Local News

The Oregon State Police jailed an Illinois Valley man on an out-of-state fugitive warrant after he paid a visit to the Grants Pass station yesterday. OSP reports troopers arrested 41-year-old Christopher Day of Kerby at the OSP Office on NE 7th Street on Thursday around 11:20 a.m.. Trooper did not disclose why Day came to the station, but he was placed into custody when they discovered that he was wanted on an out-of-state felony warrant for an unspecified crime. The origin of the warrant and the exact charges against him were also not in the report. Day was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and he was being held without bail pending extradition proceedings.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a felon for violating his post-prison supervision early yesterday during a patrol check at a downtown resting site. The Police Department reports officers arrested 33-year-old Aliczandr Mikal McClymonds at the NW 6th Street homeless encampment on Thursday around 10:30 a.m.. Police said McClymonds was under the influence of a narcotic stimulant while he was spray-painting the frame of a BMX bicycle. They said he is known to engage in the sale of stolen property, and he admitted to using methamphetamine and missing an appointment with his corrections officer. McClymonds was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Parole Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer. Jail records show he has been arrested for violating his parole five times since June 2024. Officers noted that the tent next to McClymonds was oversized and it had a large amount of drug paraphernalia inside. He denied ownership of the tent, so it was destroyed. Another tent that had blood and burnt foil inside was also disposed of.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for drug possession early yesterday after he was caught illegally camping in a city park on Rogue River Highway. The Police Department reports officers contacted 35-year-old William Lee Jensen at Morrison Centennial Park on Thursday shortly after 7 a.m.. Police said a citizen called 9-1-1 to report a male subject in a motorhome had been staying overnight at the park for the past two nights. Officers contacted Jensen and found him with burnt foil on his chest and a plastic straw in his hand. He admitted that the substance on the foil was fentanyl and consented to a search, which found a baggie with a white crystal substance that tested positive as methamphetamine. Jensen was lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail for both Meth and Fentanyl Possession. He was also trespassed from the park for 30 days and advised that overnight camping is no longer allowed in any city parks. While at the park, officers also cited two people identified as "Anna Newell" and "James Redden" for Illegal Camping.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended a woman wanted on two local warrants in downtown Cave Junction yesterday. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies contacted 48-year-old Crystal Mae Lucas in the 100-block of North Redwood Highway on Thursday at 12:28 p.m.. Deputies said they spotted Lucas and knew that she was wanted on a Josephine County Supervisory Authority warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a 2022 conviction for Felony Attempt to Elude Police. She was also wanted on a Jackson County warrant for failing to appear in court for Disorderly Conduct. Lucas was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a well-known offender on four local warrants at a city park yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers were looking for 38-year-old Bradley Andrew Peckham when they found him at Kesterson Park on NE Evelyn Avenue on Thursday at 12:23 p.m.. Police said Peckham was wanted on four Grants Pass warrants charging him with four counts of 3rd-Degree Theft plus single counts of Disorderly Conduct and Attempted Escape. During a consent search, he was found to be in possession of a glass pipe and an inhaler that were both coated with methamphetamine residue. Peckham was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants plus a new charge of Meth Possession. He was also excluded from the park for 30 days. The case was forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for prosecution.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a motorist for impaired driving last night. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies pulled over a car driven by 20-year-old Jose Zavala-Soria in an unspecified location on Thursday at 10:14 p.m.. Deputies said they stopped Zavala-Soria for a traffic violation and he showed signs of impairment. They said he performed poorly in field sobriety tests, so a search warrant was obtained and he was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw. Based on the results of the blood draw, Zavala-Soria was lodged in jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. His car was impounded.

 

West Nile Virus has been detected in a mosquito pool collected this month in Eagle Point, marking the first positive pool found in Jackson County this year. August and September are considered peak months for West Nile Virus activity in Southern Oregon. The mosquitoes were collected and tested by the Jackson County Vector Control District as part of a routine surveillance program. Residents are advised to take basic precautions against mosquitoes since West Nile Virus is spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes. People should consult their health care providers if they experience any flu-like symptoms -- especially in people over 50 years of age with underlying medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. The virus also affects wildlife and domesticated and farm animals. Horse owners should get their horses vaccinated for West Nile Virus. Horses with neurological disease should be examined by a veterinarian. Testing is available at Oregon State University in Corvallis. Jackson County Vector Control suggests taking steps to protect against mosquitoes such as eliminating or treating any sources of standing water around your home.

 

One person was critically injured in a logging accident that occurred near Kerby early yesterday. On Thursday at 9:27 a.m., the Illinois Valley Fire District and American Medical Response were dispatched to the incident on a Forest Service Road off Kerby Mainline Road. IVFD officials said one individual was transported via ground ambulance to Station #2 in Selma where they were subsequently life-flighted to a Jackson County hospital by Mercy Flights helicopter. No details about the accident were disclosed. The injured party was not identified and there was no word on their condition.

 

The Oregon State Police jailed a Rogue River man who allegedly tried to run over a Grants Pass woman with a vehicle on Highway 99. OSP reports troopers arrested 68-year-old Jeffery Charles Hoff for the incident near milepost 5 of Rogue River Highway on Wednesday night. Troopers said they responded to reports of a female subject yelling for people to call 9-1-1 due to a vehicle attempting to run her over. They searched the area and located a Ford Explorer driven by Hoff. The suspect advised troopers he believed the female was the same woman whose friend broke his property during an earlier incident. According to OSP, the 41-year-old victim said she did not know the suspect. Hoff was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County for Menacing. He was being held without bail. Because he used his vehicle as a weapon, it was impounded.