Local News

The Board of Commissioners continued its effort to remove outdated ordinances from the Josephine County Code during its weekly business session this morning. Following four brief public hearings, the Board voted unanimously to repeal rules pertaining to the payment of attorney fees, utility consumer choice, sanitary landfills and the designation of county property for sanitary landfills. The second readings and approvals of the new ordinances are scheduled for September 4th. Assistant County Legal Counsel Leah Harper testified all of the existing rules are outdated and need to be removed from the County Code. She said attorney fees were never paid to witnesses who cooperated with the District Attorney, the case against Pacific Power's Smart Meters was settled and the former Marlsan Landfill has been closed for many years. There was no public testimony in the hearings. Under Administrative Actions, the Board also voted unanimously to approve an order outlining general fund appropriations in various county departments. The department heads are expected to watch both their spending appropriations and revenues in the same manner as departments not paid for by the general fund. Scott Blower of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest presented the Board with a certificate of appreciation for the efforts of Josephine County Public Works in the Bear Camp Road Project. The Commissioners reminded citizens of the Fire Hazard Map Meeting scheduled for Monday afternoon in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium. The Grants Pass & Josephine County Chamber of Commerce opened the meeting with a presentation on the recent Lemonade Day event. New Chamber CEO Terry Hopkins said around 300 local children participated in the program with more than 80 lemonade stands in Grants Pass and Cave Junction. Young entrepreneur Reese Tappan said she donated $50 from her stand to the Rogue Valley Humane Society.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman who allegedly threatened her boyfriend with a knife outside a downtown business yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to a reported disturbance near an unnamed business on SE H Street on Tuesday at 2:35 p.m.. Police said a 61-year-old female subject and her boyfriend got into an argument while parked at the incident location. They said she admitted to taking out a knife and stabbing the seat next to her boyfriend, stating that she would cut him. No one was hurt and no physical contact occurred. According to the report, the woman drove away in a maroon Buick sedan while screaming. Officers searched the area, located her at 11th and I streets, and placed her into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Menacing. She was being held without bail. Josephine County Animal Control was called in to take possession of a cat that was inside the suspect vehicle. It was taken to the Animal Shelter.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a total of nine out-of-county warrants at a home on the west side of the city early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers were assisting Jackson County Corrections when they located the 31-year-old male subject in the 900-block of SW Bridge Street on Tuesday around 11 a.m.. Police said the subject was wanted on two Jackson County Circuit Court warrants for failing to appear in court for Reckless Endangering, Criminal Mischief and other alleged crimes. They said he was also wanted on a Klamath County Corrections warrant for failing to appear in court for 4th-Degree Assault and two Clackamas County warrant for failing to appear in court on unspecified charges. Officers said the man identified as "Tyler Alexander Hopkins" was cooperative and came out of the house at the request of law enforcement. Hopkins was initially lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the outstanding warrants, but he has since been transferred to the Jackson County Jail in Medford.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for multiple crimes after he entered Walmart and began drinking alcohol and eating food early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to a trespassing complaint at the store on NE Terry Lane on Tuesday at 9:31 a.m.. Police said a 30-year-old male subject they identified as "Jacob Levi Reeder" entered Walmart after being previously trespassed from the store on May 5th. They said loss prevention observed him drinking alcohol and eating food that was valued at about $16. They confronted him and he fled the store on foot. A Walmart manager advised they wanted to pursue both theft and trespass charges against the subject. He was located near Taco Bell and placed into custody. Reeder was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 3rd-Degree Theft and Criminal Trespass plus the resulting Felony Parole Violation. He was being held without bail. Jail records show Reeder has been arrested six times for violating his parole since March 2023.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested an Idaho man for moving violations during a traffic stop on Williams Highway in south Grants Pass late yesterday. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a multi-colored Chevrolet sedan driven by a 39-year-old Spirit Lake man on Highway 238 near New Hope Road on Tuesday at 4:38 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the car for traffic violations and quickly learned that the driver had a suspended license and no insurance. He was placed into custody. The man identified by OSP as "Jason Allen Eldred" was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for the traffic violations. His vehicle was impounded and hauled away by Oregon Towing.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for probable cause of crimes he committed against a woman two weeks ago. The Police Department reports officers arrested a 41-year-old male subject in the 700-block of NE 12th Street on Tuesday at 12:18 a.m.. Police said they responded to a trespassing complaint at that address after a woman reported the subject was at her house repeatedly knocking on the window while calling her name. The caller stated officers came to her home two weeks ago after he broke in and attacked her, but he fled the area and was not located. According to the report, the subject's Chevrolet Silverado pickup was in the woman's driveway and a BOLO had been issued for his arrest. Officers arrived on scene and placed the subject into custody. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for probable cause of 1st-Degree Burglary, Strangulation and Physical Harassment. He was being held without bail.

 

The Oregon State Police jailed a suspect for alleged road rage incidents on the Grants Pass Parkway this week. According to OSP, troopers responded to the reported incident on the Parkway near NE Agness Avenue late Monday afternoon. Troopers said were alerted to a male subject driving a Jeep Wrangler who was brandishing a firearm at other motorists. One of the victims called 9-1-1 and directed law enforcement to the suspect. The 46-year-old suspect -- identified by OSP as "Jon Michael Myers" -- was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Menacing. He was being held without bail. The Jeep was turned over to his passenger who was identified as a 40-year-old Rogue River woman.

 

Two Illinois Valley men were arrested for impaired riding this week after one of them crashed a motorcycle and the other rode it to a nearby residence. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle wreck near milepost 6 of Caves Highway on Monday night. Troopers said the 47-year-old operator of a Kawasaki KLR 650 failed to negotiate a corner and crashed. His passenger -- a 23-year-old man with the exact same name -- rode the motorcycle back onto the road and to a residence where it was parked. According to OSP, both riders were transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Both riders also displayed signs of impairment and performed poorly in field sobriety tests. The motorcyclists were subsequently charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. The older of the two was also charged with Reckless Endangering. They were cited to appear in court and released to hospital staff.

 

The Ashland Police Department has arrested a female transient for starting a grass fire near Interstate 5. On Monday at about 8 p.m., a 9-1-1 call came in reporting a grass fire near I-5 southbound just north of Exit 14. Ashland Fire & Rescue responded as did the Ashland Police Department and several partner agencies. The fire was quickly contained, helped in part by recent wet weather. At no point were Ashland homes or other structures threatened. APD Chief Tighe O'Meara said a Medford area transient -- 43-year-old Jennifer Paulson -- was taken into custody and lodged at the Jackson County Jail on charges of Reckless Burning, Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Arrest. O'Meara said Ashland's first responders were assisted on this call by Jackson County Fire District #5, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Oregon State Police, Talent Police Department, Phoenix Police Department and Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon.