Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man with a bad habit of being in places where he is not wanted yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a trespassing complaint at the Super 8 Motel on NE 7th Street on Tuesday during the noon hour. Police said a motel worker called 9-1-1 to report that 67-year-old Michael Alan Gendernalik was being verbally abusive and refusing to leave, so they wanted him trespassed. Officers contacted Gendernalik and discovered that he was wanted on four Grants Pass warrants containing five counts of failing to appear in court for Criminal Trespass. Because Gendernalik is wheelchair-bound, he was cited to appear in court and released from custody. He was also trespassed from Super 8.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a well-known offender yesterday for her latest episode of causing disturbances. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a trespassing call at the Li'l Pantry Market & Deli on NW Vine Street on Tuesday around 4 p.m.. Police said 32-year-old Whitney Ann Word returned to Li'l Pantry after previously being trespassed from the store in March of last year. They said store workers kept telling her she needed to leave, but she refused to do so. Word was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. Due to her status as a "frequent flyer," she was being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a North Valley man for threatening to shoot his roommate. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to a disturbance at a home in the 1,000-block of Red Mountain Drive around midday Monday. Deputies said a man called 9-1-1 to report that he and his roommate -- identified as 67-year-old Jon Edge Allen, III -- were in a verbal argument that escalated into the roommate telling him he was going to shoot him. The caller said his roommate then went to the garage where several firearms were kept while he fled the house and called for help. Upon arrival, deputies contacted Allen and he admitted to threatening to shoot the victim. They said the suspect was under the influence of alcohol and possibly some drugs. Allen was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Menacing. He was being held without bail.

 

A multi-agency investigation into child exploitation and internet crimes against children has resulted in the arrest of a 21-year-old Ashland man. Early Tuesday morning, the Ashland Police Department -- working alongside the Medford Police Department, Talent Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Jackson County District Attorney's Office, Oregon Department of Justice, Homeland Security and Southern Oregon High Tech Crimes Task Force -- served a search warrant on Alida Street in Ashland. One suspect -- Donovan Jesus Aquino -- was arrested on two outstanding warrants and lodged at the Jackson County Jail. Ashland Police Chief Tighe O'Meara said this significant action underscores the continued commitment of local, state and federal agencies to combat child exploitation and to protect vulnerable individuals. Chief O'Meara said further details will be shared as the investigation progresses and more information becomes available.

 

A home near the City of Rogue River was heavily damaged by fire early yesterday and -- thanks to working smoke detectors -- no one was hurt. Jackson County Fire District #1 was dispatched to a structure fire involving a single-story residence on Foothill Boulevard on Tuesday at 5:27 a.m.. District #1 Fire Chief Mike Hammond said arriving units found the residence fully-involved with flames. He said crews mounted an attack and knocked the fire down. Crews remained on scene for a couple of hours mopping up. According to Chief Hammond, the house was occupied by three people. One occupant was awakened by smoke detectors and found the house full of smoke. That person woke up the other occupants and they exited the dwelling before the arrival of firefighters. The cause of the fire was under investigation. District #1 was assisted by Grants Pass Fire & Rescue, Evans Valley Fire District and Jackson County Fire District #3. Hammond said this tragic situation was prevented from becoming even worse by working smoke detectors that alerted the occupants in a timely manner, allowing them to escape the burning structure.

 

A student was injured early yesterday when a school bus slid off an icy roadway in rural Central Point. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office reports deputies and emergency crews were dispatched to the single-vehicle crash on Richey Road near West Gregory Road on Tuesday at 7:50 a.m.. Deputies said one student was transported by ambulance to a local hospital with minor injuries. No one else was hurt. A preliminary investigation indicated dense fog and icy roads contributed to the school bus crash. The Sheriff's Office cautions motorists to drive carefully this winter as fog brings limited visibility and the roads are often icy.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Grants Pass woman for impaired driving this week after a traffic stop on Rogue River Highway. OSP reports troopers pulled over a Chevrolet Spark driven by the 24-year-old female subject on Highway 99 near Fruitdale Drive late Monday night. Troopers said they stopped the car for a traffic violation and the driver displayed signs of impairment by alcohol. They said she performed poorly in field sobriety tests, so she was taken to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where she provided a breath sample that was nearly twice the legal driving limit. The suspect was lodged at the Sobering Center for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. A sober driver responded to pick up the car.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing, take care of two Administrative Action items and consider an order during its first weekly business session of 2025. Commissioners Ron Smith and Chris Barnett completed the Board on Tuesday by appointing Andreas Blech to the Position #1 seat formerly occupied by recalled Commissioner John West. Blech was sworn into office by Judge Robert Bain. The Board will open the meeting with a hearing on an annexation to the Josephine Community Library District by petition of the landowner. Under Administrative Actions, the Commissioners will consider an order in the sale of unsold county-owned property and a resolution authorizing the Recreation Department to apply for a grant from the Oregon Parks and Recreation agency. As part of the Consent Calendar, the Board will consider an order setting a public hearing for an updated fee schedule for the Recreation Department. Today's public meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

The Bureau of Land Management has issued its approved resource management plan and Record of Decision for the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The plan will guide management of the monument's 113,500 acres in southwest Oregon to protect its biodiversity and important historic resources while providing for public access and recreational opportunities. The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument was established by Presidential Proclamation 7318 in 2000 and expanded through Presidential Proclamation 9564 in 2017. The area provides habitat for an array of rare plant and animal species across its three eco-regions -- Cascade, Klamath and Siskiyou. These include ancient sugar and Ponderosa pine, rock buckwheat, tall bugbane, the threatened northern spotted owl, endangered gray wolves, Lost River sucker and more. Currently operating under three separate plans, the BLM's new consolidated plan will ensure more consistent management of the entire monument. It incorporates public input received through a 90-day public comment period and multiple public meetings, using the best available science to protect the monument's objects of scientific and historic interest. The BLM received nearly 4,000 comments on the draft management plan.