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GP Police Apprehended Intoxicated Man for DOC, Trespassing at Safeway

Grants Pass Police arrested a man under the influence and refusing to leave Safeway on trespass and disorderly conduct charges Sunday afternoon.

The suspect, William Damon, was located by police after he was reportedly yelling and screaming on the east side of the 115 SE 7th Street grocer. He had been asked to leave prior to being contacted, but refused. No weapons were observed on his person, and his claims of being hit by someone's car were unsubstantiated.

It was requested Damon be trespassed from the location around 12:54 p.m. Law enforcement contacted Damon and took him to the Grants Pass Sobering Center for a breath test. He refused upon arrival, so he was promptly lodged in jail for charges of Second Degree Criminal Trespass, and Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree.

According to jail logs, the charges have not been filed by the District Attorney's Office.

Posted on 8/10/26 11:38AM by Alex Bauer

JoCo Sheriff's Office, SAR Locate Body believed to be Missing Rafter

A body, believed to be a missing rafter, was recovered by Josephine County Sheriff's deputies and Search and Rescue personnel. The 911 dispatch center received a message August 4th at 1:16 p.m. from a Garmin GPS device stating there was a rafting accident at Wildcat Rapid in the Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue River. The caller was unable to locate the rafter, 65-year-old Reid Litwack. It was reported he was in an inflatable raft when it got pinned in the rapid and was swept underwater. The next morning at 5:30 a.m., deputies and BLM personnel made their way out to the rafters’ location. The party was able to hike themselves out of the area. Between the time of the initial report and the rescue, Reid never resurfaced. Friday, August 7th, at 11:14 a.m., dispatch was alerted to an unrelated rafting party that had discovered a body in the river downstream from the initial incident. Deputies, SAR, and BLM began a recovery mission attempting to find the body Markers left to assist them were no longer there and after an extensive search of the area, they were unable to locate the body.

Posted on 8/10/26 11:08AM by Alex Bauer

BCC Moves for Continuance on Land Use Hearing, Set for August 17th

The Board of Commissioners approved a continuance for further consideration during a Land Use Hearing for a Lower River Road property.

The request for an appeal objecting to the Josephine County Planning Director's decision to deny the placement of a Non-Farm Dwelling on the property, located in the Exclusive Farm zone, was considered. Dirling Revocable Living Trust, the appellant and owner of the property, objected to the decision.

The basis for the appeal was argued the decision improperly treats mapped soils as detrimental without considering all aspects of the land. It was felt the 2.71 acre parcel cannot reasonably be farmed in conjunction with adjacent agricultural land due to its small footprint.

Other reasoning cited the director's own findings confirming the remaining approval criteria were satisfied, including not materially interfering with accepted farm practices, not altering stability of surrounding land. It was also felt there is no economic value in farming the parcel.

In opposition, it was said the current position is that there's a complete failure of evidence by the applicants to prove they've met the necessary criteria. It was suggested the property was mis-zoned as farmland, and that the County rezone the land. The opposition continued saying that would not be possible, however, since the parcel is similar to adjacent properties due to the agricultural soil.

With the choice to either deny the appeal, or keep the record open, a motion was made for a continuance for August 17th at 10 a.m. It passed unanimously.

Posted on 8/10/26 10:50AM by Alex Bauer

Fork State Park Fire 40% Contained, Estimated at 11 Acres, Mop-Up Continues

Overnight crews pushed containment on the Fork State Park Fire to 40% while completing mop-up 75 feet into the blaze. The Oregon Department of Forestry reports all lines held overnight, putting day shift resources in position to continue further securing of the fire. The fire is estimated at 11 acres. Today’s resources include three 20-person hand crews, three engines, two water tenders, and one falling module. Crews will systematically grid the burned area, checking logs, stumps, vegetation and other fuels that can hold heat. As firefighters work farther into the interior, they will cool any extinguish heat, increasing the distance between any remaining heat and the fire’s edge. Aircraft are available as needed to support firefighters on the ground. The official cause of the Fork State Park Fire remains under investigation. All evacuation warnings have been lifted.

Posted on 8/10/26 8:17AM by Alex Bauer

GP Police Arrested Intoxicated Man Disrupting Bar Patrons on Theft Warrant

An intoxicated man trespassing at the 238 Bar was arrested by Grants Pass Police Sunday night.

Dispatch was alerted to the incident at the 1620 Williams Highway location at 10:02 p.m., when a call to 911 reported the suspect was screaming song lyrics and bothering customers.

He brought his own liquor to the bar, and was described as having a shaved head and wearing a blue hoodie. The caller did not wish to pursue a trespass charge, and law enforcement arrived to contact the suspect.

He was identified as Kyle Waycott, and he was found to be wanted on a warrant for Third Degree Theft out of the Police Department. The officer took Waycott into custody and transported him to the Josephine County Jail where he was subsequently lodged.

Posted on 8/10/26 6:52AM by Alex Bauer

Emergency Crews Dispatched to Rollover Crash

Emergency crews were dispatched to a rollover crash on Cloverlawn Drive near Malone Way.

Rescue crews from Rural Metro Fire, American Medical Response, Grants Pass Fire, and the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were mobilized Sunday at 7:03 p.m.

Two occupants were able to exit the vehicle unaided, however a third was found partially pinned underneath. Using specialized rescue equipment, firefighters were able to lift the vehicle enough to extricate the occupant, who was transported to the hospital with moderate trauma injuries.

A power pole impacted at the crash site received insignificant damage, resulting in no fire or known outages.

Posted on 8/10/26 5:37AM by Alex Bauer

IVFD, Emergency Crews Dispatched to Fires, Traffic Accident over Weekend

The Illinois Valley Fire District and emergency crews were dispatched to three incidents over the weekend.

Saturday at 11 a.m., a grass fire was reported on the Redwood Highway at Hidden Creek Road and Anderson Creek Road in Selma.

The IVFD, Oregon Department of Forestry's Southwest Oregon District, Rural Metro Fire, Grants Pass Fire, the Rogue River U.S. Forest Service, BLM resources, American Medical Response, Grayback Forestry, Inc. and Oregon State Police responded to the vegetation fire.

The fire was extinguished and is presently undergoing mop-up operations. Pacific Power assisted in making sure there were no issues with power sources at the scene.

That same night at 11:15 p.m., another grass fire occurred on Caves Highway at Little Grayback Road in Cave Junction. IVFD and ODF crews responded to the quarter-acre fire and promptly extinguished it. Rural Metro provided district coverage during the incident.

Lastly, on Sunday at 3:13 p.m., crews responded to a traffic accident on the California side of Collier Tunnel.

IVFD and AMR were dispatched by Gasquet Fire and Del Norte Ambulance in response to the traffic accident. Upon arrival, units observed two vehicles with moderate damage. All individuals involved were assessed, and no transports were required.

The scene was subsequently released to the California Highway Patrol, and all units returned to service.

Posted on 8/10/26 5:22AM by Alex Bauer

Woodrat Mountain Fire 50% Contained, Incident Transitions to Local Team

Woodrat Mountain Fire crews reached 50% containment and extended mop-up to 200 feet from the fire's perimeter. The Oregon Department of Forestry reports the fire remains mapped at 282 acres. The snagging operation has been completed across the incident, removing hazardous trees presenting a significant challenge to firefighter's efforts in securing portions of the perimeter. Overnight resources included seven 20-person hand crews, one 10-person hand crew, three Type 6 engines and four water tenders. Firefighters continued gridding for remaining heat and working deeper into the burned area. A local Type 4 organization assumed command this morning as the incident continues to stabilize and decrease in complexity. A Temporary Flight Restriction remains in place over the fire area. Flying a drone near a wildfire is illegal and can force firefighting aircraft to leave the area. The official cause of the fire remains under active investigation.

Posted on 8/10/26 5:11AM by Alex Bauer

Night Crews Further Engaged Forks Park Fire, 100% Lined

Night resources engaged the Fork State Park Fire, with three crews, two engines, and two water tenders continuing suppression work overnight. According to the Oregon Department of Forestry, crews focused on strengthening and securing line around the fire and extinguishing remaining heat. The blaze is 100% lined and remains at an estimated 10 acres. The official cause of the fire remains under investigation. Forward progress of the fire has been stopped, and favorable conditions overnight helped firefighters ahead of another hot day today. According to the Josephine County Sheriff's Office, a Level 2: BE SET Evacuation warning is in effect for Zones JCU 512-B, JCU 513-B, and JCU-516 -- West Side Rd to Rockydale Rd/S to Pinewood way.

Posted on 8/10/26 5:01AM by Alex Bauer

Progress Made on Forks Park Fire, Aircraft Requested

Air and ground resources are making great progress on the Fork State Park Fire, estimated at approximately 8 acres. The Oregon Department of Forestry reports firefighters are continuing to work on establishing line around the fire, while aircraft supports crews from the air. Air tankers, a lead plane, three Type 1 and two Type 2 helicopters were requested to assist. A roughly 0.1-acre spot fire on the south side has also been quickly attacked and mitigated. Two Type 2 helicopters have been released from the incident. Please continue to avoid the area along Redwood Highway in Cave Junction while crews remain actively working. According to the Josephine County Sheriff's Office, a Level 2: BE SET Evacuation warning is in effect for Zones JCU 512-B, JCU 513-B, and JCU-516 -- West Side Rd to Rockydale Rd/S to Pinewood way.

Posted on 8/9/26 6:31PM by Alex Bauer

Woodrat Mountain Fire Mop-Up Advances, Zones Downgraded

Firefighters are moving farther into the Woodrat Mountain Fire interior, with mop-up reaching 150 feet from the perimeter of the 35% contained, 282 acre blaze. According to the Oregon Department of Forestry, crews are focused on locating and extinguishing remaining heat spots. Falling modules continue removing hazardous snags throughout the incident. A strong ground response remains across the south, north, and east sides of the fire, thanks to falling and suppression modules, hand crews, engines, water tenders, dozers, and skid units. Three Type 1, three Type 2 and two Type 3 helicopters are available today to support ground resources. Temperatures remain warm but have eased from earlier highs, while improving overnight humidity recoveries are expected to provide favorable conditions for deeper mop-up. All zones have been downgraded to normal. The official cause of the fire remains under active investigation.

Posted on 8/9/26 9:18AM by Alex Bauer

BCC to Hold Land Use Hearing, General Discussion on Jail, Detention Tax Monday

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners will begin next week with a Land Use Hearing and a General Discussion.

Beginning at 9 a.m. in the Anne G. Basker Auditorium, the board will consider a request for an appeal objecting to a decision to deny the placement of Non-Farm Dwelling on a property on Lower River Road. The property is located in the Exclusive Farm Zone.

That afternoon at 1:30 p.m., the board will convene in the BCC Conference Room to continue discussion regarding the Adult Jail and Juvenile Detention Five-Year Local Option Tax. Pending other matters, the meeting will adjourn following the discussion.

The community may attend both meetings in person or online at www.josephinecounty.gov/livestream.

Posted on 8/7/26 1:38PM by Alex Bauer

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