Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man with a bad habit of impaired driving in the north part of the city late last night. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a domestic disturbance involving 65-year-old Sean Dennis O'Keefe in the 1200-block of NE 6th Street on Thursday around 11:20 p.m. Police said a nearby resident called 9-1-1 to report two men and one woman who were yelling and screaming at each other while causing public alarm. Upon arrival, officers detained the subjects including O'Keefe. No one was hurt in the incident. O'Keefe was placed into custody after police discovered that he was wanted on three Grants Pass warrants -- all charging him with failing to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on $30,000 bail. During intake at the jail, O'Keefe was found to be in possession of two small baggies with a white crystal substance that he admitted was methamphetamine. A charge of Meth Possession was referred to the District Attorney for consideration.

 

Grants Pass Police charged two women with petty theft and drug possession yesterday after twin shoplifting incidents at Walmart. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the theft complaints at the store on NE Terry Lane on Thursday at 12:25 p.m.. Police said 37-year-old Sabrina Marie Wilson was contacted outside Walmart after she admitted to concealing more than $30 worth of items without any means to pay for them. She was also found to be in possession of a small amount of fentanyl. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Heather Elaine Dixon was brought into the Walmart loss prevention office after attempting to leave the store without paying for more than $33 in food items. She admitted to stealing from the store and to possessing a small amount of fentanyl. Both Wilson and Dixon were cited to appear in court for 3rd-Degree Theft and Fentanyl Possession before being released from custody. The fentanyl was seized and destroyed.

 

A Medford man has been arrested on more than 30 sex abuse charges after he was found with two teenage girls in his car at an Interstate 5 rest area near Grants Pass. KOBI-TV NBC 5 reports court records show the Oregon State Police approached 29-year-old Anthony James Parker at the Manzanita rest area on January 2nd. Two girls -- ages 16 and 17 years old -- were in Parker's vehicle. State troopers said the two girls initially claimed that Parker was their brother, which was false. When both girls' parents were contacted, the 17-year-old's mother told troopers she did not know her child was with Parker. The woman responded to pick her up and take her back home. The 16-year-old's mother knew her daughter was with Parker and had given them permission to be together. It was later determined that the younger girl was pregnant, allegedly with Parker's child. Further investigation showed the older girl's phone contained sexually explicit photos that Parker had sent to her. According to OSP, Parker told troopers he'd been dating the pregnant girl since last May and was trying to date the other girl. Parker is scheduled to appear in Douglas County Circuit Court on Monday.

 

A Grants Pass Police Department investigation into a violent crime resulted in the arrest of a man this week. The Police Department reports officers arrested 39-year-old Sean Patrick Mitchell in the 200-block of NW 4th Street late Wednesday night. Police said they contacted Mitchell in his parked vehicle at that location and they knew he was a suspect in a criminal investigation. While he was being placed into custody, a glass pipe with methamphetamine residue was found in plain view near the front driver-seat. The pipe was seized for destruction. Mitchell was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for probable cause of Menacing plus a new charge of Meth Possession. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a woman on a statewide felony warrant after an early morning contact yesterday on the west side of the city. The Police Department reports officers arrested 39-year-old Ciera Michelle Lokken near the corner of SW J and Alder streets on Thursday at 4:34 a.m.. Police said they spotted Lokken pushing a shopping cart at that location and they were familiar with her from frequent law enforcement contacts. She was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a 2021 conviction for an unspecified weapon offense. Lokken was placed into custody without incident and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. Community service officers returned the cart to the business from which it was taken. Jail records indicate Lokken has been arrested for violating her post-prison supervision at least nine times in the past year.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for violating a court order by being caught on his sister's property early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a trespassing complaint at a home in the 1,000-block of SW I Street on Thursday shortly after midnight. Police said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that her 55-year-old brother just got out of jail and he was on her property, which was in violation of an active restraining order. The caller said she saw her sibling leaning on her car, but he left and went in to her backyard. That's where officers located him and placed him into custody. The suspect was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Contempt of Court-Restraining Order Violation and he was being held without bail.

 

Creosote buildup contributed to a flue fire at a home in the Hugo area this week. Rural Metro Fire Department responded to a 9-1-1 call from a residence in the 500-block of Jack Pine Road on Wednesday afternoon. Visible flames shooting out of a stovepipe mobilized engine companies from Rural Metro's Monument Drive Station. Arriving units extinguished the flames and confirmed the structure was not damaged. No injuries were reported. Rural Metro officials said flames that travel inside a chimney or stovepipe are not a problem, but flames that escape into the attic or wall are a problem. In fact, that is one of the leading causes of house fires this time of year. Certain tools carried by firefighters like thermal imaging cameras allow crews to detect hidden fire in the attic and walls. Specialized suppression equipment can provide cooling of the pipe without causing damage. Firefighters and chimney sweep professionals recommend regular cleaning and inspections to confirm your wood heating devices are in good working order -- and always have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on each level of your home, especially near sleeping areas.

 

The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded well over 1,000 emergency calls during the first full week of 2025. According to the agency's most recent post on Facebook, a total of 1,083 9-1-1 calls were received from January 2nd to January 8th. The Grants Pass Police Department received the majority of the calls with 793, followed by American Medical Response with 295 and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue with 89. Rural Metro Fire Department received 55 calls during the same time period while the Illinois Valley Fire District received 22, the Williams Rural Fire Protection District received 4, and both the Oregon Department of Forestry and Wolf Creek Fire Protection District got 3. In addition to the emergency calls, local dispatchers received a total of 361 internal calls and they made 579 outbound calls.

 

Josephine Community Transit services were unaffected by a fire that engulfed an electric bus at the Public Works charging area this week. No one was harmed in the fire and similar vehicles have been taken out of service as a precaution. JCT program supervisor Scott Chancey said the 35-foot low-floor Gillig Battery Electric Bus was not scheduled for service Wednesday when a transit operator saw a fire emerging from the vehicle's roof. The operator immediately called 9-1-1 and other operators followed existing protocol to move other vehicles away. Chancey said their team's quick actions prevented further loss of equipment and ensured the safety of everyone at the charging area. He said he's thankful no one was hurt and that they were able to continue serving residents without interruption. Chancey said the incident is categorized as a runaway thermal event, which happens when a battery cell shorts out or is damaged, causing it to discharge its electrical energy. Grants Pass firefighters aided in the emergency by keeping the thermal event from spreading from the battery packs on the top of the bus to those at the back. Fleet maintenance crews disconnected the remaining undamaged battery packs right after firefighters stopped their operations.