Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a local warrant early yesterday after he was caught trespassing at a former restaurant on the north end of the city. The Police Department reports officers responded to a trespassing complaint at the former Denny's on NE Morgan Lane on Thursday shortly after 9 a.m.. Police said a citizen called 9-1-1 to report a possible drug deal taking place with three male subjects, one of them wearing a mask. The caller said the men were standing in the dumpster area and there was a red Jeep Liberty parked nearby. Officers arrived on scene and contacted the men including 36-year-old Ian Siewell Hogue. Hogue had an active trespass letter on file and a records check showed that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for Probation Violation related to a past arrest for Methamphetamine Possession. Hogue was lodged at the Josephine County Jail in lieu of posting $10,000 bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for petty theft after she stole an item from Grange Co-op yesterday. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a shoplifting call at the store on West Schutzwohl Lane near Dowell Road on Thursday around 1:30 p.m.. Police said the 35-year-old female subject admitted to concealing some chicken medication valued at $14 and walking past all points of sale without paying for it. Grange Co-op loss prevention officers told GPPD the suspect was cooperative. The suspect was cited to appear in court for 3rd-Degree Theft and then released. She was also trespassed from the store.

 

Oregon Congressman Cliff Bentz will be in Grants Pass on Saturday and he is scheduled to appear "live" on KAJO Radio at approximately 9:15 a.m. tomorrow. According to the Congressman's staff, Bentz wants to bring his constituents up to speed on what is happening in Washington, DC. The Congressman's time in Grants Pass is short, but we expect at least a 15-minute conversation. Chuck Benson will host.

 

A Grants Pass man wanted on a national felony warrant died by apparent suicide this week during a high-risk traffic stop near Central Point. The Jackson County Sheriff's office reports deputies and United States Marshals were in the Table Rock Road area on Wednesday searching for a suspect with a nationwide extraditable warrant for multiple child sex abuse charges. Deputies said 36-year-old Franklin James Hodson of Grants Pass was involved in a domestic altercation on Orr Drive in rural Central Point last Sunday when he threatened a woman with a firearm. They developed probable cause for his arrest for Domestic Menacing, Unlawful Use of a Firearm and the sex abuse warrant. Law enforcement learned of Hodson's whereabouts, attempted to detain him and he eluded capture in a vehicle on Wednesday afternoon. Deputies and US Marshals conducted a high-risk traffic stop near the intersection of Orr Drive and Table Rock Road. After a brief standoff, the suspect apparently shot himself and died. The Oregon State Police reports Hodson was wanted out of California for a total of 15 child sex abuse charges. OSP said the felony warrant was for lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a man early yesterday for roughing up his longtime wife at a home in the Redwood area last weekend. The Police Department reports officers arrested a 51-year-old male subject for the incident in the 1600-block of Willow Lane on Thursday at 1:25 a.m.. Police said a woman called to report there was a physical domestic disturbance with her husband of 24 years on Saturday. She told dispatchers that her husband placed both hands around her neck and impeded her breathing for one minute, leaving her with bruises and moderate pain. Officers arrived on scene, interviewed both parties and the husband admitted to choking his wife. It was unclear why the wife waited to report the incident until late Wednesday night. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Felony Domestic 4th-Degree Assault and Domestic Strangulation. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on a statewide felony warrant this week after responding to a disorderly conduct incident on Williams Highway. The Police Department reports officers arrested 44-year-old Brandon David Chipps in the 2100-block of Highway 238 on Wednesday afternoon. Police said they received reports of a male subject taking off his clothes, screaming and walking into traffic on the highway. One caller stated that the man left a pile of items and a bicycle on the sidewalk in front of their home. Officers arrived on scene, contacted Chipps and discovered that he was wanted on an Oregon State Penitentiary warrant for Parole Violation related to a conviction for Unlawful Use of a Weapon. He was placed into custody without incident. Chipps was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. His bicycle and belongings were logged into evidence for safekeeping.

 

Police arrested a man on a local warrant and for drug possession this week while responding to a disturbance at the Grants Pass Shopping Center. According to GPPD, officers were patrolling the shopping center off NE D Street during the noon hour on Wednesday when they heard yelling and screaming coming from the alley near Magic Donuts. Police said they observed a woman actively screaming at a man whom they later identified as 35-year-old Wayne Patrick Baker. They said the argument was verbal only, but it caused workers to come outside their nearby businesses. Upon contact with Baker, officers discovered that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for 3rd-Degree Theft and 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. During a consent search, Baker admitted to being in possession of a methamphetamine pipe. The pipe tested positive for meth residue and it was seized for destruction. Baker was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus a new charge of Meth Possession. The woman -- identified by police as "Morgan Botello" -- was warned for Disorderly Conduct.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for theft and drug possession this week during a shoplifting incident at Home Depot. According to the Police Department, officers responded to a theft complaint at the store on NE Mill Street on Wednesday evening. Police said 48-year-old Justin Lee Stout collected more than $350 worth of items from Home Depot and passed all points of sale without paying for the goods. He was detained by loss prevention and the stolen items were recovered. Officers arrived on scene and -- during a consent search -- Stout was found to be in possession of a baggie containing methamphetamine. He advised them that he has been dealing meth, but not using it. It was seized for destruction. Stout was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Theft and Meth Possession. He was being held without bail.

 

Patrol deputies with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office had an eventful St. Patrick's Day holiday this year. Jackson County deputies arrested nine suspects for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants on Sunday and Monday of this week. All nine of the arrests were made in the Medford, Central Point and Talent areas. They included seven controlled substance DUIIs and two for alcohol. During the nine arrests on March 16th and 17th, deputies discovered multiple baggies of suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine, a concealed firearm, and a felon carrying a concealed knife and brass knuckles. These cases are ongoing. This effort was made possible by grant funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Oregon Department of Transportation.