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Board Approved November 14th Property Sales and Established New Fire District Fund

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday confirmed the sale of seven properties during a November 14th Sheriff's Auction and then approved the sale of one more property not named "Pipe Fork." The Board first approved an order confirming the Sheriff's Property Sale held last month and authorized the distribution of proceeds from the sale. County Property Manager Helene Lulich testified that two of the properties sold during the auction were purchased with cash, four were purchased with contracts to be paid off within 30 days and one was purchased with monthly installments. She said the proceeds from the sales go to the General Fund, Property Management, Parks and Forestry, with surplus funds from property tax foreclosures available to the prior property owner by request, per Oregon Statute. The Commissioners then approved an order regarding properties that were not sold during last month's auction. One of them at 33223 Redwood Highway near O'Brien has since been purchased in an over-the-counter sale with the total amount due by the end of the month. The total from all the sales exceeded $3.5 million. In other business, the Board approved a resolution establishing the Josephine County Rural Fire Protection District Fund. Commission Vice-Chair Herman Baertschiger secured start-up funding of $1.5 million for the new district when he was a member of the Oregon Senate.

Posted on 12/12/24 5:52AM by Sam Marsh

Mount Ashland Ski Area Announces New Lithia Chair will Open Saturday Morning

Mount Ashland Ski Area has announced the opening of the Lithia Chair will take place on Saturday morning. It will be first chairlift opening for the local ski resort in over 35 years and is a revival of easier terrain that guests enjoyed for the first few decades of the area's history. The new five-tower chairlift with fixed-grip, triple-seat chairs was manufactured by SkyTrac. The chairlift utilizes an all-electric auxiliary motor as opposed to the traditional diesel -- one of the first in the United States to use this technology. The Lithia Chair will serve both easy and more difficult terrain. From the Mount Ashland Lodge, skiers can access the lift by skiing down Aisle 1 to the loading area which is near the Center Stage Terrain Park. The Lithia Chair project has been a priority this year due to the need for a more well-rounded beginner program and learning progression for novice skiers and snowboarders. Additionally, the new chair will be more resilient in higher winds that sometimes close the Sonnet Chair. The Lithia Chair was made possible by the largest gift in Mount Ashland history -- a $2 million donation from the Sid & Karen DeBoer Foundation and an additional $500,000 donation from Sid & Karen DeBoer.

Posted on 12/12/24 5:39AM by Sam Marsh

"Every Kid Outdoors" Offers Opportunity for 4th Graders to Get Free Christmas Trees

Calling all fourth-graders! This year's Every Kid Outdoors program is underway and the US Forest Service wants to make sure all eligible fourth-graders -- and their parents and educators -- know that it's not too late to request their free Every Kids Outdoors public lands pass. It's also not too late to get a complimentary permit to cut their own Christmas tree on a National Forest this holiday season. The Every Kid Outdoors program provides fourth-grade students and their accompanying family members free entry to federally-managed public lands, water sites, recreation areas and historical sites across the United States. Students are encouraged to sign up early in the school year. Passes can be issued beginning September 1st the year they enter fourth grade and are valid through August 31st the following year. In addition to free access to thousands of sites managed by federal agencies across the nation, Every Kids Outdoors pass holders are also eligible for a free permit to cut their own Christmas tree on a National Forest.

Posted on 12/12/24 5:37AM by Sam Marsh

Board Approves November 14th Property Sales & Establishes Fire District Fund

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners this morning confirmed the sale of seven properties during a November 14th Sheriff's Auction and then approved the sale of one more property not named "Pipe Fork." The Board first approved an order confirming the Sheriff's Property Sale held last month and authorized the distribution of proceeds from the sale. County Property Manager Helene Lulich testified that two of the properties sold during the auction were purchased with cash, four were purchased with contracts to be paid off within 30 days and one was purchased with monthly installments. She said the proceeds from the sales go to the General Fund, Property Management, Parks and Forestry, with surplus funds from property tax foreclosures available to the prior property owner by request, per Oregon Statute. The Commissioners then approved an order regarding properties that were not sold during last month's auction. One of them at 33223 Redwood Highway near O'Brien has since been purchased in an over-the-counter sale with the total amount due by the end of the month. The total from all the sales exceeded $3.5 million. In other business, the Board approved a resolution establishing the Josephine County Rural Fire Protection District Fund. Commission Vice-Chair Herman Baertschiger secured start-up funding of $1.5 million for the new district when he was a member of the Oregon Senate.

Posted on 12/11/24 11:39AM by Sam Marsh

Williams Teen Seriously Injured and Charged with DUII after Highway 238 Crash

A Williams teenager was seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident that occurred on Highway 238 last night. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the single-vehicle rollover crash near milepost 7 of Williams Highway on Tuesday shortly before 8 p.m.. Troopers said an investigation indicated a 17-year-old boy was driving a Ford Mustang when he lost control of the car, went over an embankment and was ejected into blackberry bushes. They said the young driver was transported by ambulance with serious injuries to Three Rivers Medical Center. Upon contact at the hospital, troopers observed signs of impairment. A search warrant for the driver's blood was applied for, granted and executed. It showed the boy's blood-alcohol level exceeded the legal driving limit. The teen suspect was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Reckless Driving. He was cited to appear in court and released to the care of the hospital. His wrecked car was impounded.

Posted on 12/11/24 11:37AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Incarcerated Frequent Flyer on Local Warrants Plus Drug Possession

Grants Pass Police jailed a well-known criminal offender on two local warrants plus a new charge after a downtown patrol check yesterday. The Police Department reports officers arrested 39-year-old Travis Randal Davenport in the Grasshopper Parking Lot on Tuesday at 1:45 p.m.. Police said they spotted Davenport and recognized him from several previous law enforcement contacts. They also knew he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Methamphetamine Possession and a Josephine County warrant for failing to appear in court for Disorderly Conduct. During a consent search, Davenport was found to be in possession of two glass pipes containing a crystal residue that field-tested positive as meth. They were seized for destruction. Davenport was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the outstanding warrants plus a new charge of Meth Possession. He was being held on $50,000 bail.

Posted on 12/11/24 11:35AM by Sam Marsh

Grants Pass Police Snared Man on MPD Warrant during Motel 6 Welfare Check

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on an outside warrant while performing a welfare check at a north-city motel late yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to an incident at the Motel 6 on NE 7th Street on Tuesday around 5:15 p.m.. Police said the motel manager called 9-1-1 to report a female subject yelling and screaming. The caller said he went to the room and contacted the woman, but she seemed to be too afraid to ask for help. He requested law enforcement assistance. Officers arrived on scene and contacted the Santa Rosa, California, woman and a man they identified as 35-year-old Frank Nathan Vaughan. A routine records check showed that Vaughan was wanted on a Medford Police Department warrant for failing to appear in court for Hit-and-Run. After the warrant was confirmed, Vaughan was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail.

Posted on 12/11/24 11:34AM by Sam Marsh

Grants Pass Police Collared Man on Local Warrant after Seeing Him at South Y

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a local warrant after spotting him in the south part of the city yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers observed 31-year-old Jose Manuel Urias at the South Y on Tuesday at 11:52 a.m. and then placed him into custody about three minutes later at the south Burger King on Rogue River Highway. Police said Urias was well-known to them from previous criminal encounters and he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. Urias was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on $15,000 bail. He was scheduled to be arraigned in Circuit Court this afternoon.

Posted on 12/11/24 11:33AM by Sam Marsh

Grants Pass Police Arrested Man after He Got Stuck on Caveman Bridge Arch

Grants Pass Police arrested a man early today after he got stranded on top of one of the arches on Caveman Bridge. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a report of suspicious activity on the 6th Street span over the Rogue River around 12:15 this morning. Police said 30-year-old Dustin Michael Fontana told them he climbed onto the Caveman Bridge archway to "get high and look at the stars." He then panicked because he is scared of heights and had an anxiety attack, hanging himself up on the pigeon spikes where he could not free himself. Officers were able to talk Fontana through detaching himself and getting down -- but his behavior had already created public alarm, resulting in calls to 9-1-1 and shutting down one lane of traffic. Fontana was arrested and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct.

Posted on 12/11/24 11:31AM by Sam Marsh

Ashland Shooting Results in Female Victim Hospitalized & Male Suspect Jailed

A woman remains hospitalized and a man is in custody following a shooting in Ashland. On Monday at 5:49 p.m., Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon advised the Ashland Police Department of 9-1-1 calls received from residents in the 40-block of Alida Street reporting a male subject in an apartment complex had fired a gun and was making homicidal statements. Upon arrival of officers, the male subject -- later identified as 49-year-old Cory Davison of Ashland -- fired shots at them and then fled back into the apartment. APD officers requested additional assistance from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office SWAT team. Moments later, officers heard two more shots from within the apartment which were almost immediately followed by another 9-1-1 call from a woman who advised she had been shot. As officers made their way into the apartment, the suspect exited the residence and challenged them to shoot him. Davison refused to obey lawful commands, so officers deployed a Taser to subdue him and place him into custody. He was lodged at the Jackson County Jail for 2nd-Degree Attempted Murder, 2nd-Degree Domestic Assault and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. Anyone with further information on this incident is urged to call APD. The unidentified woman had been shot twice. She was transported by ambulance to Rogue Regional Medical Center where she was in stable condition late yesterday.

Posted on 12/11/24 6:15AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Woman for Multiple Crimes after Safeway Shoplifting Call

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for multiple crimes after she tried to steal hundreds of dollars' worth of merchandise from a downtown supermarket. The Police Department reports officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at Safeway on SE 7th Street on Monday afternoon. Police said 51-year-old Stacey Michelle Shields stole more than $425 worth of grocery items plus a $150 shopping cart from Safeway by pushing the items past all points of sale and exiting without paying. She was located about two blocks from the store, detained and the groceries were returned. Shields admitted to the theft and during a search of her property for more stolen items, several drug-related items were discovered in her handbag. An unused syringe, foil with burnt residue and two melted straws with residue were found. They tested positive for fentanyl and were seized for destruction. Shields was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft and Fentanyl Possession. She was being held without bail.

Posted on 12/11/24 6:13AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Motorist for DUII & More after Fight in Williams Hwy Plaza

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving and more this week after responding to a physical fight between two men from a road rage incident. The Police Department reports officers were alerted to the violent incident in the Williams Highway Plaza on Monday night. Police said 41-year-old Jeremiah Deckert and another man identified only as "Judd" were on the ground fighting when they arrived on scene. Witnesses told officers Judd attacked Deckert by punching him in the face and taking him to the ground. Deckert had confronted Judd for Judd's alleged "poor driving behavior." After breaking up the altercation, police noticed that Deckert was demonstrating strong signs of impairment. Deckert performed poorly in field sobriety tests and was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw that documented a high level of intoxication. Deckert was subsequently lodged in jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, 4th-Degree Assault and Disorderly Conduct. His GMC was impounded. Judd was released without being charged with any crime.

Posted on 12/11/24 6:12AM by Sam Marsh

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