Local News

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners this morning made appointments to the Airport Advisory Board and Budget Committee -- but the most interesting developments in the meeting came during the public comment period. The Board started off the session with the approval of a resolution that continues Josephine County's participation in the County Assessment Function Funding Assistance (CAFFA) Grant program. It's the 36th annual renewal of a grant from the state that helps offset the costs of assessing local properties for taxation. The Commissioners also approved plat maps for two new housing developments in Josephine County -- Eden View and Lesisz Estates. The Board then approved a resolution making seven appointments to the Josephine County Airports Advisory Board. Sean McGillivary, Ryan Marshall, Brett Hopper and Jason Emonds were appointed to four terms while Lena Traeger, Jamie Jones and Cameron Camp were appointed to two-year terms. Three people were appointed to one-year terms on the Josephine County Budget Committee. They are Chad Hanson, Nathan Seable and Marc Kirby. During Public Comment, four people chastised absent Commissioner Chris Barnett for making false claims about people being bused in to last Saturday's successful protest against the Trump administration. One man spoke in opposition to what he called "religious dogma espoused by the Board of Commissioners" while another man spoke in favor of the religious invocations at the start of weekly meetings. There was also citizen comment supporting the Josephine Community Library District as well as a Williams man who asked the Board to "unbundle the Pipe Fork property from the Thompson Creek parcel and sell Pipe Fork to us."

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man last night for beating up his girlfriend in front of a child and then fleeing the scene in a vehicle while impaired. The Police Department reports officers responded to a domestic disturbance at a Williams Highway residence on Thursday around 10 p.m.. Police were alerted to the incident when a neighbor called 9-1-1 to report that a man and woman were fighting, the man left the scene in a dark-gray Chrysler sedan and he was intoxicated. The caller added that the altercation took place in front of the woman's 4-year-old son. The female victim told officers her boyfriend -- 28-year-old Taylor Marvin Woodward -- kicked her and punched her twice during an argument, which caused noticeable swelling and bruising. However, the woman refused medical attention. Woodward's car was located a short time later at Donutland on Fruitdale Drive. He exited the vehicle, made pre-assault indicators and showed violent behavior toward law enforcement before he was placed into custody at the point of a Taser. Officers described the arrest of the intoxicated suspect as "tense." Woodward was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 4th-Degree Assault, Disorderly Conduct and Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. He was being held without bail and his car was impounded.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man for causing a disturbance and then scuffling with deputies in Cave Junction last night. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies eventually arrested 64-year-old David Leo Alexander for the incident in the 200-block of West River Street on Thursday at 8:20 p.m.. Police said a citizen called 9-1-1 to report that Alexander was at their home trying to pick a fight. They found the man lying on their car and when they asked him to leave, he became belligerent. The caller further stated the man kept coming onto their property and that he fell onto and broke their fence. According to the report, the caller's husband punched Alexander when Alexander tried to punch him. The suspect was lying in the roadway when deputies arrived on scene. He was placed into custody and hobbled because he was attempting to kick deputies as well as the door of the patrol vehicle. Alexander was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Attempt to Assault a Peace Officer and Disorderly Conduct. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for harassing her now-former apartment manager yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a disturbance at an apartment complex in the 400-block of NE Anderson Street on Thursday around 12:45 p.m.. Police said the apartment manager called 9-1-1 to report that 49-year-old Kathleen Frances Kirven was harassing her and other staff members. The caller said Kirven made a statement that caused her emotional distress and made her afraid to leave her office. According to the report, Kirven was being evicted from her apartment and she was placed into custody upon the arrival of law enforcement. Kirven was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Harassment and she was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested two women who got into a physical altercation at a downtown homeless campground yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident at the "resting" site at 6th and A streets on Thursday at 12:35 p.m.. Police said 54-year-old Laurie Yvette Momney and 35-year-old Samantha Jean Brown were physically fighting, rolling on the ground and kicking each other. They said both combatants ran off before they arrived on scene, but both were eventually tracked down and placed into custody about 25 minutes later. Momney was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct and she was being held without bail. Brown was also charged with Disorderly Conduct, but she was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for injuries sustained in the fight. She was cited to appear in court and released to hospital staff for protracted treatment.

 

Grants Pass Police assisted Josephine County Community Corrections yesterday by arresting two men for violating terms of their court-ordered supervisions by being in possession of narcotics. The Police Department reports the first incident occurred on Thursday at 10:28 a.m. when officers arrested 56-year-old Matthew Carl Montgomery at a home in the 300-block of SW L Street. Police said Montgomery's corrections officer contacted them after he found his client to be in possession of methamphetamine. He was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Meth Possession plus the resulting Felony Parole Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer. The second incident happened on Thursday at 11:51 a.m. when officers arrested 39-year-old Jesse Nathaniel Firestone at a home in the 500-block of SW Alder Street. Firestone's corrections officer found his client to be in possession of meth, fentanyl and 22 blue capsules identified as "dextoamphetamine" that were not prescribed to him. He was lodged in jail for Meth Possession, Fentanyl Possession and Felony Possession of a Schedule 2 Controlled Substance along with Probation Violation. He was also being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on an outstanding warrant and a woman who ran away from a traffic stop last night. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a Mitsubishi Montero driven by 53-year-old Joelle Kathleen Dewitt in the 100-block of SE Mill Street on Thursday at 7:54 p.m.. Her passenger was identified as 59-year-old Gregory Albert Metzger. Police said they spotted Dewitt driving the vehicle on SE J Street and were aware that her driving privileges had been suspended. They said she jumped into the back seat of the vehicle and covered herself with a blanket, leaving Metzger alone in the front seat. She then exited the vehicle and took off running before being placed into custody after a short foot pursuit. She resisted the efforts of law enforcement. Dewitt was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Resisting Arrest, Attempt to Elude Police on Foot and 3rd-Degree Escape. She was being held without bail. Metzger was placed into custody after officers discovered that he was wanted on a Josephine County warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Theft. He was also lodged in jail without bail. The Mitsubishi was impounded.

 

A Grants Pass woman was killed and a Merlin man was injured earlier this week in a motor vehicle accident in Douglas County. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the single-vehicle crash near milepost 28 of Highway 138E at 6:38 p.m. Monday. Troopers said the preliminary investigation indicates a westbound Chevrolet Tahoe driven by 65-year-old Craig Francis Hindle of Merlin crossed the highway for unknown reasons, left the eastbound shoulder and struck a tree. The passenger in the Tahoe -- 34-year-old Scoti Allena Hoadley of Grants Pass -- was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt and was declared deceased at the scene. The driver -- Hindle -- sustained minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital. The highway was not impacted during the on-scene investigation. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. OSP was assisted by the Oregon Department of Transportation.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department is asking for public assistance in locating a robbery suspect. On March 29th around 10:30 p.m., a customer at the A-1 Market & Deli on SW G Street called 9-1-1 to report a possible robbery in progress at the store. GPPD officers responded and confirmed the business had been robbed by a suspect who may have had a firearm in his pocket. The suspect -- who wore dark clothing, white shoes and a dark bandanna over his face -- fled the scene with money and cigarettes before the arrival of law enforcement. Due to the nature of the call, GPPD utilized a K-9 unit and an unmanned aerial vehicle to search for the suspect, but they were unable to locate him. The suspect was described as a white male of average height. A surveillance video posted on the GPPD Facebook page shows the suspect as he entered the store. The hope is that someone who knows the suspect can identify him based on his clothing, movements and mannerisms. If anyone has information about the robbery or the identity of the suspect, they are encouraged to call the GPPD Major Crimes Unit at (541)-450-6260.