Local News

Grants Pass Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving following a weekend traffic complaint in the south part of the city. According to the Police Department, officers contacted the female driver of a 2005 Chrysler Pacific station wagon at Baskin Robbins Ice Cream on Union Avenue on Saturday around 2:15 a.m.. Police said a fellow motorist called 9-1-1 after the female subject nearly rear-ended them and could not maintain her lane of travel. Officers located the suspect vehicle and the woman had the driver-side door open while vomiting. Multiple signs of impairment were observed and she performed poorly in field sobriety tests. The 32-year-old suspect was placed into custody and transported to the Grants Pass Sobering Center where she provided a breath sample that exceeded the legal driving limit. She was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, given a court date and lodged at the Sobering Center. Her vehicle was impounded.

 

Grants Pass Police jailed a young woman for probable cause of domestic violence crimes following an investigation late last week. The Police Department reports officers arrested 23-year-old Rylee Madison Bowker at a home in the 700-block of NW C Street on Friday morning. Police said they received a call regarding the alleged incident from the male victim and he made statements to law enforcement about the case. Bowker arrived at the residence while they were interviewing the victim and officers placed her into custody. Bowker also made some statements to police and she was taken to Three Rivers Medical Center for an evaluation. After being medically cleared at the hospital, Bowker was booked into the Josephine County Jail for probable cause of Contempt of Court, Domestic 4th-Degree Assault, Domestic Strangulation and Interfering with Making a 9-1-1 Call. She was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a young man on an outstanding warrant and for drug possession while investigating a report of suspicious activity at a convenience store located near the high school. According to the Police Department, officers were alerted to four subjects doing drugs in a vehicle parked at the Pinnacle 365 on NE A Street at 9:33 p.m. Friday. Police arrived on scene, contacted the subjects and determined the drug report was unfounded. However, they discovered that 19-year-old Daniel David Deleone was wanted on a Josephine County warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Theft. While placing Deleone into custody, officers found him to be in possession of methamphetamine, fentanyl and assorted drug paraphernalia. He was placed into custody and the drug items were seized for destruction. Deleone was lodged at the Josephine County Jail on the warrant plus new charges of Methamphetamine Possession and Fentanyl Possession. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man on a statewide felony warrant while they were looking for another man who was also wanted. The Police Department reports officers contacted 43-year-old Lee Nicholas Rich at the former Dutch Bros headquarters on SW 4th Street around 11:30 p.m. Friday. Police said they were patrolling the area looking for another fugitive when they came across Rich and discovered that he was wanted on an Oregon State warrant for Parole Violation stemming from a past conviction for Felony Identity Theft. After the statewide warrant was confirmed, Rich was placed into custody and lodged at the Josephine County Jail on a no-bail detainer. GPPD did not disclose the name of the fugitive they were initially looking for.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman for "dining and dashing" from a downtown restaurant at the start of the weekend. The Police Department reports officers responded to a theft complaint at Thai BBQ in the 400-block of SW 6th Street on Friday shortly after 6 p.m.. Police said the restaurant manager called 9-1-1 to report a female subject later identified as 50-year-old Jennifer Collette McGrath consumed three glasses of wine and an appetizer before fleeing the business on foot. The manager followed the suspect while providing information to dispatchers. Officers located McGrath and detained her in the 400-block of SW I Street. The manager and a waitress provided statements and McGrath's bill, which amounted to $29.50. The suspect initially refused to comply until a Taser was displayed. McGrath was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Theft of Services.

 

Police arrested a motorist for impaired driving during a traffic stop near the Grants Pass Shopping Center late last week. According to the Police Department, officers pulled over a Dodge Dakota driven by a 67-year-old man on NE D Street near Anderson Street on Friday morning. Police said they stopped the pickup for speeding and the driver displayed signs of impairment. They said he performed poorly in field sobriety tests and was detained before being taken to the Sobering Center where he provided a breath sample that was positive for alcohol. The suspect was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. He was cited to appear in court and released, but his pickup was impounded.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District extinguished a vehicle fire in Selma late last week. On Friday at 4:21 p.m., IVFD crews were dispatched to the reported small vehicle fire in the 900-block of Lakeshore Drive. IVFD officials said the fire was quickly extinguished and fully suppressed, with no spread to adjacent properties. They said one individual sustained minor burns to his hand while attempting to put out the fire. He declined medical treatment. Officials said the cause of the fire was under investigation, but it was most likely due to a mechanical malfunction.

 

The Grants Pass Parks Department continued baseball field preparations as they rototilled Turface into the infields at Reinhart Volunteer Park and rolled them to firm up the playing surfaces. Parks crews also added soil to base-paths to improve field conditions. Crews began the process of turning on drinking fountains through the parks, starting with the high-use areas like playgrounds and sports fields first to ensure they are operational for the warm weather to come. City parks workers removed a structurally poor tree at Caveman Pool and pruned another tree away from a streetlight to improve visibility and safety. At Reinhart Volunteer Park, they planted a Bald Cypress to replace a removed California Black Oak. This new species is a better fit for the low-lying area, which experiences frequent irrigation runoff. In addition, crews responded to a tree that fell onto the Harry & David Shelter at the All Sports Park. It cause some damage to the shelter that will need further attention in the near future.

 

Homeless people can't be cited, arrested or fined for camping in Grants Pass, for now. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports a Josephine County Circuit Court judge has issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit against the city. The lawsuit, filed in January by Disability Rights Oregon and five homeless plaintiffs, alleges Grants Pass' treatment of homeless people violates state law, including disability protections. On Friday afternoon, Judge Sarah McGlaughlin issued an injunction preventing the city from enforcing its public camping laws until it has fulfilled two conditions. Grants Pass has to increase its designated camping sites to the same capacity it previously offered before the city closed an approximately 1.2-acre site in January. The city must also ensure all resting sites "provide accessible routes and surfaces" for people with disabilities. These restrictions don’t apply to either Riverside Park or Reinhart Volunteer Park. Grants Pass currently has two sites for homeless people to rest near the police station and City Hall. The city only recently got out from under another court injunction, which lasted for four years. It was part of a different lawsuit over Grants Pass' treatment of homeless people, which the US Supreme Court decided in the city's favor.