Local News

Grants Pass Fire & Rescue along with fire departments from across Josephine County will be conducting a large-scale training exercise in the downtown area next week. The training exercise is scheduled to take place at River Valley Community Church on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. To facilitate this training, D Street between 6th and 7th streets will be closed from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. all three days. Grants Pass Fire Chief Jimmy Sanchez said these drills are vital for honing their emergency response skills and ensuring the safety of the community. Citizens may notice "training smoke" coming from the church building and surrounding area, but don't be alarmed as it is part of the exercise. Sanchez said he appreciates citizens' understanding and cooperation as they work together to maintain a safe and prepared community. If you're in the area, please plan accordingly and drive carefully around the training zone.

 

The Medford Police Department arrested a young motorist for hitting a pedestrian in the downtown area and fleeing the scene. MPD officers responded to a report of a vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision near the intersection of Riverside Avenue and 9th Street on Wednesday. Officers determined that a pedestrian was walking in a crosswalk when they were struck by a vehicle driven by a suspect later identified as 18-year-old Shane Gavazza of Medford. They said the driver briefly stopped, but then drove away. The unidentified pedestrian was transported by ambulance to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The Serious Traffic Accident Response Team was activated to investigate the incident. Within 45 minutes, investigators gathered video surveillance and witness statements, enabling them to issue an alert for the suspect vehicle -- a silver Nissan Xterra with Oregon license plates. About three hours after the crash, a Jackson County sheriff's deputy located the suspect vehicle in White City. The driver was identified as Gavazza. Gavazza was located, arrested and lodged at the Jackson County Jail on charges of Felony Hit-and-Run and Felony 3rd-Degree Assault. There was no evidence of impairment.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man on four outstanding warrants and several other charges following a traffic stop this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 41-year-old Michael Joseph Petersen in an unspecified location on Wednesday afternoon. Sheriff's deputies said Petersen was a passenger in a vehicle driven by 52-year-old Fernando Dominguez. Few details about the traffic stop were disclosed, but the vehicle was driving on its rims when it was pulled over and Petersen initially gave them a false name of "Daniel Cartwright." Peterson was wanted on two Josephine County felony warrants containing secret indictments for Felony Attempt to Elude Police, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Reckless Driving and Reckless Endangering. He was also found with a loaded Colt .38 special revolver that had been reported stolen out of Medford. It was recovered. Peterson was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants plus new charges of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Possession of a Stolen Firearm, Carrying a Concealed Weapon and Furnishing False Information. Dominguez was cited and released for Driving While Suspended.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on an outstanding warrant while investigating a family disturbance on the west side of the city this week. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident at a home in the 1,000-block of SW I Street late Wednesday afternoon. Police said a woman called 9-1-1 from California to report that her uncle -- 55-year-old Jeffrey Alan Washburn -- had been "acting very strange" for the last month-and-a-half, but her family refused to call law enforcement for assistance. According to the report, Washburn's elderly mother made him go outside to his trailer in the backyard -- but he came back in her house, dumped coffee all over and poured oil on the woodstove. The caller said her uncle had threatened to burn the house down several times and she was concerned for her family's welfare. Upon arrival, officers contacted Washburn and discovered that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for Felony Attempt to Elude Police, Disorderly Conduct and Driving While Suspended. He was placed into custody and lodged in jail. GPPD said the family intends to seek a restraining order due to his bad behavior.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested an out-of-compliance sex offender this week after he allegedly threatened a fellow camper at the NE 7th Street campground. According to the Police Department, officers contacted 45-year-old James Edward Weinshrott at the campground on Wednesday night while they investigated alleged threats he made against a woman who was at Three Rivers Medical Center. The complainant had been transported by ambulance to the hospital for unrelated medical issues. She told deputies that Weinshrott showed up at her campsite two days earlier, threatened to kill her and kicked her dog. She was worried the man might harm her when she returned to the campground. Officers subsequently contacted Weinshrott and found him to be out of compliance with his sex offender registration -- he last registered in October 2023. Weinshrott was placed into custody and booked into the Josephine County Jail for Failure to Report as a Sex Offender. He was also issued a 30-day exclusion from the 7th Street campground.

 

Grants Pass Police cited a young motorist after she lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a utility pole at the intersection of Redwood and Williams highways this week. Police officers and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle wreck near the South Y on Wednesday night. Police said a 17-year-old female subject was driving a Mazda sedan too fast for the conditions and lost control of the car, causing it to collide with a utility pole. The metal pole fell across the merge lane onto Redwood Highway, but no one was hurt. The Oregon Department of Transportation and Pacific Power were notified about the mishap and they sent crews to affect repairs. Total damages were estimated at well over $2,500 and the young driver told police she did not have any insurance on the vehicle, which was heavily damaged and towed from the scene. The motorist was cited for Careless Driving and No Insurance.

 

The City of Grants Pass is asking residents not to sweep their leaves into the street, hoping the street sweeper will soon arrive and take them away. A sweeper may arrive, but it will not sweep the leaves. It will bypass sweeping streets that have an obvious intentional build-up of leaves. Per the Grants Pass Municipal Code, it is illegal to sweep leaves into the street and code enforcement officials can be sent to properties that are dumping leaves into the public right-of-way. Leaves left in the street build up and cause flooding when they choke the storm drains. Please use the green yard debris bins or appropriate leaf bags and set them out for your refuse hauler. Nonsubscribers will need to haul their leaves to a transfer station. If you see a street with leaves impairing the right of way, please notify Public Works at "grantspassoregon.gov."

 

The Josephine County Clerk's Office is gearing up for the final election of 2024 -- a recall election that may remove Commissioner John West from office. As of Thursday evening, the Clerk's Office reported a voter turnout of 24.29% for next Tuesday's recall election. Out of 70,460 eligible voters, 17,117 had turned in their ballots. West has filed a lawsuit against Josephine County Clerk Rhiannon Henkels, alleging that she and her staff did not properly count signatures on the recall petition. A court hearing has been scheduled for December 18th, the day after the election. Henkels has released the schedule of recall election reporting. The first run of ballots will be released shortly after 8 p.m. on Election Night. Updated election results will be posted by 5 p.m. on December 18th, December 27th and January 3rd. The final results will be certified no later than January 13th at 5 p.m.. Per the Oregon Secretary of State, it is recommended that voters drop off their ballots at the Josephine County Courthouse or official drop site locations. Ballots can be mailed in as well and they will be counted as long as they receive the December 17th postmark.

 

Rogue Community College is hosting six Health Care Demo Days at its Table Rock Campus in White City. These interactive events are designed to give local high school students hands-on exposure to careers in the health care industry. Students from approximately 20 high schools across the Rogue Valley will attend these events to explore RCC's health care programs and experience real-world applications in health care professions. The first event was held last week and the last event will be held on April 21st. Participants will engage in immersive activities such as creating dental molds in the lab, filling prescriptions with candy in a simulated pharmacy and practicing emergency response in medical scenarios. Programs featured at Health Care Demo Days including Emergency Medical Services, Certified Nursing Assistant, Nursing, Pharmacy Technician, Massage Therapy, Physical Therapist Assistant, Medical Assistant, Dental Assistant and Phlebotomy. A key feature of the events is RCC's partnership with Mercy Flights to enhance the interactive experience.