Local News

Grants Pass Police evicted three people from a city park after citing them for repeat ordinance violations early yesterday. GPPD officers contacted Caleb Rossiter, Kelcey Cummings and Lori Signs at Tussing Park on West Park Street on Thursday at about 8:30 a.m.. Officers said Rossiter and Cummings were cited for Utilization of Park Space and Violation of Park Rules after they staked their tents to the ground. Both men were trespassed from the park for 30 days and given until 5 p.m. to leave the facility. Signs was also cited for Utilization of Space and she was issued a 30-day exclusion order. She had been trespassed from the NE 7th Street campsite for the same reason on Wednesday.

 

No one was injured when two vehicles collided on Redwood Highway in Selma yesterday. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle crash at the intersection of US Highway 199 and Deer Creek Road on Thursday at 1:21 p.m.. Troopers said a preliminary investigation indicated a Toyota Tundra driven by a 33-year-old Eureka, California, man was heading south on the highway while a Ford Escape driven by a 55-year-old Albany man was crossing the highway from Deer Creek to Illinois Valley roads when the incident occurred. No one injured. Both vehicles sustained damage, but neither was towed. According to OSP, the investigation did not determine who was at fault so no citations were issued.

 

Grants Pass Police cited a man for two traffic violations following at least one citizen complaint on the east side of the city early yesterday. GPPD officers responded to the incident in the 2,000-block of NE Fairview Avenue on Thursday around 9:45 a.m.. Police said they were alerted to a vehicle parked more than two feet away from the curb, with trash on the sidewalk and in the gutters. There were tarps covering the vehicle's windows and it appear the man and his girlfriend were living there. The man -- identified only as "Retamoza" -- was allowed to clean up the trash and told officers he would move the van when his girlfriend returned with the keys. He was cited for No Operator's License and No Insurance. He was also warned for Offensive Littering. The vehicle was towed to a local impound yard.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a Josephine County Community Corrections client for using an artificial device to falsify a drug test this week. The Police Department reports officers arrested 22-year-old Tyler Jacob Forni-Howard at the Corrections Office on NW 4th Street late Wednesday afternoon. During a meeting with his corrections officer, police said Forni-Howard admitted to wearing an artificial bladder containing the urine of another person on his leg and using the device in an attempt to falsify the results of a required drug test. The device was found when Forni-Howard was patted down after the test. It was seized as evidence and the suspect was placed into custody. Forni-Howard was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Falsifying Drug Test Results and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

A Cave Junction man was arrested for impaired driving and more after he crashed into a Josephine County Sheriff's Office vehicle on Redwood Highway and fled the scene. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the incident on US Highway 199 near Hogue Drive on Wednesday afternoon. Troopers said an investigation determined that 29-year-old Karl Cody Arnold was driving a Toyota Solara when he wrecked into a Sheriff's Chevrolet Silverado patrol pickup driven by a 35-year-old male deputy. No one was hurt and the suspect took off after the crash. Arnold was tracked down and pulled over a short time later. He showed strong signs of impairment and was determined to be impaired at the time of the crash. He was transported to the Josephine County Jail where he provided a breath sample that was 2-1/2 times the legal driving limit. Arnold was jailed for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving, Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage, Recklessly Endangering a Highway Worker and Public Indecency. His wrecked car was impounded.

 

The Oregon State Police cited an elderly motorist after he struck a Josephine County Sheriff's patrol vehicle on Redwood Highway near Hayes Hill. According to OSP, troopers responded to the two-vehicle crash on US Highway 199 near milepost 15 on Wednesday evening. Troopers said an investigation indicated that a 90-year-old Kerby man was driving a Mazda MZ3 and a 53-year-old male deputy was driving a Chevrolet Tahoe patrol vehicle when the wreck occurred. The deputy was passing the slower Mazda sedan when its driver made an unlawful lane change and hit the deputy's vehicle. No one was hurt and neither vehicle required towing. Following the investigation, the Kerby man was cited for Unlawful Lane Change and Driving While Suspended. He was also warned for No Insurance.

 

The crash detection feature on a cellular device alerted the Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center to an accident in the Sunny Valley area last night. On Thursday around 9 p.m., Rural Metro Fire Department, American Medical Response and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash about one mile up Flume Gulch Road. Additional information was obtained via a text message from the driver that they had rolled off the road and were unable to get out of the vehicle. Poor cell coverage in the remote location prevented the driver from making a voice call. Firefighters set up a rope system to facilitate extraction of the driver about 50 feet up to the roadway. Only minor injuries were reported.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office participated in a Speed Enforcement campaign in March with excellent results. The Sheriff's Office reports four deputies took part over two days in the effort sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Over those two days, deputies issued four citations and 70 warnings for speeding on Josephine County roadways. Deputies also cited one motorist for Driving While Suspended and two others for No Operator's License. They also issued 18 warnings for miscellaneous violations.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners is slated to make decisions on several action items during its weekly business session this morning. After proclaiming April 13th-19th as "National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week," the Board will consider a total of seven Administrative Action items. The Commissioners will first consider Annual Department of Environmental Quality Rebate Funds followed by a DEQ Authorization Form. There is also a Letter of Support for the Animal Shelter Capital Improvement Request. In other business, the Board will consider an order designating a newspaper of record for publication of county notices. The current newspaper of record is the Illinois Valley News -- not the Grants Pass Daily Courier. Also on the agenda are appointments of the Josephine County Planning Director and Building Official as well as an order dissolving the Parks Advisory Board. Today's public meeting begins at 10 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.