Local News

A man and woman wanted on separate warrants were apprehended by GP Police.

Monday afternoon around 4:46 p.m., officers contacted Leo Wilson at the corner of NW E Street and NW 5th Street. He was reportedly worked up and had a history of carrying a knife, but officers took him into custody.

Wilson was wanted on a warrant out of the agency for Larceny, so he was transported to and lodged in the Adult Jail Facility.

Later that night, officers located Elizabeth Miller in Baker Park after hours at 11:37 p.m. She was confirmed, upon contact, to be wanted on an out-of-county felony warrant from the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office in Washington.

Her warrant charged her with Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, and she was promptly taken into custody. Officers lodged Miller in jail at 12:07 a.m.

 

Grants Pass Police lodged a man after he drove his vehicle into a tree outside the Plaza Liquor store Monday morning.

Dispatch was alerted to the incident outside the 1638 Williams Highway store. A call to 911 around 11:45 a.m. reported the suspect had crashed a white truck into a tree in the parking lot in front of the store.

The caller, the liquor store's manager, had footage of the incident, and despite the efforts of individuals at the scene, the suspect left. The manager reported to dispatch that he followed the trail of fluids left by the fleeing truck to a West Harbeck address, where the truck and a white house were located.

Officers responded to the manager's location and contacted the suspect, Tyler Sebastian. He was taken into custody at the scene for Hit and Run Causing Property Damage, and lodged in the Josephine County Jail. He was later released on his own recognizance.

 

Fire crews were dispatched yesterday to a blaze involving multiple buildings at Oshala Farm in the 14,000 block of Highway 238.

According to the Applegate Fire District Facebook page, as a result of the fire, Highway 238 was shut down in both directions in order to facilitate helicopter water drops. As of yesterday's 5:45 p.m. update, the highway re-opened, with crews remaining on scene to keep the fire under control and begin mop up operations.

Crews from Applegate Fire, Williams Fire, Rural Metro Fire, Jackson County Fire District 3, Grants Pass Fire, and Ashland Fire and Rescue sent engines and crews to assist.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners discussed allegations against Human Resources Director Michelle Shaw in a public meeting following a brief Executive Session. Commissioner Ron Smith was absent due to a pre-planned appointment. The 3 p.m. session, a due process hearing to consider the dismissal or discipline of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against the Human Resources Director, was held in the BCC Conference Room. The board reconvened for a public meeting per request of Director Shaw to go over performance concerns. The concerns and essential job functions were discussed, followed by allegations regarding paid leave investigations, as well as errors in communicating personnel policies and compensation of employment related information. Further discussion included alleged assignments and responsibilities not completed in a timely manner resulting in delays, and confidential medical information that may have been improperly distributed. Reported delegation was brought up as an issue. The discussion will be taken into further consideration.

 

Farmers and food artisans in Southern Oregon are receiving a much needed boost in business development support thanks to the launch of a new Regional Food and Agriculture Business Center.

According to the Rogue Valley Food System Network, the new Southern Oregon Regional Food and Agriculture Business (RFAB) Center is one of three pilot centers being launched by the Oregon Department of Agriculture across Oregon. Centers are also being launched in the Mid-Willamette Valley and in Eastern Oregon.

Needs identified by farmers and food businesses include one-on-one assistance to help navigate the complex world of certifications, food safety requirements, capital investment and grant opportunities.

The Southern Oregon Regional Food and Agriculture Business Center begins offering services this month For the first six months, most of the services will be free of charge, thanks to support from the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Fundraising efforts are underway, with the goal to keep the majority of services free in the future.

 

An intoxicated man located at the Riverside Park bathroom was arrested by Grants Pass Police.

The complainant reported to dispatch the suspect was at the bathroom in the 304 E Park Street location Saturday around 2:49 p.m. He had a needle in his arm, was only wearing underwear, and was talking to the walls and yelling. Dispatch learned there were possibly two others with the suspect.

Upon contact with the suspect, officers identified him as Thaddeous Plummer. He was issued a 30 Day Trespass order for the park, and arrested. Officers were going to transport Plummer to the Grants Pass Sobering Center, but drug paraphernalia was located in plain view.

Field testing yielded a positive result for the presence of Fentanyl, so Plummer was charged with Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance. He was subsequently transported to the Adult Jail Facility for lodging, but due to a lack of jail resources, he was soon released.

 

Grants Pass Police were dispatched to a report of a man refusing to leave a property downtown Sunday afternoon.

A call to 911 at 1:24 p.m. from an employee at the 524 NE 7th Street transition program building reported the suspect had entered the common area and was on the couch. He reportedly refused to leave the dwelling and said he didn't care when the police would be notified.

The suspect refused to identify himself and continued refusing to leave by the time officers arrived. When asked by law enforcement to vacate the premises, he only left the building, not the property.

Officers identified the suspect as Jake Thompson, and trespassed him from the location. He was taken into custody on a charge of Second Degree Criminal Trespass, and lodged in the Adult Jail Facility. According to jail logs, his charge has not been filed by the District Attorney.

 

A man throwing broken glass over a property's fence Sunday was taken into custody by Grants Pass Police.

Dispatch was alerted to the incident at the Aracely House, 139 SW I Street around 12:28 p.m. The suspect was reported to have broken a wine bottle and was throwing the glass over the fence. He was described as having reddish brown hair, and wearing a polo shirt and cargo pants, with another pair of pants around his neck.

The caller then reported the suspect had gone to the back of the nearby US Bank. Officers contacted and identified the suspect as Isaih Belote. It was found he had been banging on the front door of the property before throwing glass over the fence.

Officers arrested Belote, taking him into custody for Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree and Aggravated Harassment. He was then transported to and lodged in the Josephine County Jail. Jail logs show the District Attorney has not filed the Disorderly Conduct charge.

 

Oregon State Police troopers made three warrant arrests and lodged a man for unauthorized motor vehicle usage over the weekend on U.S. Highway 199.

Early Friday morning, a traffic stop was initiated on a green Subaru Legacy. The trooper contacted the driver and passenger at the corner of the highway and Ringuette Street around 12:52 a.m. The driver was issued a warning, and the passenger, Christina Nissen, 42, of Merlin, was found to have two warrants.

Both misdemeanor no-bail arrest warrants charged Nissen with Second Degree Theft for stolen property. She was subsequently arrested by the trooper and lodged in the Adult Jail Facility.

Later that same day at 6:47 a.m., troopers pulled over an orange Dodge Challenger at milepost 8 of the highway. The vehicle had been reported as stolen, and the driver, Jorge Lopez, 41, of Thorntin, California, was contacted. He was taken into custody for Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, and transported to the Josephine County Jail for lodging.

The Challenger was towed from the scene, and the license plate, which didn't belong to the vehicle, was seized for safekeeping.

That night around 10:13 p.m., troopers again conducted a traffic stop after observing a violation on U.S. Highway 199 milepost 2. The driver, Leonardo Lopez Lopez, 38, of Grants Pass, was found to be suspended from driving at the misdemeanor level, and wanted on Josephine County Sheriff's Office warrant.

He was transported to jail and lodged for his charges. The vehicle was released to a passenger.

Lastly, at the corner of the highway and Ingalls Lane in Wilderville, a gray Chevy Malibu was pulled over for observed violations. Troopers found the driver, Travis Trevino, 29, of Brookings, had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. He was lodged in jail, conditionally released, and the vehicle was left in the care of his passenger.