(Editor’s note: Factual information for ‘Tales’ is provided by the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office. All persons listed are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges can be amended or dismissed.)
May 14
*Dominick Aragon was taken to the pokey for a probation violation stemming from selling cocaine.
*When pulled over for unreadable plates on Railroad Avenue, the driver was unable to provide identification. Police asked if they had a suspended license, to which they replied, “I believe so.”
*Lewis Rossiter refused to get out of his White GMC truck when asked by authorities. He was arrested on Riverbanks Road near Mint Lane.
May 15
*Lee David Wilson was lodged in the JoCo jail on a statewide felony warrant for probation violation.
*Near the Red Robin in Grants Pass, 2 stolen Stihl leaf blowers were recovered. Mark Ellis Fitzpatrick was deemed responsible for the theft.
May 16
*James D. Patterson and Kacee L. Farwell were booked due to unlawful use of a weapon, criminal mischief, and felon in possession.
*Jason Eldred’s vehicle was towed after he consented to a search. Several car stereos and miscellaneous tools were found, and he was subsequently transported to and detained in the JoCo jail.
*Nothing was really that funny this week.
May 17
*Gregory Fujita was arrested on charges of strangulation, menacing and domestic violence after a caller in the 200 block of Turtle Lane claimed he was intoxicated and wrestled a phone out her hands after she tried to call her mother. She said she wanted him to leave, but he said he tried to leave, and she made him come back, which she stated was true. She did not seek medical attention, and needed to back inside because children were somehow sleeping through this mess. A classic case of “I hate you, don’t leave me.”
*Benjamin Alexander was cited for going 55 in a 45-mph zone in his Ford freakin’ Mustang near Monument Drive.
*A caller was advised on how to legally evict a tenant and/or tenants who he wanted out of his residence in the 4200 block of Galice Road. Two females were initially detained, but quickly released. However, Aliczandr McClymonds was arrested and taken to the Josephine County Jail on multiple charges including felon in possession, felon in possession of body armor, (not the refreshing sports drink) parole violation detainer, theft, and receiving a stolen firearm. He should have had a V8.
*A stolen silver Chevy Silverado was located and boxed into the Cave Junction NAPA parking lot. Joseph Lee Bishop, Jr. was arrested, and a second subject associated with the vehicle was released. The subject was warned of trespass from the CJ Grocery Outlet, and both subjects were initially detained at the store on reasonable suspicion. Bishop denied any affiliation with the vehicle, and said he was only a passenger, though surveillance camera footage proved otherwise, to which he then admitted driving. Mr. Bishop claimed he saw the Chevy in Grants Pass with someone he knew wasn’t the owner, and he “confiscated” it, planning on returning it to the owner. He told officers that he messaged the theft victim and said he would return it, but needed money first. Upon scrolling through the perp’s phone, law enforcement found no messages from Bishop, but did see a missed call from the victim. Bishop was subsequently transported and locked up in the county jail. The camera doesn’t lie, and neither should you. Take it from Pinocchio!
*Jeremiah Mutina was arrested on failure to appear for a duii in the 3300 block of Redwood Highway.
*A man with a red beard (arr!) initially fled from police on Lakeshore Drive, but admitted to “thinking better,” and pulled over on a Harley Davidson after going speeds near 100 mph. He turned out not to be the owner of the motorcycle, and the reporting person claimed the bike was stolen from her driveway, and she “hit him.” What she hit him with was unclear. The owner was located in Gold Hill, but Jerry’s Towing had already taken the bike to the impound lot. The unnamed pirate was arrested on charges of driving while suspended and a probation office detainer.
May 18
*A potentially dangerous dog was reported on Lower River Road, and Joshua L. Campbell warned about properly licensing his animals, but was told if he got it taken care of in the next couple weeks, the citation would be redacted.
*A warrant was served on Shan Creek Road, which led to the arrest of Justin Buchanon for failure to appear and driving while suspended. He was also warned for living on BLM land.
*A driver of a white car (that doesn’t really narrow it down) was cited during a traffic stop for driving without a license near George Tweed Blvd.
*There were a couple of speeders in Grants Pass.
May 20
*Jesse Heapes was popped with a state parole felony warrant for intimidation/stalking and trespassing. He was given three hots and a cot after being taken to the JoCo jail. The Police, (the rock band, not L.E) could not confirm or deny if their hit song “Every Breath You Take” was based on Heapes.
May 21
*Griffin Lucas was arrested on Keeta Way on charges of unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and two counts of criminal mischief. In addition, he been served with eviction notices several times, and was trespassed from three different addresses. He had 5 guns stashed throughout “his” residence, including a sawed-off shotgun near the front door. The gold Silverado pickup truck in question was recovered.
*On Hogue Drive, a man called 911 stating that his neighbor shot at him after multiple verbal altercations over a dispute about his neighbor’s marijuana grow site and burning debris. Sheriffs located one shell casing and arrested Hans Oftedal for shooting at the caller’s legs and striking the ground near him with the bullet.
May 22
*It was a bad day to speed on Foothill Blvd as two separate vehicles were cited for going exactly the same speed, 66 in a 45 mph zone. It was not made clear if they were racing, following each other, or were late for the same meeting.
*On Oxyoke Road, Holly Nicole Heffner-Kriss was arrested on a warrant for probation violation/meth charges. She admitted she had a warrant and consented to a search, which nothing of evidential value was found. Her friend agreed to take care of her dog.
That’s all folks!
May 22
*Lyssa Rogers was arrested by a “major case squad” regarding a marijuana item in the 19000 block of Williams Highway.
*Three persons were arrested on Colonial Drive after a sketchy tale. One female told an officer she heard a property was vacant and went to find the owner to see about renting it. She would not tell the names of the two other involved individuals, and basically said she was done talking. They denied entering the residence, but said the front door was open and was just leaving a note for the owner. There was consensual search of a vehicle for comic books and jewelry which the victim stated were missing. Several items were found including ammunition, mail belonging to the victim’s deceased parents, voided checks, DVD players, a bike pump, and photo albums with the victim’s father’s name in them. The suspect denied knowing how the items got into her vehicle. A personal search at the jail yielded even more stolen goods, a blue velvet pouch containing the stolen jewelry. (I wonder how THAT got there!) She claimed another person had given it to her. A male subject admitted to hearing that the residence had been “hit the night before, and there were tons of firearms and “cool stuff” that were taken and/or left behind, so they went to check it out to see what was left. All three entered the house and saw a box of ammo, but weren’t interested, then saw a man driving up to the residence. He went out to tell him their story of looking for a rental. One person ran off, and 2 people were seen leaving the property with boxes of ammo, a blue bag, and a backpack. He then admitted to taking the jewelry. James Patrick Swearingen, Ashley McAlmond, and Amanda Gerken were all taken into custody.
That’s all folks!