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Detectives, ODF Conducting Joint Fire Investigation After County Bridge Burns, Damages Could Exceed $1,000,000 (Photo)

JCSO Case 24-5571 BUTTE FALLS, Ore. – Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) detectives and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Fire Investigators are conducting a joint investigation after a fire on a Butte Falls area bridge Thursday morning. At 8 AM, JCSO deputies received a call for a fire east of Butte Falls on the Fredenburg Road bridge over North Fork Big Butte Creek. Butte Falls Volunteer Fire and Rescue firefighters put out the fire just after 8:30 AM and there was no spread to the surro

Missing Person: Stilke, Morefire

Date of Report: 10/7/2024Case #: 24-23828Name: Morefire Zyerin StilkeSex: FemaleAge: 39Height: 5'7"Weight: 180Hair: BlondeEyes: BlueInformation: On October 7, 2024, we received a report that Morefire Stilke has not had contact with family since July of 2024.  She was last known to be residing in the Cave Junction area.  At this time, there is very limited information for her potential whereabouts.  Please contact Josephine County Sheriff's Office with any information.Phone: 541-474-5123

Oregon National Guard Major Reclaims Burpee World Record (Photo)

SALEM, Ore. — Maj. Tommy Vu of the Oregon Army National Guard has reclaimed his world record for the most chest-to-ground burpees completed in one hour, performing an astounding 1,027 repetitions on October 5, 2024.Vu, a medical officer with the Oregon National Guard's Medical Command, surpassed his previous record of 1,003 burpees set in March 2023. The feat, pending official validation from Guinness World Records, took place at Lancaster Physiq Fitness in Salem, Oregon."I've got a really stron

New York Man Sentenced to 15 years in Federal Prison for Traveling to Oregon to Sexually Abuse a Child He Met Playing an Online Video Game

MEDFORD, Ore.—A New York man was sentenced to federal prison Tuesday for traveling to Southern Oregon to sexually abuse a child and capturing the abuse on video.   Brent Johnson, Jr., 26, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison and a life term of supervised release. According to court documents, in August 2021, Johnson contacted a child through an online video game and, after exchanging phone numbers with the child, continued communicating with them via text messages and phone calls. Undet

JMET Search Warrant: Holton Creek Rd, Cave Junction (Photo)

INCIDENT: Marijuana Search Warrant INCIDENT DATE: October 1, 2024 REPORTING DEPUTY: Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET)ARRESTED: Ahron Lee Wilson, 42 years-oldCHARGES: 1- Unlawful Manufacturing of Marijuana                        2- Unlawful Possession of Marijuana x2                        3- Unlawful Appropriation of WaterDETAILS: On October 1, 2024, the Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET) with the assistance of Josephine County Public Health & Building Safety, executed a s

SAR Conducts Nighttime Rescue of Man Lost Hiking Mt. McLoughlin (Photo)

MOUNT MCLOUGHLIN, Ore. - Jackson County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SAR) team members successfully located and rescued a 40-year-old Central Point man from Mt. McLoughlin at 9:30 PM last night. While the mountain’s daytime high temperatures reached into the 80’s, the overnight low temperature dipped to 29 degrees near dawn, making for dangerous conditions. At 7:00 AM on Saturday, September 28, the man set out alone to climb the 9,493-foot Mt. McLoughlin. After summiting, he began his return but

Tigard Mother and Daughter Indicted for Holding Three Victims in Indentured Servitude in Adult Foster Care Home

PORTLAND, Ore.—A mother and daughter from Tigard, Oregon were arraigned in federal court today after they were indicted for using force and threats to compel three victims, including a minor victim, to work for little or no pay in an adult foster care home.Marie Gertrude Jean Valmont, 66, and Yolandita Marie Andre, 30, have been charged in a seven-count indictment with conspiring with one another to commit forced labor, committing forced labor, and benefitting from forced labor.According to cour

JMET Search Warrant: White Schoolhouse Rd, Cave Junction (Photo)

RELEASE DATE:  September 26, 2024INCIDENT: Marijuana Search Warrant INCIDENT DATE: September 25, 2024 REPORTING DEPUTY: Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET)SUSPECT: Sharon Margulis, 47 years-oldCHARGES: 1- Unlawful Manufacturing of Marijuana                        2- Unlawful Possession of Marijuana                        3- Unlawful Appropriation of WaterDETAILS: On September 25, 2024, the Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET) executed a search warrant in the 1000 block of White Sc

Prineville Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Multi-Million Dollar Drug Treatment Fraud Scheme

EUGENE, Ore.—A Prineville, Oregon woman was sentenced to federal prison yesterday for using stolen identities to submit fraudulent health care claims resulting in over $1.5 million in misappropriated funds from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Medicaid Program and filing false tax returns that failed to report earnings she received.Darla K. Byus, 55, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $2,033,315 in restitution to OHA and

Task Force Busts Remote Forest Black-Market Cannabis Grow; Investigators Find Water Theft, Guns, Chemicals, Poaching, Excessive Amounts of Trash; Code Enforcement Issues $25K in Fines to Landowners (Photo)

Video available for download: https://vimeo.com/1012916267?share=copy#t=0 JCSO Case 24-5111 RURAL JACKSONVILLE, Ore. – Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team (IMET) detectives served a search warrant the morning of Thursday, September 19, at a black-market cannabis grow in a heavily forested remote area on Yale Creek Road south of Jacksonville. The property was littered with piles of trash, broken down cars, tires, fertilizers, chemicals, and other environmental hazards. The grow was also illegally

JMET Search Warrant: Draper Valley / Davis Creek Roads (Photo)

INCIDENT: Marijuana Search WarrantsINCIDENT DATE: September 24, 2024REPORTING DEPUTY: Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET)CHARGES: 1- Unlawful Possession of Marijuana                        2- Unlawful Manufacturing of Marijuana                        3- Unlawful Appropriation of WaterDETAILS: On September 24, 2024, the Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET) executed two search warrants at two conjoined properties in the 500 block of Davis Creek Road and the 200 Block of Draper Valle

Three Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Roles in Fatal Fentanyl Overdose of Southern Oregon Teenager

MEDFORD, Ore.—Three Oregon men were sentenced to federal prison Thursday for distributing fentanyl that caused the overdose death of a Medford teenager.Hunter Fenstermaker, 23, a Medford resident, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison and six years’ supervised release; Napoleon Gomez, 22, also of Medford, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison and six years’ supervised release; and Conner Lee Francis, 27, of Portland, Oregon, was sentenced to 73 months in federal prison and four yea

Serial Bank Robber Sentenced to Federal Prison

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Washington State man who admitted to committing at least ten bank robberies, including five while armed, was sentenced today to more than 23 years in federal prison.Clifford Court Uptegrove, 61, of Yakima, Washington, was sentenced to 280 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.According to court documents, on December 17, 2021, approximately 14 months after being granted a compassionate release from federal prison, Uptegrove entered an Umpqua Bank branch in

Eastern Oregon Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Attempted Online Enticement of a Minor

MEDFORD, Ore.—An Eastern Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for attempting to meet a purported 15-year-old child he met online who was in reality a law enforcement officer investigating online child exploitation.Reuben Phillip Harvey, 28, of Seneca, Oregon, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.According to court documents, in March 2023, Harvey used an online messaging application to communicate with an undercover law enforcement officer po

HWY 140 Traffic Stop Leads to Seizure of One Ton of Marijuana Headed to Georgia (Photo)

JCSO Case 24-5033 EAGLE POINT, Ore. - On Friday evening, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) deputies stopped a white Mercedes Sprinter van with Georgia license plates headed eastbound on Highway 140 near Salt Creek Road for traffic violations. An Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team (IMET) narcotics K9 alerted on the vehicle. A search led to the discovery of 43 boxes of processed marijuana totaling more than 2,200 pounds. The driver had paperwork indicating the cargo was hemp. Investigators te

Scam Alert

Release Date: September 18, 2024NEW SCAM ALERTDETAILS: Local businesses are receiving phone calls from a scammer posing as law enforcement.  They tell the business that they are working on an investigation and need a list of their current clients along with their phone numbers/emails.  When the business gives the scammer the list, the scammer turns around and calls their customers requesting payment for the services that they are receiving. This is a clever scam, because if you are a customer an

Portland Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Dozens of Firearms from Local Pawn Shop

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man was sentenced to federal prison yesterday for breaking into a local pawn shop and stealing forty-seven firearms from the federal firearm licensee. Kory Dean Boyd, 39, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release. According to court documents, on January 31, 2022, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) were notified of a burglary at a Southeast Portland pawn shop. Early that morning, shop owners

Motor Vehicle Crash - Holland Loop, Cave Junction (Photo)

INCIDENT NUMBER: 24-21963INCIDENT DATE AND TIME: 09/16/2024 @ 5:21 PMREPORTING DEPUTY: Sgt. StantonINCIDENT TYPE: Injury Motor Vehicle CrashOn September 16th, 2024 at 5:21 PM, 9-1-1 was notified of an injury motor vehicle crash in the 2200 block of Holland Loop Rd.  The caller reported a vehicle had struck a power pole and someone was trapped inside the vehicle.Emergency crews arrived to find the vehicle on its roof with an occupant trapped inside.  Another occupant had been ejected.  A near-by

Educators Take Flight: Oregon National Guard Hosts Bosslift in Southern Oregon (Photo)

MEDFORD, Ore. – On Saturday, September 14, 2024, the Oregon Army National Guard's Det. 1, B Company, 1-168th General Support Aviation Battalion from Pendleton, Oregon, participated in a unique bosslift event at the Medford Airport. The event, co-organized with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), primarily involved local educators, offering them a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the National Guard's aviation assets.Utilizing a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, the flight took part

Memorial Service for WWII U.S. Army Private William E. Calkins (Photo)

HILLSBORO, Ore. – The remains of U.S. Army Private William E. Calkins were laid to rest at Fir Lawn Memorial Park in Hillsboro, Oregon on Sept. 13, 2024 during a memorial service honoring the World War II Soldier who died in a prisoner of war camp in the Philippines in 1942. Private Calkins joined the U.S. Army from Oregon and served in Company B of the 31st Infantry Regiment in the Philippines during WWII.With full military honors provided by the Oregon Army National Guard Funeral Honor Guard t