Local News

Grants Pass area residents are being encouraged to participate in the "Battle of the Badges Blood Drive" to support the American Red Cross. The friendly competition between the Grants Pass Police Department and Grants Pass Fire & Rescue will take place on Monday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the GPPD Training Room located at 726 NE 7th Street. Please call 1-(800)-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit "RedCrossBlood.org" and enter "GrantsPassFireRescue" to schedule an appointment. Maximize your blood donation and help more patients. If you are an eligible Type O, B-, or A- donor, consider making a Power Red donation. Red blood cells are the most commonly transfused blood component. When you make your donation, simply state "GP Police" or "GP Fire-Rescue." Please respond to the call and give blood at the "Battle of the Badges" on Monday.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office just completed a multi-agency, county-wide sex offender compliance and outstanding warrant sweep called Operation Sentinel. The March 6th through 10th operation targeted sex offenders and individuals with outstanding felony and misdemeanor warrants including repeat offenders, violent offenders and those who fled to avoid prosecution or absconded from justice. The compliance checks conducted in Operation Sentinel included door-to-door verification of addresses reported by sex offenders as their residences to confirm or deny the validity of their registrations. By conducting this operation, the risk of recidivism is reduced and the accuracy of the database is improved, making it a more valuable tool for keeping the community safe. The results of Operation Sentinel included 624 compliance checks, 45 sex offender registrations post-contact, 87 actions taken against offenders, 19 felony warrant arrests, three probationary detainers, five misdemeanor warrant arrests, one probable cause for a stolen firearm, and the seizure of 4.3 grams of fentanyl and 5.8 grams of methamphetamine. The operation was executed with assistance from the US Marshals Service, Oregon State Police Sex Offender Registration Section, Rogue Area Drug Enforcement, Josephine County Community Corrections, Grants Pass Police Department, Oregon State Police, US Postal Inspection Service and Josephine County District Attorney's Office.

 

The National Weather Service has posted a Flood Watch for southwest Oregon and extreme northern California. The Flood Watch is in effect from late Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening in Josephine, Jackson, Douglas, Coos and Curry counties in Oregon as well as Siskiyou County in California. An active storm track will remain over the region through at least early next week. Light to moderate precipitation today through Saturday will cause only minor rises on local rivers and streams. However, an atmospheric river event late Saturday into Sunday will bring periods of heavy rain to the watch area. Rain amounts of 3 to 6 inches are likely during this time frame for the coast, coastal ranges and into western Siskiyou County with 1 to 3 inches in the Rogue Valley and Umpqua Basin. Snow levels will rise this weekend to between 5,000 and 5,500 feet by Sunday and this will lead to snow melt and increased runoff. Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. Residents should monitor weather forecasts and be alert for a possible Flood Warning. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.

 

The City of Grants Pass has announced that the window for applying for a permit to operate dining parklets in the Central Business District is now open. The Grants Pass City Council has placed a high priority on encouraging economic opportunities for restaurants in the downtown core to enhance and expand their operating areas by creating attractive outdoor parklets. Dining parklets can be placed as early as May 2nd and they must be removed before November 4th. Last year, Catalyst Pizza, House of Glory, the Laughing Clam and the Wonder Bur provided parklets for summer dining. This year, businesses shall choose and build an approved parklet. The City will approve the application and design. Logos, advertising or branding on parklets is prohibited. No smoking signs must be installed. A City of Grants Pass Sidewalk Cafe/Parklet addendum permit must be obtained through the Community Development Department, 101 NW A Street, Grants Pass, OR 97526 or by calling (541)-450-6060. The permits are free.

 

The National Weather Service has posted a Winter Weather Advisory for Friday morning in southwest Oregon. The Winter Weather Advisory for Josephine, Jackson, Douglas and eastern Curry counties runs from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m. tomorrow. Snow is expected above 1,500 feet, with total accumulations of between one-half and two inches. Winds could gust as high as 35 miles per hour. This includes the passes on Interstate 5 between Grants Pass and Roseburg, Hayes Hill and portions of Redwood Highway, and Highway 42 at Camas Mountain Pass. Roads will mainly be wet, but they could be briefly snow-covered or slushy and slippery. The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday morning commute. Motorists are encouraged to slow down and use caution when traveling in southwest Oregon early Friday. For updated road conditions, visit "tripcheck.com."

 

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners and Josephine Community Library District have traded dueling press releases as an impasse over lease negotiations for the Grants Pass branch continues. On Wednesday, the local library district issued a press release stating that it did not cancel a lease negotiation meeting scheduled for this morning. It said it would attend the 10:30 a.m. meeting and if the Board did not show up, a press conference would be held outside the Anne G. Basker Auditorium Later in the day, the Board of Commissioners issued a press release stating that it needed "to clear the record on a few items." It said it initially agreed to meet with the district today, but library leaders requested the meeting be held in executive session in the Commissioners conference room. The Board said it received correspondence from the library board's legal counsel on Monday stating that he did not think today's scheduled meeting would "bear any fruit" or "be very efficient." After the library district publicly noticed today's meeting, the Commissioners said they would be unable to meet this morning. The Board said it had planned to schedule a meeting with the JCLD Board this afternoon, but it appears that this will have to be done at a later date. Commissioner Chris Barnett called it "a bummer" and said they just wanted to keep the conversation on the lease moving forward. He said he hopes they can have good and productive discussions in the future.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man for allegedly threatening his wife at a downtown area apartment complex early yesterday. The Police Department reports officers responded to a domestic disturbance at apartments located on NW E Street on Wednesday around 7:15 a.m.. Police said a neighbor overheard 45-year-old Ely Benjamin Smith threatening to kill his wife while he was holding her in the confined space of their kitchen. The caller said Smith swung at her and pushed her, and no one answered when he knocked on the door to check on her. He immediately called 9-1-1. Responding officers interviewed both Smith and his wife before placing Smith into custody. During a consent search, he was found to be in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine. Before Smith was placed into custody, he requested an ambulance for a medical issue. He was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center for an evaluation and was cleared. Smith was then lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Domestic Menacing and Meth Possession. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a statewide felony warrant and for drug possession after spotting him in the downtown area yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers observed 40-year-old Bobby Joe Swearingen in the 400-block of SE H Street on Wednesday at 1:13 p.m.. Police said they were familiar with Swearingen from past criminal contacts and they knew he was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation related to a previous conviction for an unspecified weapon offense. Swearingen drove away from the H Street storage business and officers pulled him over for expired tags on Dowell Road. He exited his vehicle on command and was cooperative. He also admitted to being in possession of methamphetamine. Swearingen was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant and for Meth Possession. His corrections officer was contacted and he was being held on a no-bail detainer.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a local felony warrant yesterday and added new charges to his criminal bill after he tried to flee from officers. The Police Department reports officers were on a patrol check at WinCo Foods on NE Terry Lane when they spotted 36-year-old Bryan William Suthann at about 1:20 p.m. on Wednesday. Police said they were familiar with Suthann and knew that he was wanted on a Grants Pass felony warrant for Probation Violation related to an arrest for drug possession. When they tried to contact him, he ran across the Grants Pass Parkway and then scuffled with officers at Taco Bell. After being placed into custody, Suthann was found to be in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine. It was seized for destruction. Suthann was subsequently lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus new charges of Resisting Arrest, Escape and Meth Possession. He was being held on a no-bail detainer.