Local News

Firefighters made further, steady progress on the East Evans Creek Fire as crews worked through the fire area extinguishing remaining hotspots. According to the Oregon Department of Forestry's latest update, overnight relative humidity recoveries reached the 80 to 90 percent range, and cooler temperatures created favorable conditions for mop-up operations. The fire remains at 15,580 acres and is 78% contained. An infrared-equipped Unmanned Aircraft System mapped areas of lingering heat across the fire, helping firefighters quickly locate hotspots not visible from the ground. On the south side of the fire in the Dry Creek area, the aircraft identified a few hotspots within the 300-foot mop up zone, where crews quickly extinguished the remaining heat. Light interior smoke will continue as isolated pockets of heavy fuels slowly burn within the fire perimeter. Firefighters are conducting daily reconnaissance of the fire, backhauling hose and equipment from areas where it is no longer needed, and completing suppression repair. Chippers also remain active, processing brush and small trees removed during suppression activities.

 

Grants Pass Police officers arrested a man for a drug charge and Parole Violation detainer following a brief search.

The suspect was initially contacted while leaving a camp set up at 1506 NW 6th Street around 11:41 a.m. He was identified as Ian Hogue, and according to the police report, 10 minutes later, he circled the nearby Iguana Comics while officers attempted to relocate him.

Hogue's parole officer requested a detainer if police contacted Hogue again, and he was later seen near the church parking lot by the Oregon State Police office at 1360 NE 9th Street.

Officers contacted Hogue while he was sitting on a curb, and he was placed into custody. During a consent search of his person, officers located a glass bulb pipe with a burnt residue that tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine.

Hogue was subsequently transported to and lodged in the Adult Jail Facility on his detainer and a charge of Meth Possession. He was provided a property receipt for his backpack, and jail logs show the District Attorney hasn't filed Hogue's drug charge.

 

Two women were contacted on irrigation district property, and one of them was arrested by Grants Pass Police.

Officers located the two subjects on the access road north of the La Quinta Inn and Suites. They were resting in an irrigation ditch before being contacted. One of the women was identified as Kayanna Snyder, and law enforcement reached out to her parole officer.

A Parole Violation detainer was requested, so Snyder was taken into custody at the scene. Officers transported her to jail for lodging.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a woman wanted on a theft warrant late Tuesday night.

The suspect, Casey Thomas, was observed by law enforcement inside a business at 2482 Williams Highway around 11:28 p.m. She was known to have a Police Department warrant out for her arrest, so she was taken into custody.

Her warrant charged her with three counts of First Degree Theft, and a single Theft in the Second Degree charge. Officers lodged Thomas in the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility.

 

A suspended driver was apprehended outside Taco Bell for methamphetamine possession Tuesday.

Officers pulled over a red pickup around 7:04 p.m. outside the 1670 Allen Creek Road restaurant. The driver was contacted for failing to re-register his vehicle, and it was found he was driving while suspended and did not have insurance.

The driver, identified as Brandon Danyluk, was also found to have a valid warrant out for his arrest from the Police Department. He was charged with Possession of Meth, and a consent search was promptly conducted.

Police found a glass tube with a white powdery substance on Danyluk's person. The substance was field tested and came back positive for the presumptive presence of meth.

Danyluk was taken to the Josephine County Jail where he was then lodged for Meth Possession and his warrant.

 

Two women were arrested by Oregon State Police troopers following traffic stops Tuesday.

A silver Toyota Camry was stopped at the corner of Highway 238 and Stanford Way around 5 p.m. The driver, Julie Hatt, 64, of Roseburg, was contacted and taken into custody on a Parole Officer Detainer.

She was promptly lodged in the Josephine County Jail, and her vehicle was towed from the scene.

That night around 11:41, a trooper initiated a traffic stop on a white Toyota Tacoma on Highway 260 around milepost 19. Upon contact, it was found the passenger, identified as Heaven Jessen, 30, of Grants Pass, was wanted on a felony arrest warrant.

The trooper took Jessen into custody and transported her to the Adult Jail Facility. Jail logs show she was lodged on two probation violations.

 

The Grants Pass Police Department is reminding parents and juveniles of Oregon's curfew laws and local ordinances.

The purpose of these rules is to keep minors safe during overnight hours when crime may be more likely and to deter late-night disruptions. Police have highlighted the essential parts of the curfew rules and encourage persons to review Oregon Revised Statutes and the City of Grants Pass Ordinance for more details or information.

Oregon Revised Statutes 419C.680 prohibits minors from being in any public places, such as roadways and parks, between midnight and 4 a.m. There are exceptions for minors accompanied by a parent or guardian, engaged in a lawful activity which requires being in a public place, or being an emancipated minor. The statute also prohibits parents or guardians from allowing minors to violate the state law.

The City of Grants Pass has an ordinance which is broader in time limits. Ordinance 5.60.010 restricts minors from being in public places between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Parents and guardians need to be accountable for ensuring minors in their care and custody are safely in their custody during these times unless a lawful exception applies. Appropriate enforcement will apply in repeated incidents involving the same minor out unlawfully during curfew hours. However, in most cases, education will be the goal of any contact with minors.

 

A Walmart shoplifter was apprehended by Grants Pass Police and lodged for charges including theft and methamphetamine possession.

Dispatch was notified Tuesday by loss prevention at the 135 NE Terry lane store that a man in black clothing had taken a pair of boots and some clothing and put them in his backpack. He was then seen around 11:54 a.m. running to the nearby Arby's.

The suspect proceeded towards Fred Meyer and reportedly didn't use force when taking the merchandise, despite previous aggressive behavior with staff. Officers were able to locate the suspect, identified as Logan Diaz, in the Fred Meyer parking lot.

He was taken into custody for the theft totaling almost $127. He also admitted to the theft and to stealing additional items. The merchandise was returned to Walmart, and Diaz was lodged for Second Degree Theft and First Degree Trespass.

A search of his backpack revealed a needle and tooters, one of which field tested positive for meth. During the intake process at the jail, officers identified something Diaz was attempting to hide in his mouth as a small rinse bag.

It also tested positive for the presence of meth, so an additional charge of Meth Possession was added. According to jail logs, the charges have not been filed against Diaz by the District Attorney.

 

A report of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on a mobile device led to the arrest of a 29-year-old Medford man. A Jackson County Grand Jury returned an indictment Tuesday on all charges. The Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team and Medford Police Department had arrested the suspect Thursday, July 23rd at a residence in the 800 block of Bennett Avenue. The suspect, Jonathan Daniel Marquez, 29, of Medford, is charged with two counts of First Degree Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse, and 10 counts of Second Degree Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse. He is lodged in the Jackson County Jail. SOCET began their investigation after MPD received a report of CSAM on a mobile device which led to subpoenas, followed by a search warrant at the residence. The Southern Oregon High Tech Crimes Task Force assisted in the investigation.