Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a statewide felony warrant after he overdosed on narcotics in a parking lot off Williams Highway yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to perform a welfare check in the 1500-block of Highway 238 on Monday around 3:15 p.m.. Police said a 28-year-old male subject was contacted and he showed several signs of impairment before admitting to using a large amount of fentanyl. They said one four-milligram dose of Narcan was administered to the man and he recovered. A routine records check showed the subject was wanted on an Oregon State Parole Board warrant for Felony Parole Violation stemming from a previous conviction for Possession of Dangerous Drugs. He was placed into custody without incident. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and he was being held on a no-bail detainer. Jail records show the man has a long criminal record including arrests for Assault, Burglary, Theft and Possession of Body Armor.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested an Illinois Valley man for impaired driving and other crimes after he wrecked a sport utility vehicle into the back of a commercial vehicle on Interstate 5 near Hugo early yesterday. OSP reports troopers and emergency personnel were dispatched to the two-vehicle crash in the northbound ascent up Mount Sexton near milepost 67 of I-5 at 8:17 a.m. Monday. Troopers said a preliminary investigation indicated a 44-year-old Selma man was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee that rear-ended a Hyundai semi-truck driven by a 55-year-old man from Victorville, California. They said the SUV driver displayed signs of impairment at the crash scene. According to OSP, a 36-year-old female passenger in the SUV was found to have serious injuries and she was transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center. The heavily damaged SUV was towed to Grants Pass while the semi had minimal damage and it was able to be driven away. The Selma man was taken to the hospital for a legal blood draw that documented his impairment. He was cited to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Controlled Substances, Reckless Driving, Felony 3rd-Degree Assault, two counts of Reckless Endangering and Aggravated Driving While Suspended.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Selma man for impaired driving and more after he wrecked his vehicle on Redwood Highway in the Illinois Valley. According to OSP, troopers and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle rollover crash near milepost 24 of US Highway 199 on Sunday at 9:19 p.m.. Troopers said the 48-year-old male driver and his 48-year-old female passenger were both ejected from the Dodge during the crash. They said several alcoholic beverages were found in the debris field from the wreck. It was unclear in the report how badly the occupants were injured. Upon contact with the driver, he displayed several indicators of impairment. 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 intoxication. The suspect was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Reckless Driving, 3rd-Degree Felony Assault and Reckless Endangering. He was cited and released at the hospital, but his wrecked vehicle was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two men for drug possession early yesterday after they were found on private property in the downtown area. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident at the former Elks Lodge building on SE J Street on Monday at about 2:25 a.m.. Police said they actually contacted three men on the property, but one of them was wanted on a local warrant and he fled on a bicycle after being advised to stop. The two other men -- ages 38 and 24 -- were detained. Both men consented to a search and they were found with methamphetamine. The suspects were lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Meth Possession. They were also trespassed from the property.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for narcotics possession after he was caught doing drugs at a northwest city park yesterday. The Police Department reports officers observed a group of people sitting in the softball field bleachers at Gilbert Creek Park on NW Hawthorne Avenue shortly after 10 a.m. Monday. Police said they spotted a 32-year-old male subject with a glass pipe that had a burning white crystal substance that was consistent in color and texture with methamphetamine. The substance was tested and proved positive for meth. The suspect was placed into custody and lodged in jail for Meth Possession. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man wanted on statewide and out-of-state warrants after he tried to elude officers and crashed into the Rogue River at Baker Park. The Police Department reports officers arrested 41-year-old Jesse Lee Cox after he was fished out of the river on Sunday at 4:14 p.m.. Police said they observed a black Ford Escape traveling on East Park Street, with the driver -- later identified as Cox -- looking through his side-view mirror at the patrol vehicle numerous times. They said he failed to signal at least two times, so an officer activated his emergency overhead lights to initiate a traffic stop. Cox failed to yield, sped away at about 60 miles per hour and a short pursuit was initiated. The suspect turned into Baker Park at a high rate of speed and never attempted to slow down as he jumped the curb and landed in the river. There were five people on the riverbank at the time who were placed in extreme danger. According to the report, Cox continued to flee from law enforcement by trying to swim in the river. However, a Josephine County marine deputy responded and placed him into custody. The car was removed from the river by Goodfellas Towing and impounded. DEQ officials were alerted to a small oil slick. Turns out Cox was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Felony Parole Violation and a Shasta County, California, warrant for Felony Probation Violation. He was lodged in jail on the warrants plus Felony and Misdemeanor Attempt to Elude Police, Reckless Driving, five counts of Reckless Endangering and Aggravated Driving While Suspended. He was being held on three no-bail detainers.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a well-known criminal offender after he stole a mountain bike and was found with narcotics last weekend. The Police Department reports officers were alerted to the bicycle theft at WinCo Foods on NE Terry Lane on Sunday at 8:47 a.m.. Police said the owner of the specialized mountain bicycle had taken the front wheel off the bike while he was in the store for about 45 minutes. As he exited the store, he discovered his bike, water bottle, air pump and pouch valued at $500 was gone. Video surveillance showed a man whom GPPD identified as 43-year-old Donn Reeves Fincher had stolen the bike from the rack at WinCo. He was located a short time later at O'Reilly Auto Parts, but he would not admit to the theft or the location of the bicycle. A consent search found the suspect to be in possession of a glass pipe with a white powdery substance later identified as methamphetamine. Fincher was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for probable cause of 2nd-Degree Theft and Meth Possession. He was being held without bail. The stolen bicycle was found later in the day near the intersection of East Park Street and Clara Avenue. It was placed in safekeeping until the owner could be notified of its recovery.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office apprehended an Illinois Valley man who was wanted on an outstanding warrant in O'Brien last weekend. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies arrested the 33-year-old male subject at a home in the 700-block of Lone Mountain Road on Sunday at 2:27 p.m.. Deputies said they responded to a complaint from the subject's mother who stated her son was letting his dogs and children go into her vacation dwelling. She did not wish to pursue charges because there was no damage to the dwelling other than dog feces on the floor. She was upset and wanted assistance from law enforcement. During the investigation, deputies ran a records check on the son and discovered that he was wanted on a Klamath County Corrections warrant for Probation Violation related to an arrest for Felon in Possession of a Weapon. The subject was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant. He was awaiting transfer to the jail facility in Klamath Falls.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a "frequent flyer" for yet another demonstration of bad behavior last weekend. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the reported incident at Booth Street Storage on Sunday around 9:40 p.m.. Police said 31-year-old Whitney Ann Word was called in for throwing rocks at the exterior of business's office building. They contacted her and found her to be way too impaired by a narcotic stimulant to properly care for herself. She was told she was under arrest, but she walked away and resisted being placed into custody. During a consent search, the suspect was found to be in possession of a glass pipe containing a white crystal residue that tested positive for methamphetamine. It was seized for destruction. Word was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Resisting Arrest and Possession of Meth. Her belongings were logged into evidence for safekeeping and she was trespassed from the storage facility, which sustained little or no damage.