Local News

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners will interview for the Commissioner Vacancy Position 1 Tuesday morning.

At 9 a.m., the board will meet in the BCC Conference room for the interviews, followed by an appointment for the position.

According to the County website, similar meetings will be held Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings at 10:00 a.m., with each meeting having interviews and an appointment for the vacancy on the agenda.

 

The scheduled General Discussion meeting for the Board of County Commissioners scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday afternoon was short lived, about one minute. Commission Chair Chris Barnett read the Oregon statute stating a meeting may not be held without a quorum. Commissioner Ron Smith was not at the meeting forcing Commissioner Barnett to adjourn at 1:31 p.m. This statement appeared on Commissioner Smith’s Facebook page at about 10 a.m. Monday….“Many Oregonians remember when Republican state senators walked out of the Legislature in 2019 and again in 2020 to deny quorum and stop legislation they believed would harm the people of Oregon. ….. the reality is that it was an available procedural tool, and it was used to prevent something from moving forward. I have chosen to use that same procedural option to deny quorum to stop what I believe is a flawed process for appointing a vacant seat on the Josephine County Board of Commissioners….This is not about delaying the process, it is about ensuring that the process is fair, transparent, and gives qualified citizens a reasonable opportunity to participate.”Again, that is a direct quote from Commissioner Smith’s Facebook page.

 

The United States Marshals Service led Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force tracked down and arrested a wanted Central Point man hiding out in Alturas, California on November 25. The suspect had a felony warrant following a Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team (SOCET) investigation into possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). U.S. Marshals arrested Larry Lynn James Sr., 64, of Central Point, for six counts of first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse, and four counts of second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse. James is lodged in the Jackson County Jail. Investigations led the task force from Central Point to Klamath Falls, and finally to Alturas. U.S. Marshals spotted James’ vehicle and conducted a traffic stop where he was arrested without incident. Modoc County Sheriff's Office assisted. The arrest originated from a search warrant SOCET served December 7, 2023, at a residence in the 6500 block of Blackwell Road in rural Central Point. SOCET served the warrant after discovering numerous CSAM images were uploaded from the residence.

 

A Safeway employee called to report a woman trespassing on the property Sunday afternoon.

The suspect had been at the 115 SE 7th Street store with her pants down, rubbing up against the shopping carts in the parking lot. She stole a flu shot sign and proceeded to rip it up and walk across the road without any clothes on to the G Street side.

Officers arrived to find her with her clothes back on at the corner of 8th and G Streets. The suspect refused to identify herself to law enforcement, but they were able to get positive verification, and found she had been previously trespassed from the Safeway.

The woman was taken into custody by officers for Second Degree Criminal Trespass. She later admitted after being read her rights that she had been sitting in a shopping cart in the Safeway parking lot.

Officers transported and lodged the woman in the Josephine County Jail.

 

A man reported a trespassing complaint to dispatch, prompting a response from Grants Pass Police officers.

On Sunday at 12:36 p.m., the man called dispatch from a neighbor's home to report a previously trespassed woman was at his house in the 200 block of SW Western Avenue.

He said she had forced her way inside his home, prevented him from calling law enforcement, and took his phone away from him. She was reportedly intoxicated. Officers had confirmed the validity of the previous trespass warning, and arrested the suspect, Tasheena Reyes.

She was taken into custody for a charge of Second Degree Trespass, and lodged in the Josephine County Jail. There was no evidence at the time of the report for the crime of theft for the man's phone.

 

Josephine County Sheriff's deputies apprehended a suspect following a reported stalking order violation Saturday morning.

Around 10:40 a.m., deputies learned that the protected party in the order was texted the night before by the respondent, Savannah Arey. Screenshots of the texts with time stamps were provided as well as two possible phone numbers used by Arey.

She was located in the 400 block of East Linda Vista Road and taken into custody. Deputies lodged Arey in the Josephine County Jail for the Stalking Order Violation.

 

At approximately 12:17 a.m. on December 14, the Medford Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in the area of West 13th Street.

Crews arrived on scene to find the fire in a backyard area involving a homemade, wood-burning enclosed sauna that was attached to a small deck and hot tub area. Neighbors and the occupant were actively using garden hoses to control the fire prior to crews’ arrival.

Firefighters initiated an offensive attack and were able to quickly contain the fire. The fire did not extend to the main residence or nearby structures. The homemade sauna and attached deck sustained significant damage. No injuries to firefighters or civilians were reported.

The Medford Fire Department reminds the public to use only approved saunas that are properly installed by certified professionals. Be sure that, when using wood-burning or other heat-producing equipment, you ensure fires are fully extinguished and equipment is completely shut off after used.

 

The Illinois Valley Fire District and AMR-Josephine County were dispatched to a vehicular accident Saturday morning on Holland Loop Road and Hays Cutoff Road in Cave Junction.

Upon arrival around 8:06 a.m., the vehicle was discovered on its side, with no individuals present at the scene. A thorough search was conducted but no one was found.

The vehicle was subsequently marked for identification, and the Sheriff's department was notified.

 

Medford Police Department (MPD) detectives made an arrest in connection with a shooting that occurred on December 5, near the intersection of Marie Street and Stevens Street. On December 11 at approximately 4:35 p.m., MPD detectives, with assistance from the MPD SWAT Team and MADGE, apprehended 19-year-old Audrik Darling of Medford in the Medford Center parking lot. Darling was identified as a person of interest in the December 5 shooting and was also wanted in connection with a separate kidnapping, assault, and unlawful use of a weapon incident that occurred October 11. Darling was interviewed at the Medford Police Department and lodged on charges related to the October incident. On December 12, MPD detectives additionally filed charges related to the December 5 shooting. The firearm believed to have been used in the incident has been recovered. The shooting occurred at approximately 5:46 p.m., when MPD officers responded to reports of gunfire near the intersection of Marie Street and Stevens Street.