Local News

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed a man for a domestic violence incident near O'Brien last weekend. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested 31-year-old Matthew Edward Patten for the incident in the 600-block of Lone Mountain Road at 6:14 a.m. Sunday. Deputies said they were alerted to an active domestic disturbance at that address in which Patten was heard yelling at a woman. The woman had called 9-1-1 because Patten was highly intoxicated and he was punching holes in the walls of her mobile home. He reportedly bit the woman but did not break the skin and he threatened suicide by ramming his quad into a tree. He also threatened to fight deputies. Patten was described as "uncooperative" as he was being placed into custody. He slipped off his handcuffs in the back of the patrol vehicle and had to be subdued. According to the report, the Brookings Police Department had flagged Patten for being known to carry firearms and monitoring law enforcement on a scanner. Patten was transported to Grants Pass and booked into the Josephine County Jail for Domestic Harassment and 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for becoming violent with his girlfriend and another woman at a residence near the downtown area last weekend. The Police Department reports officers responded to a domestic disturbance in the 400-block of SW 4th Street on Sunday shortly after midnight. Police said a woman called 9-1-1 to report her neighbors were fighting. Officers arrived on scene, separated the couple and noticed the 26-year-old male subject had scratches on his body. They immediately placed the woman into custody. However, further investigation revealed that the subject and his girlfriend had been drinking, and the girlfriend scratched him while trying to get away from his aggressive behavior. The neighbor corroborated the story, adding that he was being aggressive with her as well, so the girlfriend was released. The suspect was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Reckless Endangering. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on two local felony warrants during a weekend patrol check in the downtown area. The Police Department reports officers contacted 57-year-old Scott Eugene Jueden in the driver's seat of a large gray pickup truck parked in the 700-block of SW 6th Street on Sunday at 7:19 p.m.. As officers approached Jueden's truck, he placed the vehicle in gear -- but officers activated their emergency lights, the subject placed the vehicle in park and exited. He then began running north through an alley and refused to stop when ordered to do so. He was eventually detained and placed into custody. Jueden had his reasons for fleeing. He was wanted on a Josephine County felony warrant for failing to appear in court for Public Indecency as well as a Grants Pass felony warrant for Possession and Delivery of Methamphetamine Jueden was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrants plus a new charge of 3rd-Degree Escape. He was being held on $80,000 bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for refusing to leave Three Rivers Medical Center multiple times after being medically discharged. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the incident at the hospital on SW Ramsey Avenue on Monday around 4 a.m.. Police said 66-year-old Michael Alan Gendernalik was discharged from Three Rivers after seeking medical treatment, but he refused to leave. They said he had been previously provided courtesy warnings for trespass at the hospital. Security told officers he had to be kicked off the hospital property three times on Sunday. Officers placed Gendernalik into custody because he had no lawful business at the hospital after being medically discharged. Gendernalik was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. Due to previous encounters, he was being held without bail.

 

After taking a break to observe the Veterans Day holiday, the Cave Junction City Council will meet this evening. Mayor Meadow Martell and the City Council will hear a public works update and then consider the Consent Agenda which includes routine planning updates and park requests. Following Council Liaison Reports and the public comment period, John Miles will present a Parks & Recreation Commission Update. City Recorder Rebecca Patton will report on the November 5th General Election results. Jesse Dugas will serve as Cave Junction Mayor beginning in January and he will serve for the next two years. Tina Casey Jones will serve another four-year term in City Council Position 2 and Jesse Peters was elected to serve the city in Council Position 4. The newly-elected officials will be sworn in at the first City Council meeting of 2025 on January 13th. Tonight's meeting begins at 7 in the City Council Chambers at Cave Junction City Hall, 222 Lister Street.

 

Applications are now being accepted for a position on the Grants Pass Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) due to a vacancy. This term will expire on November 6, 2026. The HAC explores opportunities to facilitate the provision of housing for all income levels and it makes recommendations to the Grants Pass City Council. The committee also promotes public awareness of housing resources and promotes public participation in identifying and addressing housing issues and needs. The City Council may authorize the HAC to conduct public hearings as specified in the city's citizen participation plan. The special qualification for this position is a representative who is a residential developer. Applications are available at the City Administration Office at 101 NW A Street or online at "grantspassoregon.gov/committee-application." Completed applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 13th.

 

One person died and three people were seriously injured in a violent weekend motor vehicle accident on Oregon Highway 99 in Jackson County. The Oregon State Police reports troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two-vehicle crash on the highway at its intersection with Ellen Avenue on Sunday at 11:40 a.m.. Troopers said the preliminary investigation indicated a Ford Windstar driven by 72-year-old Timothy J. Hunt of Medford attempted to turn southbound onto the highway from Ellen Avenue and was struck by a northbound Toyota Camry driven by 26-year-old Brian I. Paramo-Zizumbo of Medford. A passenger in the Ford -- 76-year-old Brian R. Foreman of Central Point -- was ejected from the vehicle and declared deceased at the scene. Hunt and a passenger in the Ford -- 85-year-old Jeanette I. Cox of Medford -- were seriously injured and transported to an area hospital. Paramo-Zizumbo was also seriously injured and transported to a local hospital. According to OSP, the highway was impacted for approximately four hours during the on-scene investigation. The exact cause of the crash was under investigation. OSP was assisted by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Central Point Police Department, Jackson County Fire District #3 and ODOT.

 

The City of Grants Pass asked FCS Group this year to extend its schedule of sewer system development charges (SDCs) to include other types of residential dwelling units including multi-family, mobile homes and recreational vehicle parking spaces. The original calculation uses equivalent residential units (ERUs) to calculate the sewer SDC for new developments. It also assumes that one ERU is equivalent to 19 fixture units. For multi-family dwelling units and mobile homes, it is recommended that Grants Pass follows the practice discussed in the original SDC methodology in Section III.D. That section recommended charging multi-family dwelling units at 0.64 ERUs per dwelling unit or based on the total fixture unit count -- whichever was higher. This method could also be used for mobile homes. For RV parking spaces, city staff found that RVs tend to have between 7 and 10 fixture units. For simplicity of implementation, the City could assume an RV parking space has 9.5 fixture units, which would yield an SDC that is 50% of a single ERU. The City Council plans to meet on February 5, 2025, to vote on these SDC rates.

 

The Rotary Clubs of Grants Pass and Josephine County are once again employing the FORK Project fundraiser to provide food for elementary school children who have a need for additional food during non-school days. The FORK Project is an informal collaboration between local groups who are committed to providing assistance to children experiencing food insecurity. The partners include the Grants Pass School District, Three Rivers School District, Redwood Education Foundation, Josephine County Food Bank and all four Rotary Clubs in Josephine County. The work has been funded primarily through grants from Rotary District 5110, AllCare Health and Pacific Power. A passive on-line fundraising effort is kicking off this year to provide potential funding for another holiday brown bag event. People who want to be part of the FORK Project can make school district-specific donations through the Redwood Education Foundation at "redwoodforeducation.org/projects/the-fork-project." The fundraiser will be held through Thanksgiving.