Local News

A previous appointee to the Josephine County Board of Commissioners is the new appointee to the Board of Commissioners. Newly-elected Commissioners Ron Smith and Chris Barnett voted this morning to appoint Andreas Blech to fill the vacant Position #1 on the Board to complete the remainder of recalled Commissioner John West's four-year term. Blech is scheduled to be sworn into office by Judge Robert Bain today at 1:15 p.m.. Blech previously served as the Position #2 Commissioner starting in June 2024, filling a vacancy after former Commissioner Dan DeYoung resigned from the Board. Position #2 is now occupied by Commissioner Barnett. Blech is a former business owner with experience in aerospace manufacturing, agribusiness and land development. Barnett said they are thrilled to have Blech complete the Board as it moves forward in the new year. He said "his experience as both a Commissioner and as a longtime area business leader will be invaluable to this office."

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a North Valley man for threatening to shoot his roommate on Monday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to a disturbance at a home in the 1,000-block of Red Mountain Drive around 12:40 p.m. yesterday. Deputies said a man called 9-1-1 to report that he and his roommate -- identified as 67-year-old Jon Edge Allen, III -- were in a verbal argument that escalated into the roommate telling him he was going to shoot him. The caller said his roommate then went to the garage where several firearms were kept while he fled the house and called for help. Upon arrival, deputies contacted Allen and he admitted to threatening to shoot the victim. They said the suspect was under the influence of alcohol and possibly some drugs. Allen was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Menacing. He was being held without bail.

 

A home near the City of Rogue River was heavily damaged by fire early today. Jackson County Fire District #1 was dispatched to a structure fire involving a single-story residence on Foothill Boulevard at 5:27 this morning. District #1 Fire Chief Mike Hammond said arriving units found the residence fully-involved with flames. He said crews mounted an attack and knocked the fire down. Crews remained on scene for a couple of hours mopping up. According to Chief Hammond, the house was occupied by three people. One occupant was awakened by smoke detectors and found the house full of smoke. That person woke up the other occupants and they exited the dwelling before the arrival of firefighters. The cause of the fire was under investigation. District #1 was assisted by Grants Pass Fire & Rescue, Evans Valley Fire District and Jackson County Fire District #3. Hammond said this tragic situation was prevented from becoming even worse by working smoke detectors that alerted the occupants in a timely manner, allowing them to escape the burning structure.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended two local fugitives late last night during a traffic stop near the Allen Creek Shopping Center. According to the Police Department, officer pulled over a Dodge pickup driven by 38-year-old Danielle Ann Lee Westerman in the 1600-block of Allen Creek Road on Monday at 10:44 p.m.. Police said they stopped the pickup for a traffic violation and quickly discovered that Westerman was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Theft. They said she consented to a search of the vehicle where syringes and a baggie with an untestable amount of white residue were located and seized for destruction. Westerman was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus she was cited for Driving While Suspended, No Insurance and Expired Registration. The pickup was impounded. Westerman's passenger -- 45-year-old Michael Robert Warren -- was found to be wanted on a Grants Pass felony warrant for Probation Violation related to an arrest for 3rd-Degree Assault along with probable cause for 3rd-Degree Theft from an unrelated incident. He was lodged in jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on two local warrants after a shoplifting call at Home Depot yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to a theft complaint at the store on NE Mill Street on Monday at 11:47 a.m.. Police said Home Depot loss prevention reported a man later identified as 51-year-old Sean William MacDowell entered the bathroom with store merchandise. They said he was detained when merchandise was located in the bathroom and his pockets. Managers elected not to pursue charges since he hadn't left the store. Responding officers discovered that MacDowell was wanted on two Grants Pass warrants for failing to appear in court for Methamphetamine Possession and 3rd-Degree Theft. MacDowell was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants. He was also trespassed from Home Depot.

 

The theft of some crackers from a Grants Pass convenience store early yesterday led to the arrest of a well-known offender on two outstanding warrants. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting call at Li'l Pantry Market & Deli on NW Vine Street on Monday around 6:20 a.m.. Police said a store clerk reported a male subject concealed a bag of Cheez-Its valued at $1.99 and left the store without paying for the crackers. The clerk presented a photo of the suspect to officers who identified him as 30-year-old Dustin Michael Fontana from numerous prior law enforcement contacts. Fontana was located nearby and placed into custody. He was found to be wanted on two Grants Pass warrants -- each charging him with failing to appear in court for Disorderly Conduct. Fontana was lodged in jail on the warrants plus a new charge of 3rd-Degree Theft.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass woman for impaired driving late last night after a traffic stop on Rogue River Highway. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Chevrolet Spark driven by the 24-year-old female subject on Highway 99 near Fruitdale Drive on Monday at 11:35 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the car for a traffic violation and the driver displayed signs of impairment by alcohol. They said she performed poorly in field sobriety tests, so she was taken to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where she provided a breath sample that was nearly twice the legal driving limit. The suspect was lodged at the Sobering Center for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. A sober driver responded to pick up the car.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for chasing and frightening a teenage girl in the downtown area last weekend. The Police Department reports officers arrested 30-year-old Brandon Keaun Fergusson for the incident in the 400-block of SW 6th Street on Sunday shortly before 2 p.m.. Police said Fergusson chased a 16-year-old girl while placing her in fear of physical injury. They said the victim was able to close the door to a business and lock it, stopping the suspect from entry. The victim reported the suspect attempted to push the door open several times unsuccessfully. After being placed into custody, Fergusson kicked the inside of a patrol vehicle while leaving scuff marks on the glass and also spit inside the vehicle. Fergusson was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for two counts of Menacing and single counts of 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief and Disorderly Conduct. He was being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a woman for stealing a vehicle in California following a weekend traffic stop on Redwood Highway near Grants Pass. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies pulled over a vehicle driven by 23-year-old Breonna Marie Miller on US Highway 199 near Neill Road on Sunday around 7 p.m.. Deputies said they were alerted to the vehicle theft by California Highway Patrol (CHP) in Crescent City. That led to the high-risk traffic stop and detainment of Miller. She was placed into custody, the stolen car was recovered and CHP was notified. Miller was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. She was being held without bail and is facing extradition proceedings that will likely send her back to California.