KAJO 99.7FM - News Story

Suspect Wanted for Abandoning Kids in Woods Arrested after Nationwide Hunt

A suspect wanted for abandoning his children in the woods near Jacksonville earlier this year has been arrested after a nearly six-month nationwide manhunt. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office reports the suspect -- 24-year-old Justin Ryan Trompeter -- was arrested on July 12th after being spotted in Medford and taking police on a high-speed pursuit through Jackson and Josephine counties. Early that morning, Medford police officers located a vehicle associated with Trompeter driving near the Rogue Valley Mall and initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle briefly stopped before eluding northbound on Interstate 5. MPD ended their pursuit and the Jackson County sheriff's deputies located the vehicle traveling north past I-5 Exit 40 at high speed and continued the pursuit into Grants Pass. The Oregon State Police, Grants Pass Police Department and Josephine County Sheriff's Office took over the pursuit on Redwood Highway. While trying to elude police, Trompeter called 9-1-1 and threatened suicide by cop. The chase continued on side roads toward Merlin where the suspect crashed his vehicle into a ditch. He engaged in a brief standoff with law enforcement before giving up in the area of Pickett Creek Road and Hussey Lane. Trompeter was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. He was then taken to the Jackson County Jail where he was lodged on 14 separate charges including Felony Domestic Assault, Robbery, Harassment, Theft, Child Neglect, Reckless Driving, Felony Attempt to Elude Police, Reckless Endangering and Parole Violation.

Posted on 8/3/24 5:07AM by Chuck Benson

IV Man Jailed for Committing Total of 13 Old & New Crimes Involving Weapons

An Illinois Valley man is in custody for allegedly committing a total of 13 old and new violent crimes involving weapons. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested the 28-year-old male subject identified as "Austin Keith Owsley" in the 2700-block of Lakeshore Drive near Selma on Thursday afternoon. The Sheriff's Office provided few details about the arrest, but Owsley was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for 1st-Degree Robbery, two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, 4th-Degree Assault and Interfering with Making a Police Report. Owsley was additionally charged with Felon in Possession of a Weapon, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Possession of a Short-Barreled Shotgun, Pointing a Firearm at Another Person, Menacing, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and two counts of Attempt to Commit a Felony Crime. No other information was disclosed.

Posted on 8/3/24 5:05AM by Chuck Benson

GP Police Collared Statewide Fugitive Downtown while Contacting another Man

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on a statewide felony warrant while contacting another man in the downtown area this week. The Police Department reports officers arrested a 30-year-old male subject in the 300-block of NW 6th Street on Thursday night. Police said they were contacting another man during a downtown patrol check when the subject they identified as "Jacob Levi Reeder" saw them and started running. He was tracked down and detained a short time later when officers discovered the reason why he was fleeing. Reeder was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Felony Parole Violation. He was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

Posted on 8/3/24 5:04AM by Chuck Benson

Deputies Arrested Selma Woman Who Refused to Leave House Built by Dad

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested an Illinois Valley woman who refused to leave a house her father built after it was sold to another person. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 1700-block of Deer Creek Road near Selma earlier this week.
Deputies said a 68-year-old woman had been evicted from a property where a house built by her father was constructed. They said she returned and broke into the house, went upstairs and fell asleep in her old bedroom. The woman's ex-husband advised that she was not being aggressive. He said she adamantly believes that the sale of the house is fake because her father built it. Responding deputies found the gate open, but the driveway was blocked by the woman's vehicle. She had reportedly trespassed on the property before and she struggled with deputies as they placed her into custody.

Posted on 8/3/24 5:03AM by Chuck Benson

State Lawmakers to Visit Southwest Oregon in Next Stops of Transportation Tour

Coos Bay and Central Point are the next stops for Oregon lawmakers' Statewide Transportation Safety and Sustainability Outreach Tour next Wednesday and Thursday. These visits to communities across the state are helping legislators understand the unique needs of Oregonians and the challenges of maintaining a safe, accessible and reliable transportation system. Public hearings will be held in each location and community members are encouraged to provide their comments. The public hearing in Coos Bay will be held on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Marshfield High School. The public hearing in Central Point will be held Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Jackson County Expo Park. Members of the public interested in testifying can register in person starting 30 minutes before each meeting begins. The committee will also hear remote testimony, if time permits, which the public can register for on the committee's webpage at "olis.oregonlegislature.gov." For both meetings, ODOT is partnering with local transit agencies, cities and counties to take legislators on a bus tour through those areas during the day to see the condition of local roads, bridges, and bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

Posted on 8/3/24 5:01AM by Chuck Benson

GP Communications Center Handled 1,260 Emergency Calls in Last Week of July

The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center handled 1,260 emergency calls this past week, which was busy for both dispatchers and partner agencies. As usual, the bulk of the calls between July 25th and July 31st were for the Grants Pass Police Department with 963. GPPD was followed by 299 calls for American Medical Response and 96 calls for Grants Pass Fire & Rescue. Rural Metro Fire Department received a total of 57 calls, followed by the Illinois Valley Fire District with 35, Oregon Department of Forestry with 33, Williams Rural Fire Protection District with 6 and Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District with 3. Last Sunday around noon, the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center received multiple calls about a grass fire along Interstate 5 in the Sunny Valley area. Three dispatchers were on duty at this time and they received 78 emergency calls within 30 minutes. While dispatchers were answering these calls, they were also dispatching units on the radios, handling other emergency calls for service and processing requests from units in the field.

Posted on 8/3/24 5:00AM by Chuck Benson

Grants Pass School District will be Offering Free Preschool Program This Fall

The Grants Pass School District is offering free preschool for four- and five-year-old children this fall -- but space is limited. The new District 7 preschool program will accommodate no more than 36 children, with priority given to families demonstrating need. The program will feature play-based learning, developmental curriculum, outdoor experiences and two inclusive classrooms. The location of the new preschool will be the Early Learning Center at Highland Elementary School. There will be two sessions from 9 to 11 a.m. and from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, with no preschool on Wednesdays.

Posted on 8/3/24 4:58AM by Chuck Benson

IV Man Jailed for Committing Total of 13 Old & New Crimes Involving Weapons

An Illinois Valley man is in custody for allegedly committing a total of 13 old and new violent crimes involving weapons. The Josephine County Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested the 28-year-old male subject identified as "Austin Keith Owsley" in the 2700-block of Lakeshore Drive near Selma at 3:34 p.m. Thursday. The Sheriff's Office provided few details about the arrest, but Owsley was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for 1st-Degree Robbery, two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, 4th-Degree Assault and Interfering with Making a Police Report. Owsley was additionally charged with Felon in Possession of a Weapon, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Possession of a Short-Barreled Shotgun, Pointing a Firearm at Another Person, Menacing, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and two counts of Attempt to Commit a Felony Crime. No other information was disclosed. Owsley was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail where he was being held on $250,000 bail.

Posted on 8/2/24 11:23AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Collared Statewide Fugitive Downtown while Contacting another Man

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on a statewide felony warrant while contacting another man in the downtown area last night. The Police Department reports officers arrested a 30-year-old male subject in the 300-block of NW 6th Street on Thursday at 8:42 p.m.. Police said they were contacting another man during a downtown patrol check when the subject they identified as "Jacob Levi Reeder" saw them and started running. He was tracked down and detained a short time later when officers discovered the reason why he was fleeing. Reeder was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Felony Parole Violation. He was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. Jail records show Reeder has been arrested five times for violating his parole since March 30th of last year.

Posted on 8/2/24 11:22AM by Sam Marsh

Pot Smoking Report at GP City Park Led to Arrest of Man on Statewide Warrant

A report of people smoking marijuana in a Grants Pass city park last night led to the arrest of a man on a statewide felony warrant. Grants Pass police officers responded to the reported city ordinance violation at Westholm Park on Thursday around 6:25 p.m.. Police said they contacted two men at the park including 32-year-old Dalton Styles Johnson. He was found to be wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Felony Parole Violation stemming from a conviction for an unspecified weapons offense. Styles was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. Officers said the report of people smoking marijuana at the park was unfounded.

Posted on 8/2/24 11:19AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Snared Woman Wanted on Local Warrant at Morrison Centennial Park

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman wanted on a local felony warrant during a patrol check at a city park late yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers contacted the 50-year-old female subject at Morrison Centennial Park on Rogue River Highway at about 5:15 p.m. Thursday. Police said they were looking for the woman when they received an anonymous tip that she was at the city park. She was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a conviction for an unspecified family offense. The suspect -- identified by GPPD as "Kristine Donna Davidson" -- was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer.

Posted on 8/2/24 11:17AM by Sam Marsh

GP Police Arrested Man on Felony Warrant while Investigating Walmart Theft

Grants Pass Police arrested man on an outstanding warrant while investigating a shoplifting incident at Walmart yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to a theft complaint at the big box retailer on NE Terry Lane on Thursday at 2:33 p.m.. Police said a 36-year-old male subject admitted to walking past all points of sale at Walmart with $159 worth of merchandise without making any attempt to pay. He was later found to be wanted on a Douglas County felony warrant for Probation Violation related to an arrest for Contempt of Court. The suspect was lodged in jail on the warrant plus a new charge of 2nd-Degree Theft. The stolen merchandise was returned to Walmart and the suspect's property was logged into evidence for safekeeping.

Posted on 8/2/24 11:16AM by Sam Marsh

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