Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested two people yesterday during a traffic stop in the southern Illinois Valley. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies pulled over a vehicle containing 38-year-old James Darron Patterson and 29-year-old Breanna Marie Vineyard in the 32,400-block of Redwood Highway on Wednesday at 2:41 p.m.. Few details about the incident were disclosed, but deputies said Patterson was arrested for Methamphetamine Possession and the resulting Parole Violation while Vineyard was arrested on a local warrant for Driving While Suspended. Patterson and Vineyard were transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail. Patterson was being held on a no-bail detainer. The vehicle and the trailer it was pulling were impounded and towed to Cave Junction.

 

A Grants Pass area man who was jailed this week for domestic violence has been served with a nationwide felony warrant. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office reports jail deputies served the United States Marshals Service warrant on 42-year-old Aaron C. Morton. Morton was arrested early Sunday for a brutal attack on his wife at a Donaldson Road residence. His wife of two weeks was treated at Three Rivers Medical Center for heavy bruising over her body along with cuts on the back of her head. Morton allegedly strangled his wife and dragged her through the garage and yard of the home before he used a hammer to threaten her. He was arrested by Grants Pass police officers at the 7-Eleven store shortly after the incident. According to the US Marshals Service warrant, Morton was wanted for Probation Violation for Personal Recognizance. Morton was lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant. He was arraigned in court on felony charges including Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Kidnapping and 4th-Degree Domestic Assault plus misdemeanor charges of 4th-Degree Assault, Strangulation and Menacing -- all constituting domestic violence.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man for violating his probation related to an arrest last summer for child sex crimes. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 31-year-old Justin Leslie Concha and booked him into the Josephine County Jail on Tuesday afternoon. Concha was charged with five counts of 1st-Degree Encouraging Child Sex Abuse and three counts of Probation Violation. He was arrested in August 2024 for five felony counts each of 1st- and 2nd-Degree Encouraging Child Sex Abuse. Jail records show Concha was also arrested for Encouraging Sexual Abuse of an Animal, but the District Attorney's Office did not file that charge against him. Concha remains in custody without any scheduled bail. Records show he has been known to use the alias of "Jay Leslie Frost."

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for violating his post-prison supervision this week after he caused a disturbance at Grocery Outlet. The Police Department reports officers responded to the incident at the store off NE Agness Avenue on Tuesday morning. Police said the Grocery Outlet general manager called 9-1-1 to report that 49-year-old Kenneth Daniel Reynolds was screaming and threatening to kill people while acting aggressively to both employees and customers. A landscaper intervened and the suspect fled the area. The caller said it appeared the man was holding a knife when he threatened her. Responding officers located Reynolds in an open field on NE Fairview Avenue. He was placed into custody and found to be in possession of a glass pipe with a crystal residue that tested positive as methamphetamine, but no knife was found. His corrections officer was called and requested that his client be detained. Reynolds was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Disorderly Conduct, Meth Possession and the resulting Felony Parole Violation. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for vandalizing a patrol vehicle during a welfare check in the north part of the city early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers contacted 32-year-old Sean Richard Stroup at the Pinnacle 365 on NE 6th Street on Wednesday around 1:45 a.m.. Police said a store employee called 9-1-1 to report a male subject who appeared to be passed out in their parking lot. Officers were able to wake the man up and he showed multiple signs of a narcotic depressant while admitting that he had some fentanyl in his pocket. Stroup refused consent to search his person -- but during a probable cause search, a container housing multiple fentanyl pills was located and seized. During the search, the suspect reared his head back and slammed it into the hood of the patrol vehicle, causing minor damage. Stroup was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Criminal Mischief in the 3rd-Degree. A charge of Fentanyl Possession was referred to the District Attorney's Office for consideration.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving after he crashed into a parked vehicle near the downtown area this week. The Police Department reports officers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle collision in the 500-block of NW A Street on Tuesday night. Police were alerted to an incident in which the male driver of a Jeep Wrangler collided with a parked vehicle and was trying to take off. Witnesses reported the driver seemed to be impaired. He was lone occupant and no one was hurt. Upon arrival, officers contacted 26-year-old Brendan Scott Hobgood who admitted to consuming alcohol and smoking marijuana before driving and crashing. They said he consented to field sobriety tests, but was unable to complete them due to his high level of impairment. Hobgood was placed into custody and transported to the Sobering Center where he provided breath and urine samples. He was cited to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and released to his mother.

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to hold two public hearings on library district annexations and a community development block grant program during its weekly business session this morning. The Board will hold a hearing on three annexations to the Josephine Community Library District by petition of the landowners. The Commissioners will then hold a hearing on the 2024 Community Development Block Grant from Business Oregon. Last year, Josephine County was awarded $500,000 in CDBG funding to help low to moderate income residents in need of critical home repairs. Under Administrative Actions, the Board will consider a renewal with City-County Insurance, an invoice from the Oregon Coalition of Local Health Officials, an agreement with the City of Medford and an agreement with the Oregon Building Codes Division. There will also be Requests and Comments from Citizens during today's public meeting, which starts at 10 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium.

 

The Bureau of Land Management sold 47.7 million board feet of timber across more than 1,600 acres for nearly $13.5 million in western Oregon this month. BLM officials said these sales will feed local mills and support jobs in western Oregon communities, producing enough timber to build roughly 3,000 homes. These timber sales align with the Trump administration's emphasis on maximizing the use of domestic resources, supporting rural economies and promoting American energy and independence. By accelerating active forest management and increasing access to public lands for responsible resource development, the BLM is helping meet national goals for job creation, reduced regulatory burdens and stronger supply chains for critical industries like timber production and home building. Locally, the Medford BLM District sold the Big Dog timber sale comprising 5.3 million board feet on 396 public acres near Butte Falls to Murphy Company of Eugene for over $693,000. There were two large timber sales in Douglas County and one in Coos County plus several others in the Northwest Oregon District.

 

"Buckle Up" for Day 2 of the 2025 Josephine County Fair in Grants Pass. The Fairground gates will be open between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m., with free admission plus free parking and a shuttle at Rogue Community College. The Caveman Kiwanis is offering parking at the Fairgrounds for $10. The featured entertainment at the Fair today is a country music concert at the Grandstand with Ned Ledoux at 7 p.m. followed by Rodney Atkins at 8:30. It's brought to you in part by KRRM Radio and Grants Pass Broadcasting. "Live" on the Pavilion Stage, it's Bridge 222 at 6:30 p.m. followed by No-Bodies Ghost at 8. Daily entertainment includes Exhibit Halls, Selfie Fair, Rockin' Rentals, Kidz Alley, Bingo and the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show plus strolling entertainers on the Midway. The carnival opens at 2 p.m.. In the barns, see local kids with their livestock including swine, sheep, goats and beef. That's in addition to numerous vendors and great Fair food options. For more information about the Fair, visit "josephinecountyfairgrounds.com."