Author: Tony Cooper

MEDFORD, Ore.- Last night, Medford Police officers attempted to stop a vehicle on Crater Lake Avenue, near Temple Drive. One officer heard what sounded like a gunshot. During the pursuit, a shotgun was thrown from the car. With the assistance of Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the car was finally spiked and PIT (Pursuit Intervention Technique) in Prospect. Anthony Flores, 34 years old, who is a convicted felon, was arrested on numerous charges. The shotgun was recovered and found to have an obliterated serial number. While the investigation is continuing, officers believe Flores was attempting to hide the shotgun when it accidentally…

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MEDFORD, Ore. — Eight people arrested by the Medford Police Department during a recent homeless camp sweep say they plan to sue the city, its police department and Jackson County. Attorney Justin Rosas, who represents the arrestees, called the arrests unconstitutional, disputing the park was ever closed to the public to justify trespassing charges. In a statement, and in tort claims obtained by Oregon Public Broadcasting, Rosas said arrestees were denied medication, harassed and held for hours after posting bail at the Jackson County Jail. The Associated Press has emailed county Sheriff Nathan Sickler seeking comment. Rosas said the lawsuit’s…

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OREGON – A group of armed protesters tried to gain entrance into the Oregon State Capitol building on Monday as the legislature was in session to debate COVID-19 regulations and public assistance. Deadline reports that due to COVID precautions, the only people allowed in the building were Salem Police Department officers, state police, lawmakers, some staff, and reporters. Over 100 protesters—who seemed to oppose some policies that would curb the spread of the virus—stormed the building, breaking glass doors and windows, ripping tarps from the front steps, and even engaging in a short standoff with police. Some members of Patriot…

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MEDFORD, Ore. — Oregon OSHA has proposed a fine against Grace Cascade Christian High School for alleged violations of the state’s coronavirus restrictions. The citation was issued on December 4 by the state agency, which has taken the lead in enforcing Governor Kate Brown’s executive orders concerning COVID-19. According to an OSHA report, an inspector visited the high school on November 20. The inspector noted two “serious” violations — first, that the school was open in spite of the Oregon Department of Education’s requirements from the end of September through November, when Jackson County case rates were prohibitively high; and…

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MEDFORD, Ore. — KOBI The Jackson County Emergency Operations Center is providing new details about clean up efforts surrounding the Almeda Fire. John Vial with the Emergency Operations Center says setting up mobile home parks and finding transitional housing is in progress. He says 256 people still need direct housing. Vial says step one of the clean-up process, making sure all sites have no toxic waste, is finished and now sites can be cleaned up. “There is 2 major contracting efforts that the state is doing, the first is tree removal, the state has issued 6 contracts with 3 different…

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MEDFORD, Ore.- Jackson County Public Health reports 47 new COVID-19 cases as of 12:01 am on December 20, 2020. Additionally, one case was removed from the total case count that had a previous reporting date. These updates bring the total reported COVID-19 cases in Jackson County to 5,310. How the COVID-19 Vaccine Will Be Distributed: COVID-19 vaccines are 95% effective and have undergone rigorous safety testing. Vaccination gives us hope that the pandemic will end. Our best protection from COVID-19 will be a combination of getting a COVID-19 vaccine, wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds,…

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MEDFORD, Ore. – Hoping for the best, the Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland has announced its planned performance schedule for 2021. The season opener, assuming the Covic-19 pandemic allows, will “The Spitfire Grill, which was set to premiere last April but wasn’t performed before it could open. It is scheduled to run Feb. 25 through April 18. “Spitfire” focuses on Percy, a just released from prison parolee who arrives in a small Wisconsin town and finds herself a job working at Hannah’s Spitfire Grill, the only eatery in a struggling town. The grill is for sale but there are no…

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MEDFORD, Ore. — One of two Idaho men who walked away from a small plane crash in a Medford neighborhood last summer has admitted to marijuana charges related to thousands of dollars worth of concentrated marijuana extract seized after the crash. Zachary Moore, 36, pleaded guilty last week in U.S. District Court in Medford to having large quantities of hash oil with intent to distribute the drug, The Mail Tribune reported. Moore admitted that he and his alleged co-conspirator Mathew Wayne Thompson bought over 5-1/2 pounds of butane honey oil June 8, 2019, the same day as the Beech 35…

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OREGON – A Marion County Grand Jury ruled that three state troopers and a deputy were justified in shooting and killing an armed robbery suspect after a chase along Highway 22 earlier this month. The law enforcement officers fatally shot 27-year-old Brad Masters on December 8. Masters was accused of robbing both a Dutch Brothers and a Dominoes location in Bend, Oregon at gunpoint before stealing a car from one of the pizza shop employees, the Marion County District Attorney’s Office said. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office pursued Masters, who sped off west along Highway 22 toward the Santiam Pass. They…

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MEDFORD, Ore. — Just one day after pleading guilty to rape charges in Josephine County court, a Cave Junction man pleaded guilty for a separate rape case in Jackson County on Friday. According to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office, 45-year-old Kristopher Patton first came under investigation in July of 2019 from Oregon State Police and the Southern Oregon High Tech Crimes Task Force. That month a victim came forward in Josephine County, telling a family member that Patton had sexually abused her the night before. The admission prompted another family member to come forward, who told police that she…

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