Local News

Two Illinois Valley men were arrested for impaired riding last night 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 at 7:42 p.m.. 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 Illinois Valley Fire District responded to two motor vehicle accidents late yesterday. On Monday at 3:50 p.m., IVFD and American Medical Response were dispatched to a three-vehicle crash in the 100-block of North Redwood Highway in downtown Cave Junction. The incident was initially reported as a hit-and-run, but the driver of the vehicle that two parked vehicles returned to the scene. The driver was examined by AMR while the other vehicle owners arranged for tows. On Monday at 7:37 p.m., IVFD, AMR and the Oregon State Police rushed to a motorcycle accident near milepost 6 of Caves Highway. Arriving units found two people had been tossed off a motorcycle. They were transported by AMR to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of suspected minor injuries. OSP was investigating the cause of the crash.

 

Grants Pass Police evicted three campers for committing ordinance violations in two city parks on Monday. At Kesterson Park, a man and woman had been contacted on August 17th about their tent being set up in a buffer zone. They had still not moved their tent when contacted yesterday so they were cited for Buffer Zone Violation. Both were trespassed from the park on NE Evelyn Avenue for 30 days. At Morrison Centennial Park, a woman was cited for Misuse of Open Space and she was issued a 30-day exclusion from the facility on Rogue River Highway. A man was also cited for Scattering Rubbish, but he was not trespassed.

 

A Talent woman was killed in a motor vehicle accident on Interstate 5 near Gold Hill last weekend. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the three-vehicle crash in the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 38 on Saturday at about 10 a.m.. Troopers said a preliminary investigation indicated a Toyota Corolla driven by 73-year-old Susan Dale O'Connell of Talent was traveling in the slow lane of the freeway when it abruptly slowed and turned left in front of a Ford F-350 pickup traveling in the fast lane. According to OSP, the driver of the Ford -- 49-year-old Jeffrey Scott Trouslot of Klamath Falls -- was unable to avoid the collision and struck the driver-side door of the Toyota. As a result of the impact, the front passenger tire of the Ford came loose and rolled northbound on I-5 before striking a Chevrolet Silverado driven by 44-year-old Sergio Cervantes Valencia of Turlock, California, on the driver-side. Susan O'Connell was declared deceased at the scene. No one else was injured. Jackson County Fire District #3, Mercy Flights and the Oregon Department of Transportation assisted OSP at the fatal crash scene.

 

A motorcyclist was injured when he crashed his bike on Riverbanks Road during a heavy weekend downpour. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the single-vehicle wreck near milepost 20 of State Route 260 on Saturday at 11:48 a.m.. Troopers said the 38-year-old male rider of a Honda motorcycle went off the roadway and crashed. They said the rider was transported by ground ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with a leg fracture. The damaged motorcycle was hauled away by Three Boys Towing.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman for her aggressive behavior when she broke into an apartment and starting assaulting people last weekend. The Police Department reports officers arrested the 31-year-old female subject for the incident in the 1800-block of NE Fairview Avenue on Sunday at 1:33 p.m.. Police said a resident of the apartment reported the subject unlawfully entered the unit and started hitting everyone. No one was seriously injured, but the resident wanted to pursue charges for assault and property damage. An investigation determined the subject entered the apartment and punched the resident, leaving a scratch mark. Multiple personal items were knocked over and scattered during the incident, causing substantial inconvenience for the resident. According to the report, the victim supplied video footage of the incident to police. The suspect was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 1st-Degree Burglary, Physical Harassment and 3rd-Degree Criminal Mischief. She was being held without bail and she was trespassed from the apartment.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for causing a disturbance at a southeast-city watering hole last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the incident at Flespy's Bar & Grill in the 600-block of Rogue River Highway around 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Police said a 36-year-old female subject was kicking the windows and door on the front of the business, causing two calls for service and a crowd to form at the bar to observe her alarming behavior. No one was hurt and damage was minimal. Officers arrived on scene and placed the woman into custody. During a consent search of her belongings, a plastic bag containing a small amount of a white substance was discovered. It was determined to be fentanyl and it was seized for destruction. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and the narcotics violation. She was also trespassed from Flespy's.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two young inmates at the Josephine County Juvenile Justice Center last weekend. The Police Department reports officers were alerted to a disturbance at the youth detention facility on NW F Street on Saturday around 9:45 p.m.. Police said two juveniles were beyond control and acting in a disorderly manner. One of them got into a disagreement with staff members and destroyed items in the day room after refusing to go back to his cell. The young man dislodged an exit sign from the ceiling, destroyed a landline telephone by ripping it off the wall and shattered partition windows to several cells in the facility. The first subject's actions inspired a second juvenile to destroy a close circuit video surveillance camera in his cell by throwing a basketball at it. No force was used to gain compliance from the juveniles. They were overwhelmed by a strong law enforcement presence, safely detained and relocated to new cells that were stripped and cleaned with only essential items available. Undisclosed charges were added to the juveniles' rap sheets and both remained in custody on Monday.

 

The Southern Oregon Historical Society (SOHS) has announced the upcoming retirement of Executive Director Ron Kramer. Kramer joined SOHS on April 1, 2021, and his last day with the organization will be this Thursday, August 22nd. When he was hired, it was understood that his tenure was unlikely to be long-term. Attorney Doug McGeary, President of the SOHS Board of Trustees, will serve in the interim while the Board undertakes a search for a new Executive Director. McGeary said Kramer has been an invaluable leader and has significantly advanced their mission. For three and a half years, Kramer has continued to be an outstanding caretaker of the Society's mission and leader of its important efforts. According to McGeary, the entire organization is grateful for Kramer's leadership, his guidance and his many accomplishments.