Local News

A Jackson County grand jury has indicted an Ashland man for several felony-level crimes. The Ashland Police Department reports 34-year-old James David Lee Hergett was indicted on charges including 1st-Degree Kidnapping, 2nd-Degree Kidnapping, Coercion with a Firearm, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Domestic Menacing, Attempted 2nd-Degree Assault, Harassment, 1st-Degree Sex Abuse and 3rd-Degree Sex Abuse. APD Chief Tighe O'Meara said the indictments stem from two incidents. On April 12th, Hergett was reported to have vandalized property in the downtown Ashland area. In the course of fleeing from that crime, he confronted and assaulted several people, fleeing upon the arrival of APD officers. When officers tried to contact him, he fled on foot and tried to gain entry to a residence, leading to another assault on the occupant. He also assaulted two police officers before being subdued with deployment of a Taser. A previous incident was reported to APD on April 8th when Hergett is alleged to have held a man captive for 48 hours while assaulting and menacing him with firearms. The sex abuse charges stem from the same incident. Officers were unable to act on this complaint immediately due to concerns that forcing contact with the suspect could endanger the neighboring community, given the known presence of multiple guns. Following Hergett's arrest, Chief O'Meara said officers obtained a search warrant for Hergett's residence on Iowa Street and seized several firearms as evidence. He remains in custody at the Jackson County Jail on $750,000 bail.

 

A Josephine County Jail inmate was served with a nationwide felony warrant this week. The Sheriff's Office reports jail deputies served 46-year-old Jason Paul Lanyon with a Wisconsin Department of Corrections warrant for Parole Violation related to a conviction for Child Neglect on Tuesday. Jail records show Lanyon was already in custody for being a fugitive from out of state. He was arrested for that crime on Monday night by the Grants Pass Police Department. Lanyon was being held without bail pending extradition proceedings that will send him back to Wisconsin.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man on a statewide felony warrant early yesterday while investigating a trespassing complaint at a north-city convenience store. The Police Department reports officers arrested 43-year-old Lee Nicholas Rich at the Pinnacle 365 on NE 6th Street on Wednesday at 2:39 a.m.. Police said a store clerk called 9-1-1 to report a man who seemed lost, confused and under the influence of alcohol came into the business. The caller advised the man was slurring his words and was very hard to understand. He kept falling over and the clerk was concerned for his welfare, but the clerk wanted him trespassed. Officers arrived on scene, contacted Rich and discovered that he was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a conviction for Felony Identity Theft. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for weapon and drug crimes as he was leaving a Redwood area watering hole early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a 1998 Toyota 4-Runner driven by 29-year-old Garrett Keith Huling in the 2,000-block of Redwood Avenue on Wednesday at 1:05 a.m.. Police said they stopped Huling after he left the Lucky Duck because his vehicle registration and insurance were expired. He had been warned in January regarding those infractions and told his vehicle would be impounded. He was cited to appear in court and his vehicle was towed. Huling admitted to police that there was a glass methamphetamine pipe in the center console of the vehicle and officers found a 9-millimeter firearm under the driver's seat. He is not a felon, but did not have a concealed weapons permit. He was also found to be in possession of two grams of methamphetamine. Huling refused to participate in the deflection program, but he was cooperative with law enforcement. He was cited to appear in court for Carrying a Concealed Weapon and Meth Possession. The gun, meth and pipe were seized.

 

Rural Metro Fire Department is reporting that the cause of a fire that claimed the lives of two dogs in southeast Grants Pass this week is related to electrical failure. Early Morning morning, Rural Metro and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to the structure fire at a large two-story home in the 4700-block of Cloverlawn Drive. All four occupants of the home escaped, but two family dogs did not survive. Investigators from the Oregon State Fire Marshal, Rural Metro, Grants Pass and the Williams Rural Fire Protection District joined forces to determine the cause. The investigation revealed that an overload in electrical extension cords passing through a three-way adaptor resulted in overheating. The cords were also weighed down by content accumulation in the basement bedroom. Rural Metro officials said firefighters routinely promote messages of safety in hopes of preventing fires. However, fires can still start from common activities that many people overlook because nothing has happened -- yet. Officials encourage residents to take the time to carefully evaluate their homes and properties and mitigate any potential fire hazards.

 

An Oregon Army National Guard Unit restored veteran graves at an historic Medford Cemetery earlier this month. Soldiers from Hotel Company, 141st Support Battalion, attached to the 1-186th Infantry Battalion, spent part of their drill weekend cleaning veteran gravesites at the historic Eastwood Cemetery on April 13th. Twenty-seven Oregon Army National Guard soldiers from H Company, which drills out of the Medford Armory, joined by Southern Oregon University ROTC cadets, partnered with Medford Parks and Recreation to restore weathered headstones at the one of the city's oldest cemeteries. Established in 1890 by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), the cemetery was sold to the City of Medford in the 1970s when the organization could no longer maintain it. Today, it is managed by Medford Parks and Rec. Soldiers worked in groups of four, cleaning moss and dirt from headstones and removing weeds from around grave makers. Many of the sites they restored belonged to veterans. Tyson Thompson, volunteer coordinator with Medford Parks and Recreation, organized the event and called the military presence "a tremendous help."

 

Josephine County's recently appointed Budget Officer has abruptly resigned and is calling on the Board of Commissioners to do the same. Former Commissioner Simon Hare tendered his immediate resignation to the Board on Tuesday night, stating that he is quitting "with a profound sense of duty" precipitated by the Commissioners' inaction in what he believes is a potential multi-million-dollar contract with Michael Sellers to become County Operations Manager. Hare said Sellers' name and title are listed in multiple budget documents totaling $388,000 in annual compensation that equates to nearly $1,500 per day. He said the compensation package was negotiated and approved by Board Chair Andreas Blech as a result of closed-door, backroom meetings with Sellers, with the full knowledge and delegated authority of Commissioners Chris Barnett and Ron Smith. Hare contends that "what is happening at Josephine County is the antithesis of transparency, public service, representative government and against the explicit will of the voters." Hare concluded his resignation letter by stating "the Board is woefully unqualified, ill-prepared and apathetic to make positive changes." He said all three must be held to account for breaking public trust, calling on them to be pressured to resign or face recall immediately.

 

A library volunteer and member of Grants Pass Friends of the Library has filed a petition for redress of grievances to the Josephine County Board of Commissioners that asserts the Board has violated the County Charter. Matthew Hoff filed the paperwork on Wednesday, stating that "the actions and inactions of the Josephine County Board of Commissioners regarding the lease of the Grants Pass Library facility constitute a significant breach of public trust and governance obligations, and violate the Charter's mandate for library support and public accountability." The Josephine County Charter is a document that delineates the structure and powers of county government. Per Section 29.8 of the Charter, Josephine County officials must respond within five days and provide a resolution within 60 days. Hoff said he conceived the idea to petition the Commissioners during a discussion following a screening of the PBS episode "Us As We Are: Regional Libraries." The documentary featured the local library district's struggle to negotiate with the county after the Commissioners terminated the Grants Pass library's lease with 30 days' notice in January.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department is holding a Drug Take-Back event this weekend for people who want to get rid of unused prescription medications. The Drug Take-Back event is set for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the GPPD parking lot at 726 NE 7th Street. GPPD will accept unwanted or unused prescription medications in solid or liquid forms. Participants are encouraged to remove prescription labels before disposal. GPPD will not accept vapes with non-removable batteries, inhalers, intravenous solutions, injectables, syringes, marijuana or other illicit substances. This event is being held nationwide with support from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).