Local News

Grants Pass Police rousted three male transients who were sleeping in front of downtown businesses in just over an hour last night. According to the Police Department, the first incident occurred on Monday at 10:40 p.m. when officers contacted a man sleeping in front of business doors on J Street. He was cited for Sleeping on City Sidewalks and warned for Possession of an Open Alcoholic Beverage. He was ordered to move on. The second incident happened at 10:54 p.m. when officers contacted a man sleeping outside a business entrance on SE H Street. He was cited for Sleeping on City Sidewalks and told to move on. The third incident took place at 11:56 p.m. when officers contacted a man sleeping in front of business on SW 6th Street. He was cited to appear in court and ordered to move on.

 

A Grants Pass woman and her two young children were injured in a weekend crash on Interstate 5 in northern Josephine County. The Oregon State Police and emergency personnel responded to the three-vehicle collision in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 74 on Smith Hill on Saturday night. Police said a Mitsubishi Eclipse driven by a 50-year-old Roseburg woman lost control while negotiating a left-hand curve and came to rest blocking the slow lane. A Toyota RAV4 driven by a 32-year-old woman did not see the Mitsubishi when it came around the curve, rapidly decelerated and swerved into the fast lane, which caused another RAV4 driven by a 24-year-old Grants Pass woman to crash into the back of the first vehicle. According to OSP, the second RAV4 was carrying two children in rear-facing car seats. The children and their mother were transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. No one else was hurt. All three vehicles sustained heavy damage and were towed to Grants Pass. Following an investigation, the Roseburg motorist was cited for No Insurance.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman on four outstanding warrants following a weekend shoplifting incident at Walmart. The Police Department reports officers arrested 34-year-old Britney Ann Diffie at the store on NE Terry Lane on Sunday at 2:35 p.m.. Police said Diffie was observed by Walmart loss prevention attempting to steal items valued at more than $100. They said she was detained and while officers were enroute to the store, they learned that she was wanted on four warrants issued by the Medford Police Department. Charges contained in the warrants included Parole Violation stemming from a burglary conviction, four counts of Identity Theft, three counts of 1st-Degree Theft and failing to appear in court for 1st-Degree Theft. Diffie was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants plus a new charge of 2nd-Degree Theft. She was being held without bail. According to the report, Diffie was trespassed from Walmart as well as a property in the 1300-block of Rogue River Highway.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for breaking into a vehicle in the downtown area last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the car-clouting incident in the 100-block of SE J Street on Sunday at 10:08 p.m.. Police said 32-year-old Michael Jeremy Johnson was observed entering a Honda Civic by the vehicle owner and two other witnesses. They said he was seen inside the car, rummaging around and sifting through items. Johnson fled when confronted by the witnesses and he was detained by officers in front of River City Bar & Grill on SE K Street a short time later. He admitted to entering the vehicle because he believed it had been abandoned. He stated that he entered the vehicle with intent to steal a jacket due to the cold weather. Johnson was transported to the Josephine County Jail where he was booked for Unlawful Entry into a Motor Vehicle. Nothing was taken and no damage was done.

 

A weekend domestic disturbance at a fast food restaurant in Grants Pass led to the arrest of a woman for drug possession early yesterday. Grants Pass Police responded to the reported disturbance at Carl's Jr. on NW 6th Street around 1:45 a.m. Monday. Police said a woman from a nearby RV park called 9-1-1 to report a woman crying in the restaurant parking lot and telling someone to stop hurting her. The caller said there was a verbal and possibly physical altercation involving the woman and a man who was cussing. No one was hurt in the confrontation near a parked vehicle. Officers arrived on scene, contacting 47-year-old Amelia Melinda Easley and a man they identified only as "Carney." During the contact, drug paraphernalia was observed and Easley admitted to having more of it on her person. During a search, she was found to be in possession of a black tar substance identified as heroin. Easley was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Heroin Possession. Carney was warned for his behavior and ordered to remove his vehicle from Carl's Jr..

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving and more after he wrecked his vehicle into another vehicle on Williams Highway in the south part of the city. The Police Department reports officers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle crash on Highway 238 at New Hope Road on Sunday around 11:30 a.m.. Police said 23-year-old Brennan Drake Bertolone was driving a Toyota Tacoma when he rear-ended a GMC driven by another motorist who called 9-1-1 to report him as an impaired driver. There were two babies in the GMC, but no injuries were reported. Bertolone showed signs of impairment at the scene and he 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 his impairment. Bertolone was cited and released for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Endangering and Tampering with Evidence. Charges of Reckless Driving and Methamphetamine Possession were referred to the District Attorney's Office for consideration. His vehicle was impounded.

 

Make sure your holiday travel plans include having your home checked on while you are away. Volunteers with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office offer vacation home checks. To fill out a request form, stop by the Merlin or Cave Junction Sheriff's Substations or visit "josephinecounty.gov/government/sheriff/volunteers.php." Volunteers are an important part of the Sheriff's Office, assisting with many of their day-to-day activities. Some of the jobs they are tasked with include performing vacation home checks, court security, handling abandoned vehicles, managing the substations, assisting with community activities and other administrative duties. If you're interested in volunteering, please complete a volunteer application. You can drop off your completed application at the Sheriff's Office on NE F Street in Grants Pass, the Merlin Substation at 100 Acorn Street or the Cave Junction Substation at 222 Lister Street. For more information, call (541)-474-5135 or (541)-592-5151.

 

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) is investing $5 million to combat rural homelessness through the Youth Emergency Housing Assistance Program (YEHA). The $5 million will be disbursed to five different organizations in Josephine, Douglas, Klamath, Coos and Lincoln counties that help youth and their families who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. The YEHA project team analyzed data from both Oregon's Emergency Homelessness Response and the Department of Education to identify which communities had the highest rate of youth experiencing homelessness to ensure these funds make the biggest possible impact. Locally, the team chose the Maslow Project in Josephine County and Family Faith and Relationship Advocates in Douglas County to receive funding. Maslow Project Founder and Executive Director Mary Ferrell said the funding will empower them to expand their outreach, enhance their support services and build sustainable solutions for the unique challenges faced in Josephine County. Ferrell said "it's a vital step toward ensuring that youth and families in our county can access safe and stable housing. We know that when stabilized, youth are far more likely to finish high school, improve their long-term outcomes and end the cycle of homelessness."

 

Residents are invited to attend and participate in a community forum hosted by the City of Grants Pass next month. The community forum to learn about current issues related to housing production, rent burden, fair housing and more is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, December 10th, at the Grants Pass City Council Chambers. Information will be shared on current housing statistics, causes and consequences of rent burden, barriers to reducing rent burden and community resources. Citizens can provide feedback during this discussion to help guide housing strategies and initiatives to address current rental housing challenges in the City of Grants Pass. Grants Pass is identified by Oregon Housing & Community Services as a city that is severely rent-burdened, with 28.6% of all renters paying more than half of their income on rent. Paying too much for housing often prevents households from paying for other necessary expenses including medical care, food, utilities, transportation, education, childcare and more. During this forum, community members are encouraged to share experiences, ask questions and provide input on potential solutions to ease the local housing crisis.