Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman on five outstanding warrants as she was released from the hospital late last night. The Police Department reports officers placed 40-year-old Erika Ann Vineyard into custody at Three Rivers Medical Center on Monday at 11:05 p.m.. Police said Vineyard was a patient at the hospital for undisclosed reasons and they requested to be contacted when she was ready to be released. Vineyard was wanted on three Jackson County warrants for two counts of failing to appear in court for Probation Violation related to impaired driving arrests and one count of failing to appear in court for Driving While Suspended. She was also wanted on two Medford warrants for failing to appear in court for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving and Criminal Suspended Driving. Vineyard was lodged on the warrants at the Josephine County Jail where her bail was set at $115,000.

 

The Oregon State Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving and more early yesterday after she struck another vehicle on Interstate 5 in the Sunny Valley area and fled the scene. OSP reports troopers and emergency crews responded to the northbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 73 on Monday at 8:40 a.m.. Troopers said a 28-year-old woman was driving a Nissan sedan when she struck a Chevrolet Cobalt driven by a 63-year-old man and did not stop. The suspect was located a short time later, pulled over and found to be impaired. According to OSP, there were no injuries reported -- but both vehicles sustained damage. The suspect was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage. She was cited to appear in court and released, but her car was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police issued several citations and trespassed one person during patrol checks at the city's two designated campgrounds early yesterday. At the NE 7th Street campground, four people were cited for violations involving Utilization of Space. It was the second such citation for one woman who was given a 30-day exclusion from the campsite. One man was cited for Marijuana Possession and another man was cited for Scattering Rubbish. One camp was removed as there were numerous syringes and other drug paraphernalia observed inside the tent. No one claimed responsibility. At the SE J Street campground, a man and woman were both cited for violations involving Utilization of Space.

 

UPDATE: MISSING MEN HAVE BEEN LOCATED.

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office was seeking public assistance in locating two men who had not returned from a weekend hunting trip. The Sheriff's Office reports 71-year-old Donald Pratt and 39-year-old Eric Pratt went hunting in the Illinois Valley early Sunday. Their vehicle was captured on cameras, it is believed they went up Lone Mountain Road in O'Brien and may be near the Sourdough Campground. They are in a white Toyota pickup with a white canopy with Oregon license plate 267 CZH. Donald Pratt is described as a white male adult, 6-feet-tall and 240 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Eric Pratt is described as a white male adult, 6-feet-4-inches tall and 300 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of these two men is urged to contact the Sheriff's Office at (541)-474-5123. Please reference Case #24-25041.

 

Authorities are seeking the identity of a burglar who broke into the Staples at the Grants Pass Shopping Center early yesterday. The Grants Pass Police Department reports a lone burglar broke through the store's front window just after 2 a.m. on Monday. Police said the burglar broke into display cabinets and took electronic items before fleeing. The unidentified subject now has numerous brand new electronics. GPPD has video of the incident on its Facebook page. If anyone knows or suspects who this burglar may be, they are encouraged to contact Officer Payne at (541)-450-6260. Please reference Case #24-39341. According to GPPD, teamwork and citizen involvement are key to community policing and public safety.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for felony impaired driving last weekend after he crashed into another vehicle and fled the scene on foot. According to the Police Department, officers and emergency crews responded to the collision at the corner of Axtell and Overland drives on Sunday at 6:50 p.m.. Police said a 32-year-old male subject was intoxicated while driving a vehicle that crashed into another vehicle head-on at low speed. They said the complainant reported the subject got out of his vehicle, was yelling at people and running around. The man kicked down a fence and ran away down a pedestrian trail. Officers searched the area and located a man matching the suspect's description. The subject confessed to being impaired and fleeing the scene of the crash. He was placed into custody. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. There was no damage to the fence and little damage to the other vehicle.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a young woman for attempting to steal a skateboard from a local sporting goods store last weekend. The Police Department reports officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at Big 5 Sporting Goods off NE Agness Avenue on Sunday around 10:20 a.m.. Police said 20-year-old Brianna Marie Bailey entered Big 5 and concealed a skateboard valued at $70 under her jacket. She passed all points of sale and was contacted by officers on the Grants Pass Parkway near NE Beacon Drive. According to the report, the theft was captured on video surveillance. Bailey was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 3rd-Degree Theft. The stolen skateboard was returned to Big 5 and the thief was trespassed from the store.

 

Wet driving conditions contributed to two motor vehicle accidents on Interstate 5 in the Sunny Valley area early yesterday. On Monday at 7:05 a.m., Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash in the northbound lanes of I-5 near Exit 71. Rural Metro officials said the driver of a semi-truck tractor without a trailer lost control after the driver did not slow down for the rain-covered road surface. Two occupants were transported by ambulance to Three Rivers Medical Center with minor injuries. A lack of seatbelt use also may have contributed to the injuries. On Monday at 9:18 a.m., Rural Metro and AMR responded to a rollover crash in the southbound lanes of I-5 near milepost 73. With help from 3 Boys Towing, the driver was extricated from the collapsed cab of a pickup that landed on its roof. Using a combination of lifting the truck and enlarging the interior space of the cab using specialized tools, the driver was freed in about 25 minutes. Both the driver and a juvenile passenger who were wearing seatbelts were transported by AMR to the hospital with minor injuries. OSP was investigating the cause of both crashes.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department issued numerous citations and warnings during a traffic safety enforcement operation near the high school late last week. In response to complaints about poor driving behavior around Grants Pass schools, the Police Department conducted the Friday operation on NE 8th and 9th streets, resulting in 29 traffic citations and 20 warnings. The citations were issued for failing to yield to pedestrians, using cell phones while driving, speeding and failing to wear seatbelts. GPPD officials said additional operations are planned for the near future to help keep local streets safe, especially around schools. They said please drive safely, avoid a ticket and save lives.