Local News

A man with his pants down at Walgreens was arrested by Grants Pass Police after he left the premises.

An employee of the 111 Union Avenue pharmacy reported the suspect to 911 at 11:06 a.m. It was requested the suspect, who was pulling his pants down at the time of the call, be trespassed from the location.

He then began heading towards the nearby Abby's Pizza before law enforcement arrived. The suspect was identified as Zane Hatcher, and officers knew he was wanted by his probation officer.

A consent search was conducted and officers found Hatcher to be in possession of what appeared to be methamphetamine. After conducting a field test of the substance, which came back positive for meth, officers took Hatcher into custody.

He had been warned for trespassing, and subsequently transported to the Adult Jail Facility where he was then lodged for a parole violation detainer, and a charge of Meth Possession.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted for Second Degree Theft Thursday morning.

An officer recognized the suspect, William Asbery at the corner of NE 7th Street and NE F Street. After his information was run through dispatch, Asbery was found to be wanted on a valid and serviceable warrant from the police department.

Police contacted Asbery and, after confirming his warrant, took him into custody. He was transported and lodged in the Josephine County Jail for his warrant charging him with Theft in the Second Degree.

 

Rogue Community College announced an upcoming transition in its role within the Oregon Small Business Development Center Network, effective July 1st.

The change follows more than four decades of service through RCC's Small Business Development Center. Through its partnership with the Oregon SBDC Network, the college has helped entrepreneurs launch businesses, grow existing companies and strengthen the local economy.

Despite that success, the cost of serving as an Oregon SBDC host site has continued to rise while state funding has not kept pace. As a result, it is no longer financially sustainable for RCC to remain a host institution within the network.

As RCC transitions out of its formal host role, the Oregon SBDC Network will continue to provide one-on-one advising to pre-venture and existing business owners in Josephine County. The network will also work with regional partners to ensure local entrepreneurs continue to have access to guidance and resources.

RCC will also maintain a collaborative relationship with the Oregon SBDC Network to ensure community members have access to support services.

 

A suspect wanted for 18 counts of child sex crimes is in jail after an hours-long standoff with local law enforcement in south Medford. The Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team (SOCET) and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office arrested the barricaded suspect Thursday at a residence in the 3400 block of South Pacific Highway. The suspect, Glenn Edward Rise, 38, of Medford, was charged with 18 child sex crimes and was lodged in the Jackson County Jail. SOCET began their investigation after Rise sent images of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) to undercover investigators which led to subpoenas, followed by a search warrant at the residence. During the warrant, investigators seized digital devices which were forensically examined for further evidence of child exploitation. During their examination, evidence was located documenting the sexual abuse of a local minor child and hundreds of CSAM images. There is no further information available for release.

 

Josephine County Sheriff's Office arrested a suspect wanted on warrants from three separate agencies Wednesday night.

Deputies were attempting to locate Anthony Hindle at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center around 11:05 p.m. He was reportedly wearing a black hoodie and black pants, but he had left approximately 10 minutes prior to the arrival of law enforcement.

A suspect matching Hindle's description was soon contacted at the corner of U.S. Highway 199 and Ringuette Street. His identity was confirmed, and deputies took Hindle into custody.

His warrants included a Josephine County Felony warrant for a Secret Indictment for Possession of a Firearm, a Grants Pass Police Department Felony warrant for a Secret First Degree Forgery Indictment, and an Oregon State Parole Board Warrant for Underlying Kidnapping.

Hindle was lodged in the Josephine County Jail for his three warrants.

 

A request from the Sheriff's Office regarding preventative maintenance for radio communication services was approved by the Board of Commissioners during today's workshop.

The board heard a Comprehensive Radio Communications review from the sheriff and Day Wireless regarding a survey to help identify gaps in radio communication across the county, and how to fill them.

A motion to approve $29,500 for the survey in preventative maintenance passed 3-0. The board was also unanimous in approving an amendment to the Oregon State Marine Board Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreement, and the Oregon Department of Emergency Management Performance Grant Program agreement.

Community Justice presented two requests to sign contracts with organizations providing grants for the Behavioral Health Deflection program.

OnTrack, Inc. would provide two low-barrier transitional housing units as part of the program with no cost to the county. Welcome Home Oregon services will provide housing and support services to Deflection participants who require more stable living environments. 14 beds will be available, and at no cost to the county.

The board moved unanimously in favor of both contracts being signed, approved Circuit Court's request to rent the Anne G. Basker Auditorium, and moved to appoint Commissioner Colene Martin to the Public Safety Coordinating Council.

Commissioner Gary Richardson presented the board with a list of evaluations done for directors and managers in the county. Some were shown to not have been evaluated in three years. Richardson said he is working with Human Resources, Finance, and the Legal Departments to adjust policies to more accurately describe a high-functioning evaluation system.

He then presented a chart organizing Elected Officials, Directors and Administrators, and Managers in the county, showing about 45 vacancies.

 

Officers with Grants Pass Police apprehended a man wanted on two warrants at the Newman United Methodist Church late Wednesday night.

The suspect was contacted at the 132 NE B Street location, where he was found to be wanted on two warrants out of the police department charging him with Possession of Methamphetamine.

Law enforcement identified the suspect as Ian Hogue. He was taken into custody and transported to the Josephine County Adult Jail Facility where he was lodged for his warrants. He was later released due to a lack of jail resources.

 

A woman wanted on Criminal Mistreatment and Child Neglect charges was arrested following a noise complaint from across the street.

The suspect's neighbor called 911 around 6:35 p.m. to report Priscilla Dame was playing loud music in her home in the 500 block of SE J Street. This had been an ongoing issue despite the neighbor asking Dame to turn the music down before.

Dispatch was told the music had been playing when the neighbor got home at 5:30 p.m., and Dame's behavior upon contact had been combative and "not neighborly". Grants Pass Police were requested to make contact with Dame and address the issue.

She was contacted by officers and found to be wanted for three counts each of Criminal Mistreatment, and Second Degree Child Neglect. Her identity was confirmed and she was taken into custody.

Officers lodged Dame in the Josephine County Jail for her warrant.

 

Medford Police arrested and lodged a female juvenile after she stabbed another juvenile with a knife.

Officers responded to the reported assault in the 200 block of North Ivy Street Wednesday at 5:20 p.m.

The investigation revealed that two juvenile females were involved in a physical altercation in the roadway. During the fight, one of the juveniles produced a knife and stabbed the other.

Officers located the victim, who was found to have multiple stab wounds. The victim sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators identified the juvenile suspect, who was taken into custody and charged with Assault in the First Degree. No additional information is being released at this time, and the case has been forwarded to Jackson County Juvenile Services for prosecution.