Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a Selma man for attacking family members at their rural home over the weekend. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 49-year-old Rick Brady Courson for the incident in the 6500-block of Deer Creek Road on Saturday at 4:39 a.m.. Deputies said they received a call from a woman who reported that her son was "trying to kill us." They said the caller advised she was bleeding from a lump on her head and her son also bit her on the hand. Her husband was also injured. She requested law enforcement and medical assistance. According to the report, the victim and her husband had been having issues with Courson over the last few days and it escalated to violence as he attacked them. Upon arrival, deputies found Courson had barricaded himself in a second-story bathroom and he had made threats to hurt anyone who tried to enter. He eventually surrendered and was placed into custody. Courson was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on felony charges of 2nd-Degree Domestic Assault and Unlawful Use of a Weapon, plus misdemeanor charges of 4th-Degree Assault and Attempted Strangulation. He was being held without bail pending arraignment in Circuit Court this afternoon.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a Grants Pass woman for the second time in less than a week after she tried to contact her estranged husband. According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a domestic disturbance at a home in the 100-block of Sycamore Drive off Lower River Road on Saturday at about 7:55 p.m.. Deputies said a man called 9-1-1 to report that his wife -- 30-year-old Chawntae Fantasia Belle Eslama -- was ringing the doorbell to his home and trying to get inside. She had been arrested last week for allegedly assaulting her husband and had returned to the home after being released from the Josephine County Jail. Deputies arrived on scene and immediately placed Eslama into custody. Eslama was lodged in jail for Violation of a Release Agreement in which she had agreed not to contact her husband. She was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for several crimes after contacting her during a patrol check late last week. The Police Department reports officers contacted 37-year-old Krystal Ann Wilder in the 200-block of Redwood Highway on Friday afternoon. Police said they observed Wilder and a male companion leaving a residence after being alerted to a suspicious property with drug activity. They said they knew she was wanted in connection with a recent fraud crime. Wilder was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for probable cause of Identity Theft, Attempted Identity Theft, 2nd-Degree Forgery and 2nd-Degree Theft. She was being held without bail and her personal property was logged into evidence for safekeeping. Officers said the alleged victim reported having further information that would likely result in additional charges against Wilder.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for colliding with traffic control devices and another vehicle before fleeing the scene late last week. According to the Police Department, officers and emergency crews responded to the incident on the Grants Pass Parkway at SE M Street on Friday at 7:15 p.m.. Police said 68-year-old Nicholas Louie Lazares was driving a Hyundai sedan when he made an improper left-hand turn onto the Parkway, crashing into a yield sign and pedestrian control pole before striking a Toyota driven by a male subject. They said Lazares continued driving away from the scene without stopping. According to the report, no one was hurt -- but the sign, pole and other vehicle sustained moderate to heavy damage. A witness to the crash followed the suspect vehicle and lost it, but not before taking photos and sharing them with officers. Following an investigation, police located Lazares a short time later in the area of SW Greenwood and Central avenues. They impounded his vehicle, which had a flat tire, a cracked windshield and front-end damage. Lazares was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for two counts of Hit-and-Run Causing Property Damage. The Oregon Department of Transportation was notified about the damage to its traffic control devices.

 

Firefighters extinguished a garage fire before it could spread to an attached house near Cave Junction early yesterday. The Illinois Valley Fire District, Rural Metro Fire Department and American Medical Response were dispatched to a structure fire in the 1,000-block of White Schoolhouse Road on Sunday at 10:22 a.m.. Arriving units discovered a vehicle fire that had extended to an attached garage, but firefighters contained the blaze to the vehicle and garage before it could spread to the residence. There were no injuries reported. IVFD officials said a full investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.

 

The Grants Pass City Council is set to interview candidates for an empty seat on the panel and discuss the unhoused population situation at its workshop today. The City Council will open the workshop by interviewing candidates for the empty seat in Ward 3 after former Councilor Dwayne Yunker resigned in order to take care of his duties in the Oregon House of Representatives. The Council will then discuss the resting sites and hours of homeless properties. The City of Grants Pass is currently under a two-week injunction prohibiting it from enforcing homeless camping restrictions after Disability Rights Oregon and the Oregon Law Center filed a lawsuit late last month. Last Monday, the Council held a roundtable discussion with several organizations that provide services to the local unhoused population, which is estimated to be around 500 people. Today's workshop will conclude with a review of agendas for future workshops and regular meetings. It begins at 11:45 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at Grants Pass City Hall, 101 NW A Street.

 

The Cave Junction City Council will hold a public hearing on flood hazard protection requirements during its monthly meeting this evening. The City Council will open the meeting with an update from the Public Works Department followed by a park use request for the 2025 Little League season and a liquor license request from the Peach Rock Market for beer and wine sales. The public hearing is being held in order to adopt an ordinance dealing with flood hazard protection to comply with current federal and state standards. Compliance is required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the state of Oregon to maintain membership in the National Flood Insurance Program. In other business, the Council will consider ordinances pertaining to flood hazard protection changes and updating city park rules. Tonight's meeting starts at 7 at Cave Junction City Hall, 222 Lister Street.

 

Josephine County Sheriff Dave Daniel said he plans to "walk a fine line" when it comes to enforcing new federal immigration practices. Sheriff Daniel issued a press release on Saturday informing residents of the status of immigration practices within Josephine County and statewide law enforcement as it pertains to Oregon and federal law. Daniel said that while it is known that he took an oath "to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Oregon while enforcing those laws, these directives pit law against each other." He said he stands firm that an individual who has entered the United States illegally has committed a crime and he believes emphasis should be placed on those who commit additional crimes while here illegally. The sheriff said he has not been contacted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in years, likely due to state sanctuary immigration sanctuary laws. However, that may change and ramifications of state statutes or federal directives may be forthcoming. Daniel said he will not stand in the way or inhibit federal immigration practices. He said he "will attempt to walk a fine line, for now, in an attempt to avoid what would be devastating financial impacts on our community."

 

Grants Pass police officers and firefighters battled winter weather last week as they worked to protect the community. According to the Weekly Report filed by Grants Pass City Manager Aaron Cubic, police officers responded to a total of 481 calls for service along with 225 officer-initiated calls last week that resulted in 41 arrests, 36 citations, 46 warnings and 10 highly-intoxicated people being lodged at the Sobering Center. Cubic also reported that officers conducted a total of 65 traffic stops in the city and they made 20 referrals to the Oregon Department of Human Services. There was no report available for the GPPD Community Response Team (CRT). Grants Pass Fire & Rescue responded to a total of 117 calls last week including 51 for emergency medical service, two reports of fire or smoke, 13 lift assists, 11 rescue situations, five assists to other agencies and three false alarms. Firefighters also performed nine business inspections, assisted the public seven times and properly installed two child car seats. The Grants Pass 9-1-1 Communications Center fielded a total of 1,097 emergency calls.