Local News

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for violating his probation after arresting him on an outstanding warrant in the north part of the city late last week. The Police Department reports officers arrested 34-year-old Zane Raynier Hatcher near the corner of NE 7th Street and Midland Avenue on Friday at 1:55 p.m.. Police said they observed Hatcher walking along 7th Street and they knew that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Possession of Methamphetamine. He was placed into custody and his corrections officer was contacted. Hatcher was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus the resulting Felony Probation Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

A Josephine County Sheriff's Office investigation into an Independence Day crash near Cave Junction led to the arrest of a motorist for impaired driving. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies, the Illinois Valley Fire District and American Medical Response were dispatched to the single-vehicle wreck in the 9300-block of Takilma Road on Friday at 7:48 p.m.. Deputies said two people were impaired after attending a party when one of them agreed to drive the other to another location. The driver -- identified by deputies as 23-year-old Erin Moore -- lost control of the vehicle and crashed. According to the report, Moore was transported by AMR ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of unspecified injuries while the unidentified passenger was not hurt. The passenger did not wish to press charges and was given a ride home. Following the investigation, Moore was cited at the hospital for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a motorist for impaired driving at the beginning of Independence Day following a traffic stop on Redwood Highway near Wonder. According to the Sheriff's Office, the Oregon State Police pulled over a vehicle driven by 35-year-old Ryan Keil on US Highway 199 near Newt Gulch Road on Friday shortly after midnight. Deputies said troopers reported they pulled over Keil for traffic violations and he displayed signs of impairment. They called in the Sheriff's Office to administer field sobriety tests and the suspect performed poorly. Keil was transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that exceeded the legal driving limit. He was cited to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and his vehicle was impounded.

 

The driver of a pickup called the Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center to report mechanical issues that led to a weekend fire on a BLM Road east of the city. Rural Metro Fire Department and the Oregon Department of Forestry responded to the incident on a BLM Road off the end of Greens Creek Road on Saturday at about 4:20 p.m.. Rural Metro officials said crews were able to access the location and extinguish the vehicle as well as an estimated one-quarter-acre spread to nearby vegetation. Both ground and air units were engaged in an aggressive attack to stop the blaze from escaping into the surrounding wildland. ODF officials said current "high" fire danger in southwest Oregon requires those traveling through forestland to carry firefighting equipment including one shovel and either one gallon of water or one 2.5-pound or larger fire extinguisher.

 

The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded more than 1,200 emergency calls in the week leading up to Independence Day. From June 26th through July 2nd, the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center reported a total of 1,224 emergency calls that were directed to local first responders. The Grants Pass Police Department received by far the most emergency calls with 797, followed by American Medical Response with 310 and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue with 89. Rural Metro Fire Department received 43 calls, the Illinois Valley Fire District received 27, the Oregon Department of Forestry received 22, Williams Fire & Rescue received seven and the Wolf Creek Fire Department got three. In addition to the emergency calls received last week, dispatchers received a total of 399 internal phone calls and they made 569 outbound calls. Calls related to Independence Day fireworks complaints will be included in the report that is released later this week.

 

With hotter and drier conditions arriving early this year, the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) is urging residents to prepare for an active 2025 fire season. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, fire activity has increased gradually since May, droughts have intensified in the Pacific Northwest and several significant fires have broken out recently. In the 2020s alone, Oregon wildfires have caused nearly $3 billion in estimated losses, which is more than the previous four decades combined. The National Interagency Fire Center anticipates that in July, August and September, most of Oregon will be above normal in its fire activity. DFR has created a disaster toolkit on its website, which includes how to financially prepare for wildfire season, wildfire preparedness for your home and evacuation tips. To save time, money and stress, visit "dfr.oregon.gov/preparenow." DFR also has a webpage dedicated to wildfire insurance resources. One area that often gets overlooked is how to make your home as fireproof as possible by creating defensible space by removing dry leaves, dead brush, debris and pine needles from yards and gutters. Trim trees away from your home, barns and sheds, and place screens over open vents on homes. These tasks reduce the fuels that enable wildfires to spread and give firefighters more time to slow the blaze.

 

The Bureau of Land Management sold 19.2 million board feet of timber across 772 public acres for more than $5.7 million between three sales in western Oregon. These sales will produce enough timber to build roughly 1,200 homes, feed local mills and support jobs in Oregon communities. The Medford BLM District sold 2.2 million board feet of timber across 110 acres in the Salt Creek Salvage Sale to Swanson Group of Glendale for $101,504. The project will remove fire-damaged trees along publicly accessible BLM roads. The NW Oregon BLM District sold 2.2 million board feet of timber across 345 acres in the Farm Team Timber Sale to Feres Lumber Company of Lyons for about $2.1 million. The district also sold 8.4 million board feet of timber across 317 acres in the Brushback Timber Sale to Sierra Pacific Industries of Eugene for about $3.5 million. In western Oregon, the BLM manages 2.4 million acres of some of the most productive forests in the world and is committed to supplying a reliable, secure and resilient domestic supply of timber. Each year, the BLM Oregon-Washington Forestry Program sales support approximately 2,000 local jobs and generate more than $1 billion for local economies.

 

Rural Metro Fire Department is thanking Josephine County residents who were mostly responsible with fireworks during their Independence Day celebrations. Rural Metro officials said only a few fires were reported in and around the greater Grants Pass area on Friday night, all of which remained small and were quickly put out by firefighters or good Samaritans. Two visually spectacular fires were reported due to their proximity to large crowds gathered at the Allen Creek Shopping Center and Williams Highway Plaza, but no injuries were reported and no structures were damaged when sparks lit blackberries and brush. Fire officials extend their appreciation to everyone who remained responsible with their fireworks usage this year and to those who were properly prepared with the means to extinguish small ignitions. Firefighters from local agencies asked that leftover fireworks be stowed away and saved for New Year's Eve celebrations. The summer wildfire season is just starting with conditions only getting hotter and drier.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for beating up and strangling his wife at a north-city motel late yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to a domestic disturbance at Motel 6 on NE 7th Street on Thursday around 4 p.m.. Police said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that her husband -- 38-year-old James Robert Kettles -- subjected her to numerous punches to her face and body, causing physical injury. When she failed to follow his orders to go into the bathroom, he shoved his hand and fingers into her throat, temporarily obstructing her breathing. Kettles' wife called for help after her husband left the motel in a Ford pickup. He was located by officers at the south Les Schwab Tire Center. A pinch maneuver stopped the suspect vehicle at Ringuette Street and Redwood Highway. He was placed into custody with assistance from K-9 "Kick." GPPD discovered that Kettles was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for Parole Violation and a Sutherlin Police Department warrant for an unspecified crime. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the two warrants plus new charges of Felony Coercion, 4th-Degree Domestic Assault, Domestic Strangulation and Driving While Suspended. Kettles was being held on a no-bail detainer and his pickup was impounded.