Local News

The Oregon State Police arrested a female motorist for impaired driving after she struck a young man at the Sunny Valley Campground late last week. OSP reports troopers responded to the reported crash at the campground on Old Stage Road on Friday around 2:20 p.m.. Troopers said an investigation indicated a Ford Thunderbird driven by a 55-year-old Sunny Valley woman struck a 19-year-old man who was standing in the driveway. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The female suspect displayed indicators of impairment by alcohol at the scene. She was placed into custody and transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where she refused to provide a breath sample, so a search warrant was obtained and she was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw. The suspect was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Endangering. It was unclear in the report if her vehicle was impounded.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a Klamath Falls man for impaired driving during a weekend traffic stop on Redwood Highway near Wilderville. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Nissan Rogue driven by a 23-year-old male subject near milepost 10 of US Highway 199 on Saturday at 5:18 p.m.. Troopers said they responded to multiple calls of a reckless driver on the highway before they located the suspect vehicle and stopped it. They said the driver showed strong signs of impairment, so he was placed into custody and he was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw. The suspect was then taken to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was nearly three times the legal driving limit. He was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangering and Driving While Suspended. His vehicle was impounded. The suspect's 38-year-old female passenger was even more intoxicated and she was lodged at the Sobering Center on a Detox Hold.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a woman for a domestic violence incident that occurred in the southeast part of the city late last week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 40-year-old Adrienne Odessa Hook for the incident in the 200-block of Laureldale Lane on Friday at 4:32 p.m.. Deputies said a man called 9-1-1 to report that his girlfriend -- Hook -- showed up at his residence, pulled a gun on him and started beating him up while he was very intoxicated. The female subject then left the scene in silver Nissan Sentra. A short time later, Hook called 9-1-1 to report that her boyfriend stole a tire off her car and she used a fake gun to frighten him into giving it back. She told dispatchers she threw the fake gun out of the car along the Grants Pass Parkway. She then told deputies she had bear spray instead of a gun when a video showed her with a gun. According to the report, law enforcement was unable to locate the phony firearm. Hook was interviewed and then placed into custody. She was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Domestic Menacing and was being held without bail.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a woman for a violent incident that occurred in downtown Cave Junction. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a disturbance in the 100-block of South Hussey Avenue on Friday around 6:25 p.m.. Deputies said they received a 9-1-1 call from that address reporting a pregnant woman who was drunk and holding a baby in her arms attacked a male subject while breaking windows and screaming at other people in the residence. The woman reportedly fled the scene in a Toyota Corolla. Deputies searched the area and located the female subject inside Shop Smart a short time later. She was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Domestic Harassment and Interfering with Making a Police Report. She was being held without bail pending arraignment. No other information was available on the child that was with the 36-year-old woman, but a friend advised he would pick up her vehicle at the store.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a woman on a local felony warrant after a traffic stop in the North Valley area late last week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies pulled over a vehicle driven by 36-year-old Sarah Dawn Rutan in the 5,000-block of Monument Drive shortly after 11 a.m. on Friday. Deputies said they stopped Rutan for a traffic violation and discovered that she was driving with a suspended license. They also discovered that she was wanted on a Grants Pass felony warrant for Probation Violation related to an arrest for Forgery. Rutan was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus a new charge of Driving While Suspended. She was being held on a no-bail detainer and her vehicle was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police snared a man for not complying with his reporting requirements as a convicted sex offender following a weekend contact in the downtown area. The Police Department reports officers contacted 45-year-old James Edward Weinshrott in the 100-block of SW 6th Street on Saturday shortly after 4 a.m.. Police said they were patrolling the downtown area when they spotted Weinshrott and knew him from numerous prior contacts. They also knew he was a convicted sex offender who had not reported as such since October 2023, which made him out of compliance. Weinshrott was placed into custody and lodged in jail for Failure to Report as a Sex Offender. He was being held without bail.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District responded to two incidents that resulted in injuries to the occupants of vehicles at the start of the weekend. On Friday at 4:13 p.m., IVFD and American Medical Response were dispatched to a small vehicle fire on Holland Loop Road near Takilma Road. Arriving units found a fully-involved minivan. IVFD officials said one occupant sustained burn injuries and was evaluated by AMR. The occupant chose to seek further medical attention at Three Rivers Medical Center. The fire was extinguished and the vehicle was flagged for towing. On Friday at 5:15 p.m., IVFD and AMR crews responded to a single-vehicle crash into a tree near milepost 2 of Waldo Road. Officials said one patient was transported to the hospital with minor injuries. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office did not respond to the incident, but the agency was notified and the vehicle was flagged for towing.

 

The City of Grants Pass has announced that the first phase of the Dollar Mountain Trail Project has been completed. Contractors will return in February to complete round two of the project. All trails on the Highland Loop side are now open for hiking and mountain biking. J2 is the first downhill-only mountain bike route. Please follow the signs indicating directions and intended users. All ATV riders -- including four-wheelers and dirt bikes -- are prohibited from accessing any portion of the city property and trail system. If you witness any ATV riders on city-owned properties, please call the Grants Pass Police Department. Route details can be found on the Trail Forks website at "trail-forks.com." Search for "Dollar Mountain Trail Park."

 

A federal grant award of more than $33 million will allow the Oregon Department of Transportation to construct a wildlife crossing over Interstate 5 in the Cascade- Siskiyou National Monument in southern Jackson County. The Federal Highway Administration said it will be the first wildlife overcrossing for Oregon and the entire stretch of I-5 between Canada and Mexico. The grant award will go toward construction of a wildlife overpass on I-5 just north of the Oregon-California border. The location is within the Mariposa Preserve, part of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Funding will allow for construction of an overpass spanning the northbound and southbound lanes, directional fencing to funnel wildlife to the structure, and associated habitat improvements. The purpose of a wildlife crossing is to prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions which threaten the safety of both motorists and wildlife, and to reconnect critical wildlife habitat. In addition to the FHWA grant award, ODOT will provide matching funds of $3.8 million for a total project cost of $37 million. The required match comes from a $7 million allocation to wildlife corridors by the Oregon Legislature with the passage of House Bill 5202 in 2022.