. Triplett -- was interviewed by detectives and then lodged at the Jackson County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Assault. The victim was initially transported to a local hospital and then airlifted to Portland for advanced medical care. The man remains in critical condition and his name is being withheld at this time. Preliminary findings indicated that the suspect and victim were acquainted and had been involved in a verbal dispute, which escalated into a physical confrontation and ultimately led to the shooting. This remains an active investigation and anyone with information is encouraged to contact MPD.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department deployed its SWAT team to help end a three-hour standoff with a felony suspect at a residence near the high school. On Wednesday morning, the Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center received a call regarding a disturbance at a home on NE 8th Street that led to a male suspect threatening to kill a woman with a knife, attempting to stab her and then spraying her with mace as he fled the scene. The female victim reported that the suspect -- 51-year-old Barney Adam Clem -- left on foot wearing a bright orange shirt. Officers arrived in the area and observed Clem walking on NE B Street. As officers called for him to stop, he quickly entered a B Street residence that is considered by GPPD to be a nuisance. Calls for Clem to exit the home went unanswered and officers received permission to search the residence. During the initial search, they found 36-year-old Bryan William Suthann hiding in a bedroom. Suthann was wanted for Probation Violation and was in possession of methamphetamine. He was lodged in jail. Sounds were heard inside the residence indicating someone was moving around, but Clem could not safely be located. Due to potential safety issues, GPPD SWAT was called to the scene. Following a lengthy search with numerous canisters of irritant being deployed in the attic and under the house, Clem finally emerged from the crawlspace and surrendered. Clem was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Unlawful Use of Pepper Spray and Escape plus a local warrant charging him with two counts of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and 1st-Degree Theft. The District Attorney's Office was asked to consider adding Attempted Assault charges.

 

An investigation into the fire that damaged the former Merlin Post Office building this week has turned into a large marijuana bust. Rural Metro Fire Department responded to a fire in an industrial building in the 300-block of Merlin Avenue on Monday morning. When firefighters arrived on scene, they discovered the commercial building was being used for an indoor marijuana grow. After the fire was extinguished, the Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET) was called in and executed a search warrant for the premises. During execution of the warrant, over 1,300 marijuana plants were seized and destroyed while other evidence was found and photographed. The Oregon State Fire Marshal was also called in to investigate the exact origin and cause of the fire. Investigators determined the fire was caused by manipulation of the electrical service, bypassing the electrical meter to supply power to the grow illegally. So far no arrests have been made, but the investigation is continuing. Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the JMET Tip Line at (541)-474-5252.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a motorist for impaired driving after he crashed a vehicle near Selma this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle wreck in the 1900-block of Reeves Creek Road late Wednesday afternoon. Deputies said an investigation indicated that 42-year-old Rell Allen Baty was driving a 2005 Chevrolet Traverse when he went off the north side of the road. They said Baty displayed signs of impairment and was acting belligerent with emergency responders. According to the report, Baty performed poorly in field sobriety tests, a search warrant was obtained and he was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw that documented a high level of impairment. He was lodged in jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His vehicle was impounded. Deputies noted that Baty threatened to kill them and their families after he was released from jail. He was flagged for threatening law enforcement.