Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman and her son after they unlawfully entered a property on the southeast side of the city early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a report of suspicious activity at a home in the 2,000-block of SE Portola Drive at 8:08 a.m. Wednesday. Police said a 55-year-old female subject and her 28-year-old son were on the property without permission from the owner who wished to pursue criminal charges against them. They said the woman called for law enforcement assistance because she was on the roof of the home. Both were detained at the scene. A routine records check showed that the woman was wanted on a Jackson County felony warrant for failing to appear in court for impaired driving. She and her son were placed into custody. The woman was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and a charge of 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. Her son was also jailed for Criminal Trespass.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for being out of compliance with his sex offender registration while investigating a squatting complaint at a vacant house near Selma early yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested an unidentified male subject at a home in the 17,900-block of Redwood Highway on Wednesday at 10:21 a.m.. Deputies said a woman from the Oregon State Treasury called 9-1-1 to report the property had been assigned to her and she was bringing in a cleaning crew when she discovered that people were living in the house and cutting down trees on the land. She requested the trespassers be removed by law enforcement. Upon arrival, deputies contacted the squatters including a man whom they knew was a convicted sex offender. He had been living under a bridge near Hogue Drive, but had his clothing, a backpack and bedding inside the vacant house. The man was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Failure to Report as a Sex Offender because he had not notified his corrections officer that he had moved.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for attempting to steal hundreds of dollars' worth of merchandise from Home Depot yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at the store on NE Mill Street on Wednesday around 3:25 p.m.. Police said a man they identified as 45-year-old Alexander Hunt Neuman tried to steal more than $495 in items from Home Depot by bypassing all points of sale with Dewalt items and a Milwaukee Bag concealed in his jacket. He was detained by loss prevention and placed into custody by arriving officers. During a consent search, Neuman was found to be in possession of a white crystal substance that was in the form of pill capsules. It was tested and turned out to be positive for methamphetamine. The drugs were seized for destruction. Neuman was charged with 2nd-Degree Theft and Meth Possession, Because of his cooperative nature, he was cited to appear in court and then released.

 

rants Pass Police arrested at least two suspects for trying to steal items from Walmart yesterday. The Police Department reports the first incident occurred on Wednesday at 9:40 a.m. when officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at the store on NE Terry Lane. Police said 25-year-old Nathaniel Lane Embrey stole nearly $72 worth of items by leaving the store through an emergency fire exit. They said he was located running through the parking lot and was placed into custody. Embrey was lodged in jail for 3rd-Degree Theft and was being held without bail. The second incident happened on Wednesday at about 2:20 p.m. when officers were alerted to another shoplifting incident at Walmart. Loss prevention reported that a man later identified as 44-year-old Steven Timothy Dowell, Jr, filled a shopping cart full of diapers and left the store without paying for them. Police said Walmart security confronted Dowell, so he let go of the shopping cart and fled on foot. Officers located him in a motorhome in the back parking lot. He admitted to trying to steal the diapers because he needed them for his kids. He was lodged in jail for 3rd-Degree Theft and was also being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police were looking for a woman who allegedly stole items from Fred Meyer and fled the scene in a vehicle yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to a shoplifting incident at the store on the Grants Pass Parkway on Wednesday at 1:48 p.m.. Police said Fred Meyer loss prevention observed a female subject later identified as 29-year-old Tiffany Chantel Parker steal $26 worth of merchandise from the store by passing all points of sale without attempting to pay for the items. Parker reportedly fled the scene in a red Dodge Durango pickup with Oregon license plate 485NLZ. Officers searched the area, but she was not located. A report was sent to the Josephine County District Attorney's Office. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Tiffany Parker is encouraged to call GPPD at (541)-450-6260.

 

A Jackson County traffic stop on Highway 140 late last week led to the seizure of more than a ton of marijuana that was headed for Georgia. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office reports deputies pulled over a white Mercedes Sprinter van with Georgia license plates that was traveling east on Highway 140 near Salt Creek Road last Friday evening. Deputies said they stopped the van for traffic violations and an Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team (IMET) narcotics K-9 alerted on the vehicle. A search resulted in the discovery of 43 boxes of processed marijuana totaling over 2,200 pounds. The driver had paperwork indicating the cargo was hemp. However, investigators tested the products for THC content and confirmed the green, leafy substance had more than 17% THC. Criminal charges were being reviewed by the Jackson County District Attorney's Office. While regulatory agencies investigate permitted cannabis operations, IMET is focusing on the black-market marijuana trade in the Rogue Valley. IMET is a multi-agency task force funded by a grant from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. The task force includes personnel from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Oregon State Police, Medford Police Department, Jackson County District Attorney's Office and US Homeland Security Investigations.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a young man for allegedly threatening to kill another young man in Cave Junction. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested an 18-year-old male subject at a home in the 3600-block of Caves Highway around midday Tuesday. Deputies said a young man called 9-1-1 to report being threatened by the subject with a firearm. They said the subject called the young man and threatened to kill him over an altercation that occurred between the two on a weekend camping trip. According to the report, the incident occurred at a school that is next to Illinois Valley High School. No other details were disclosed, but the suspect was located and placed into custody at the home of his girlfriend. The suspect was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Unlawful Use of a Weapon.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for causing a disturbance at an RV park in the southern Illinois Valley this week. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies arrested a 39-year-old male subject for the incident at the Lone Mountain Resort in O'Brien on Tuesday afternoon. Deputies said a resident of the resort reported that the subject appeared to be under the influence of narcotics when he threatened to shoot him in the head. The caller told dispatchers the subject also threw several large rocks at him, but he was not injured. He described the subject as "yelling and being disorderly." Upon arrival, deputies looked for the suspect in and around the O'Brien General Store. They eventually located him near milepost 35 of Redwood Highway and placed him into custody. He had a small amount of methamphetamine visible in his pocket -- it was seized for destruction. The suspect was transported to Grants Pass and booked into the Josephine County Jail for Menacing and Disorderly Conduct. He was being held without bail and he was trespassed from the RV park.

 

The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division has identified three suspects involved in two separate trespassing incidents and the unlawful take of a large bull elk in Central Point. The incidents occurred on September 8th and September 10th. In both incidents, the suspects were observed trespassing on private land near Crater Lake Avenue and McLoughlin Drive. The suspects killed one 5x5 bull elk on September 8th and left it to waste. On September 10th, another suspect attempted to kill another bull elk on the same property but fled after being confronted by the property owner. OSP had put out a bulletin seeking public assistance in identifying the suspects on Monday and announced on Wednesday that the suspects had been identified. No names were disclosed in the bulletin. It was also not disclosed whether the suspects had been contacted or charged with any crimes. If you witness or have information about habitat or wildlife law violations or any suspicious activity, contact the OSP Tip Hotline at 1-(800)-452-7888 or simply dial *OSP. Information provided that leads to an arrest or the issuance of a citation is eligible for a $1,000 cash reward or four Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife preference points.