Local News

One person was injured in a motor vehicle accident that occurred late last night on Redwood Highway near Cave Junction. On Sunday at 10:37 p.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District, American Medical Response, Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Transportation were dispatched to the two-vehicle collision in the 25,600-block of US Highway 199. IVFD officials said arriving units found two vehicles with significant damage that were obstructing the highway. They said one occupant was extricated from the wreckage and transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center for treatment of unspecified injuries. ODOT provided traffic control while Jerry's Towing removed the vehicles. OSP was conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash.

 

A Grants Pass Police Department investigation resulted in the arrest of a man for domestic violence late last week. The Police Department reports officers arrested 32-year-old Anthony M. Horton in the area near Bi-Mart on Friday at 5:24 p.m.. Few details were released about the investigation, but police said Horton was wanted for probable cause of Strangulation, Menacing and Harassment. Before finding him near Bi-Mart, officers had looked for him at Tussing Park. Horton was lodged at the Josephine County Jail where he was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a well-known offender for felony vandalism and other crimes after he shattered a glass door at the main entrance of the Josephine County Courthouse. The Police Department reports officers arrested 31-year-old Jose Manuel Urias near the corner of 6th and D streets on Saturday at 3:48 p.m. following a brief foot pursuit. Police said Urias ran into traffic on 6th Street and almost caused a bicycle crash. They said he acted like he was going to damage a patrol car before he ran off. He appeared to be intoxicated when he was observed throwing an object at the front doors of the Courthouse. The glass was broken on one of the large mechanical doors and damage was estimated to be more than $1,000. Urias fled on foot after being told to stop and that he was under arrest. After being captured at 6th and D, officers confirmed he was heavily intoxicated. Urias was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 1st-Degree Criminal Mischief, Disorderly Conduct and Escape. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a felon for violating his post-prison supervision by being drunk and disorderly at a city park over the weekend. According to the Police Department, officers contacted 27-year-old Christian Anthony Bartell at Morrison Centennial Park on Rogue River Highway on Saturday evening. Police said the Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center received a hang-up call from Bartell's mother. Dispatchers called her back and she stated that her son was at the park while intoxicated and acting aggressively toward others. One of the terms of his post-prison supervision is a prohibition on alcohol. Upon contacting Bartell, officers said he showed several indicators of impairment so he was placed into custody. Bartell was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Parole Violation and he was being held on a no-bail detainer. Jail records show he has been arrested for violating his parole at least five times over the past 12 months.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for committing petty theft at WinCo Foods over the weekend. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at the supermarket on NE Terry Lane on Saturday around 9:35 p.m.. Police said WinCo loss prevention alerted them to a group of people who appeared to be stealing small items from the store. The group was described as two male adults, a female adult and a teenage boy. They were being watched on video cameras. As the group was leaving the store, loss prevention advised 35-year-old Wayne Patrick Baker that if he passed the last point of sale without paying for any items concealed on his person, he would be taken into custody. Baker chose to leave $2.47 worth of items in his pockets as he left the store and he was arrested. Baker was lodged at the nearby jail facility for 3rd-Degree Theft and Criminal Trespass. He was being held without bail.

 

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office has arrested a local teacher and coach after an investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of a former student in Rogue River. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 30-year-old Jesse Rex Orndoff of Selma on Friday. He is charged with 10 counts each of 2nd-Degree Sex Abuse, 3rd-Degree Rape and one other felony-level sex crime. Last Thursday, a woman reported she was the victim of sexual abuse perpetrated by her teacher and coach -- Orndoff -- while she was a student and he was employed at Rogue River Junior-Senior High School. The victim is no longer a student at the school. Investigators said the sexual abuse occurred over the span of several years while the victim was between 15 and 17 years old. Although Orndoff no longer works for the Rogue River School District, he was most recently employed by the Rogue Christian Academy in Grants Pass. Both schools are cooperating with the investigation. Investigators believe Orndoff may have additional victims. If anyone has any information related to this case, they are encouraged to contact Detective David Seese at the Jackson County Sheriff's Office Tip Line at (541)-774-8333.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for stealing a scooter from the back of a truck parked at Motel 6 over the weekend. The Police Department reports the incident involving 32-year-old Cody Wayne Luttrell occurred at the motel on NE 7th Street late Friday night and he was arrested on Saturday afternoon. Police said a man called 9-1-1 to report that his son's $400 scooter was stolen from the west side of the motel where it was secured to the back of his vehicle. Video surveillance showed the suspect walked around the complex, untied the scooter and rode it away south on 6th Street. Photos of the suspect and scooter were sent to patrol officers. On Saturday afternoon, officers located Luttrell and the stolen scooter in an unspecified location where he admitted to the theft and was placed into custody. Luttrell was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft. The scooter was logged into evidence for safekeeping pending contact with the victim.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a young motorist for impaired driving following a weekend traffic stop west of Grants Pass. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies pulled over a Buick Envista driven by a 19-year-old man on Lower River Road near Needlewood Drive on Saturday around 3:20 a.m.. Deputies said they stopped the Buick for observed traffic violations and the driver displayed signs of impairment. They said he refused to perform field sobriety tests, so a search warrant was obtained and he was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw that documented a high level of impairment. The suspect was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His car was impounded. According to the report, there were three passengers in the vehicle at the time of the traffic stop. Two of them arranged for rides while the third was given a courtesy ride home.

 

No one was seriously injured when a vehicle struck a tree in the Illinois Valley late last week. The Illinois Valley Fire District and American Medical Response were dispatched to the single-vehicle crash on Holland Loop Road near Hays Cutoff Road on Friday at 4:50 p.m.. IVFD officials said the vehicle impacted a tree and came to rest on the roadway. The unidentified occupants of the vehicle were assessed for injuries and released from the scene. Jerry's Towing responded and hauled the vehicle to Cave Junction. It was unclear in the report if the Josephine County Sheriff's Office responded to the incident for a follow-up investigation.