Local News

Heading into the weekend, nearly half of Josephine County's registered voters had returned their ballots for next Tuesday's general election. The Josephine County Clerk's Office on Friday evening reported a local turnout of 46.47%. Out of 71,141 registered voters, 33,063 had returned completed ballots. Josephine County voters will decide races for two out of three seats on the Board of Commissioners as well as the race for Treasurer. Grants Pass and Cave Junction voters will decide two-person races for mayor along with city council positions. In addition, there are four ballot measure on the November 5th ballot. The deadline for completed ballots is Tuesday at 8 p.m. and postmarks will be counted. Voters can also hand-deliver their ballots to designated drop-boxes at the Clerk's Office, the north and south entrances to the Courthouse, the back parking lot of the Grants Pass library branch, Washington Mutual Bank on Union Avenue, Ray's Food Place in Merlin, Hidden Valley Market in Murphy and Cave Junction City Hall. In other news, the group attempting to recall Josephine County Commissioner John West turned in 7,538 signatures to the Clerk's Office by Thursday's deadline. A total of 6,445 valid signatures must be verified by the Clerk by November 27th in order to trigger the recall.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed an Illinois Valley woman for a domestic violence incident that ruined her family's Halloween night. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested a 34-year-old female subject at a residence in the 1800-block of Rockydale Road on Thursday around 9:30 p.m.. Deputies said a man called 9-1-1 to report that when he and his 9-year-old son returned home from trick-or-treating, the woman threw a bucket of candy at the boy and it hit him in the face, causing a swollen eye and red marks on his face. The caller then stated that the woman choked him for about 15 seconds, making it difficult for him to breathe and forcing him to gasp for air. The victim declined medical treatment for him and his son. According to the report, the man and woman are the parents of two boys -- but the woman lives above the garage. The suspect was placed into custody, transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony 4th-Degree Domestic Assault and Domestic Strangulation. She was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a local felon yesterday after he got into a fight with two corrections officers. The Police Department reports officers arrested 29-year-old Jake Robert Thompson at the Josephine County Community Corrections Office on NW 4th Street at 2:16 p.m. yesterday. Police said they responded to a call at the corrections office stating that two officers were fighting with Thompson, who was wanted for two counts of Felony Parole Violation stemming from a 2017 conviction for unspecified crimes. The corrections officers told police that Thompson failed to comply with multiple commands to put his hands behind his back so he could be handcuffed. They had to use a considerable amount of force to place him into custody. Roberts was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail for the felony parole violations plus a new charge of Resisting Arrest. He was being held on a no-bail detainer. Jail records show Roberts has been arrested a total of 13 times for violating his post-prison supervision since November of last year.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for multiple crimes after he caused a disturbance at a local sandwich shop early yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the incident at the Subway on NE Agness Avenue on Thursday around 8:45 a.m.. Police said 28-year-old Scout James Mountain entered the business and asked to use their phone, which they allowed. They said he returned the phone and was then asked to leave -- but he refused to do so, entered the employee area and stole the phone, which was valued at $280. Mountain was initially uncooperative with officers when they contacted him in the Subway lobby. He instantly became cooperative when officers displayed a Taser. Mountain was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass plus another theft charge related to a separate criminal incident. He was also trespassed from Subway and was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a well-known offender on an outstanding warrant after he arrived at the police station to pick up his belongings yesterday. The Police Department reports officers placed 36-year-old Ian Seiwell Hogue into custody at GPPD headquarters on NE 7th Street on Thursday at 11:51 a.m.. Police said Hogue came into the station lobby in order to pick up his belongings after a recent arrest when an alert clerk discovered that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for Methamphetamine Possession. He was placed into custody without incident. Hogue was returned to the care of the Josephine County Jail and he was being held in lieu of posting $10,000 bail.

 

The Oregon State Police cited a motorist for causing a crash that injured another motorist, knocked down powerlines and shut down a portion of Highway 238 in the northern Applegate Valley yesterday. OSP reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle wreck near milepost 9 of Highway 238 on Thursday shortly before the noon hour. Troopers said an investigation determined that a Ford Escape driven by a 35-year-old woman was attempting to make a U-turn on the highway when she pulled out in front of a Nissan Frontier driven by a 73-year-old man. The Nissan hit the side of the Ford, causing the Nissan to roll over, taking out a fence and power pole. According to OSP, the driver of the Nissan was transported by ambulance to Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford for suspected minor injuries and his heavily-damaged vehicle was towed to Grants Pass. The driver of the Ford was not hurt and she was found to be at fault. She was cited for Careless Driving. The crash completely shut down Highway 238. North Applegate Road was used as an alternate route to temporarily channel traffic between Murphy and the town of Applegate.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving last night after a traffic stop in north Grants Pass. According to OSP, troopers pulled over a Dodge Neon driven by a 42-year-old man near the intersection of 6th Street and Morgan Lane on Thursday at 8:37 p.m.. Troopers said they stopped the vehicle for a traffic violation and the driver showed signs of impairment. After the driver performed poorly in field sobriety tests, a search warrant was obtained and he was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw that documented a high level of impairment. The suspect was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving and Suspended Driving. His vehicle was impounded by A-1 Towing.

 

A Grants Pass man was killed after the dump truck he was driving struck a vehicle driven by a Canadian motorist who fled the scene on Redwood Highway earlier this week. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to the two-vehicle crash on US Highway 199 at its intersection with Helms Road on Tuesday at 12:23 p.m.. Troopers said the preliminary investigation indicated a northbound Nissan Sentra driven by 22-year-old Joshua Chaska Patrick of Abbotsford, British Columbia, failed to stop at a stop sign and entered the highway where it was struck by a northbound Kenworth dump truck driven by 85-year-old Uwe Jens Stehnike of Grants Pass, causing the Kenworth to roll onto its side. Stehnike was declared deceased at the scene while Patrick fled on foot and was arrested nearby a short time later. Patrick sustained injuries and was taken to an area hospital for medical treatment. He was later lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Hit-and-Run and his bail was set at $100,000. The highway was impacted for approximately one hour during the on-scene investigation. OSP was assisted by Rural Metro Fire Department, American Medical Response, the Josephine County Sheriff's Office and Oregon Department of Transportation.

 

A Grants Pass man was jailed for firing off dozens of rounds from an assault rifle and endangering his neighbors this week. The Grants Pass Police Department reports officers arrested a 35-year-old male subject in the 100-block of Robertson Lane on Wednesday evening. Police said they responded to that address after multiple complaints from neighbors who advised there was an ongoing issue with shots fired by the man. After contact, the subject admitted to firing off 50 rounds from his AK rifle into a berm that faces numerous properties within the city limits. Officers said they noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from the shooter who admitted that he started drinking at 9 a.m. to eliminate his shakes because he is an alcoholic. He contended that he has a more steady hand while shooting after he has been drinking. He also acknowledged that shooting while impaired is not safe. According to City Code, discharging a firearm within the city limits is against the law. The suspect was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Reckless Endangering. His assault rifle was seized and he was being held without bail.