Detectives identified Cave Junction residents Renee Lee Edrington, 39, and Kyle James Forester, 29, as the suspects. He describes farms where crews of migrant workers live under armed guard, without refrigeration or sanitation. Unlicensed pot farms abounded, but the growers were largely local people and thus had some sense of accountability to one another and the environment. Latest stories. About 15 minutes after the robbery was reported, the suspects vehicle was seen on Redwood Highway traveling toward Selma. FBI agents arrested Douglas outside a convenience store in Cave Junction on Thursday, September 20, 2018, without incident. The people in the vehicle were identified as 61-year-old William Glenn, 56-year-old Patrick Hirt, and 61-year-old Carol Evans-West. Large pot farms with armed bosses arent where most of the migrant workers planned to end up. These large grows have flooded the market a pound of cannabis that was worth $3,000 in 2009 here might now fetch $400, all but killing the industry for small-time legal growers. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. Law enforcement in Southern Oregon arrested a 30-year-old man and seized nearly 1.5 tons of illegal marijuana after raiding two locations near Cave Junction last week. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Forester was taken into custody without incident. Jun 1, 2022 Updated Jun 1, 2022 0 Anthony Duane Siddle, 60, was arrested this morning in Cave Junction on a warrant out of San Diego. He started questioning one of the soldiers managers, soldiers, whatever you want to call it and they threatened to burn his house down. The driver, William Roberts, 39, was pronounced dead on scene. Those raiders saw 1,300 cannabis plants destroyed, and locals protested against that deployment of federal troops to small farms. YOU SHOULD KNOW Violent crime is composed of four offenses: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Every story from every site is brought to you automatically and continuously This part of south-western Oregon which encompasses Josephine, Jackson and Douglas counties and was settled by goldminers in the 1850s has always kept a touch of the wild west anti-authority streak, contributing to its status as a stronghold of illegal cannabis farms since the 1960s. Oregon State Police photo A jury found Richard Mark Webb guilty of murder and arson in Josephine County Circuit Court surrounding a Jan. 15, 2019, fire in which investigators found the body of 66-year-old Donald Thomas. How many plants are you growing? One man says theyre from Serbia and claims they have a license to grow as another truck pulls up. The 2021 grow season was the most brazen, in your face, wide open that Ive seen yet, he says. WebCave Junction, Oregon United States / Oregon / Grants Pass Metro Area / Josephine County / Cave Junction / Zip Codes Cost of Living in Cave Junction, Oregon Our cost of living indices are based on a US average of 100. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Christopher Hall photographed in Cave Junction, a small city in Josephine county. Authorities say they then returned to the scene and stole his belongings. Christopher Michael Meyer of Cave Junction faces first-degree online sexual corruption of a child, luring a minor and unlawfully delivering marijuana charges on accusations he spent more than a month texting a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, and that he offered the teens 16-year-old friend an ounce of marijuana, according to documents filed Friday in Josephine County Circuit Court. Thats me. Hit every one of these farms., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Empty hoop houses seen along the roadside near Cave Junction, Oregon, last month. Compare Cave Junction crime data to other cities, states, and neighborhoods in the U.S. on NeighborhoodScout. WebKalyan: Traffic cop assaulted, two arrested; Incident at Lodha Junction. A lone marijuana plant seen covered in snow at Q-Bar-X Ranch near Kerby. Glenn and Evans-West were also charged with a probation violation. So these farm workers that were depending on harvesting the orchards and the grapes to be able to survive literally survive over the summer and save up money for the winter they didnt have anywhere to go except to work for these [cannabis] farms, Morales says. They said, We can take care of this real quick. The Josephine County Sheriffs Office said on the morning of January 25, there was a reported robbery at the WaFd Bank on South Redwood Highway. An amount below 100 means Cave Junction is cheaper than the US average. Were in close contact with the governor and our federal partners are starting to open their eyes. Web1 DEAD IN CAVE JUNCTION SHOOTING - MEDFORD NEWS, WEATHER, SPORTS, BREAKING NEWS - MAIL TRIBUNE mailtribune.com 07/01/22 20:30 GMT Tone: -7.55 Mentions: 4 Cave Junction, Oregon, United States A Cave Junction man shot to death Thursday in what Josephine County police believe was in self-defense.Jacob Benson, 42, DPS sent at least 3,000 drivers licenses to organized crime group targeting Asian Texans. It takes an act of God to get a water right in Oregon, so they just dont bother. Since 2010, its been legal to grow hemp in unlimited quantities. They just dig holes, he says. Meyer was arrested Jan. 6 ahead of a meetup in Cave Junction where police say he made a substantial step to meet with the minor for sex by bringing with him 32.7 grams of marijuana roughly 1.15 ounces. Hall, community liaison for the Illinois Valley Soil and Water Conservation District, has been flying over the region in a single-engine plane to map illegal pot farms and has pinpointed 1,030 clusters of greenhouses on just 20 miles of the valley, 80% of which he estimates are illegal. 32-year-old Lauren Siegel was arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful manufacturing of marijuana. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Tim Freeman, a Douglas county commissioner, says for some locals the issue goes beyond dismay over a changing landscape. Mail Tribune to cease operations Friday - 1/13/2023. Douglas county law enforcement recently raided two supposed hemp farms they believe are operated by the same cartel and seized a total of 122,000 cannabis plants nearly 50 times the quantity of plants that can typically be grown under a recreational cannabis license. The couple were saving up to build a bigger house on their land, but are considering moving because of an illegal grow that moved in nearby last year. Nicole Rensenbrink, a social worker who is married to the local veterinarian, has lived in Josephine county since 1983 and laments how much it has changed in recent years, describing the endless ugliness that the huge influx of cannabis farms has brought to our valley. WebCrime in Cave Junction, Oregon. In 2019, government raids destroyed 953,459 plants in California. OSP said the two were had been in a confrontation with Roberts, and were following him in a car when they shot him in the back of the head. Our local government seems to spend more time enforcing compliance on legal cannabis farms than even visiting illegal cannabis farms, Cedar says. The abuse of workers, environmental degradation and threats of violence towards locals have pushed some residents who have historically been skeptical of federal drug enforcement to ask for exactly that. Which I think in large part they are.. February 11, 2023 (61 crimes) February 10, 2023 Terra and Jerry Palmer live in a shingled one-room cabin that Jerry built 30 years ago. Talent taproom brims with cider, beer, food, fun, PREP ROUNDUP: Challengers push win streak to 8, SOU names Berk Brown as new head football coach, Survey: Oregonians support forest projects, Why we should pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, Live Rogue Valley music, MLK Day celebrations& more: Jan. 13, Jackson Creek Pizza has been serving up the pie for 20 years, Adam Rich, former 'Eight Is Enough' child star, dies at 54, US approves Alzheimer's drug that modestly slows disease, Plan for success with planting calendar for vegetable gardens, Updated: Night or day, it's a very safe place. WebCave Junction crime rates are 28% lower than the national average. The chance of being a victim of violent crime in Cave Junction is, The chance of being a victim of property crime in Cave Junction is, The chance of being a victim of crime in Cave Junction is. All rights reserved. Local Crime News provides daily arrest log updates for every city She has to keep her dogs away from the creek that runs through her property because its full of nasty looking slime; she blames fertilizer run-off from the unregulated farms. Josephine County Sheriffs Office deputies search a property in the 9000 block of Takilma Road in Cave Junction during an investigation into suspect Christopher Michael Meyer, 35, accused of attempting to meet a 14-year-old for sex and attempting to deliver an ounce of marijuana to another juvenile. JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. A suspect was arrested in connection with an illegal indoor marijuana manufacturing site near Cave Junction. Police say Moehring was arrested without incident at an Interstate 5 rest area around 9 a.m. Monday by personnel from the Eugene Police Department, the U.S. APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz. - The Apache Junction Police Department is looking into the death of a person at Four Peaks Elementary School Saturday night. Thats Josephine county law enforcement right there.. The Josephine County Sheriffs Office said on January 23, investigators searched a property in the 2000 block of Caves Highway. Terra and Jerry may look like typical older hippies, but they come off as conventional when discussing the consequences for breaking the law on such a large scale. Man found guilty of murder and arson in Cave Junction. Confiscate the property and jail landowners who knowingly lease land to illegal growers. The initial investigation revealed Roberts had drifted off the road and struck a tree. I mean its really, really strange for me to be calling for a huge law enforcement or military crackdown on growing marijuana because for so long I just wanted it to be free for people to grow, Cedar says. WINSTON, Ore-- An 18-year-old Roseburg man is dead following a Thursday morning single vehicle traffic crash near Winston. WebJOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. Were learning more about an officer-involved shooting that left two people dead in Cave Junction. Texts from Meyers phone allegedly included Im going to wreck you in the bed and telling the purported teen to make sure she doesnt get pregnant. OSP said Edrington was armed with a handgun and advanced on troopers before her arrest. The Josephine County Sheriffs Office arrested Harley Boitz, 26, in Cave Junction on April 1. by Karen Brooks Harper Feb. 27, 2023 . Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon, better known as emergency dispatch, received a call at 8:33 a.m. of a threat at Ashland High School. Cave Junction, Ore. Two people are in the Josephine county jail facing murder, robbery, and theft charges. He is wanted in the stabbing death of an 87-year-old woman in April. She says their once-picturesque drive to work is riddled with ugly plastic hoop houses, fencing and industrial-looking buildings, all the makings for large-scale pot grows. Josephine County Sheriffs Office deputies search a property in the 9000 block of Takilma Road in Cave Junction during an investigation into suspect Christopher They rule by fear of injury and death. Around 10:30 a.m., a deputy pulled a driver over on Laurel Road near Walters Drive. There is only a little crime in this area. For a bespectacled middle-aged conservationist, Hall is surprisingly reckless. Sheriff Daniel is less aggressive on the subject of those workers. Evelyn Barrera is accused of using road flares stolen from a sheriff's office outpost to light 11 fires near an elementary school on May 11. Its too bad, its too wrong, and its too damaging. On Wednesday, Oregon State Police troopers If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Grey estimates he has spent $150,000 for cameras, video, alarms and tracking systems in the last seven years. The Josephine County Sheriffs Office arrested Harley Boitz, 26, in Cave Junction on April 1. In Cave Junction you have a 1 The Illinois River near Cave Junction, Oregon. A 35-year-old Josephine County man faces a string of felony charges surrounding a sting investigation in which he allegedly engaged in sexually explicit texts with a person he believed to be an underage girl, and on accusations he delivered illicit marijuana to the girls purportedly 16-year-old friend. Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Cave Junction is 1 in 414 and property crime is 1 in 173. A caller said the suspect was in the parking lot and was becoming agitated. Guard dogs run through a small clearing, barking at us. Manage Settings CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. Three suspects were quickly apprehended after a bank robbery in Cave Junction. Extremely safe. JCSO said the vehicle was pulled over near Gold Canyon and the three occupants inside were arrested without incident. Law enforcement employees (officers & civilians), Violent crimes in Cave Junction are 57% lower than the national average, In Cave Junction you have a 1 in 59 chance of becoming a victim of crime, Year over year crime in Cave Junction has decreased by 2%. These violations could result in the civil forfeiture of the property.. OCN provides news and information to keep communities informed about crime in their area. CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. Three suspects were quickly apprehended after a bank robbery in Cave Junction. But he has been growing cannabis in this area since 1998, the year Oregon legalized marijuana for medical use. Hundreds of trees Jerry planted over the years have started to die off due to a lack of water.Im really discouraged because this year the creek went dry two months earlier than its ever gone dry during the all years that Ive been here, Jerry says. This yields a total of 24 sex offenders in Oregon per 100,000 residents which is 91% less than the national average. WebCave Junction arrest records. I treat these workers like theyre victims, to be honest with you. hristopher Hall parks his old Toyota on a dirt road that dead-ends in a forest in Oregons Illinois Valley. I tell Hall I think we should move on, and he reluctantly shifts into drive but is unable to resist a few parting shots: Do you think you can just keep trashing our streams? These large grows have flooded the market a pound of cannabis that was worth $3,000 in 2009 here might now fetch $400, all but killing the industry for small-time Not very safe. All charges are felonies. The sheriffs office said Our new Privacy Policy will go into effect on January 1st, 2023. Armed men in pickup trucks rule over vast illicit industry that has transformed rural counties, depleting water and scaring locals. JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. A suspect was arrested in connection with an illegal indoor marijuana manufacturing site near Cave Junction. As of Friday afternoon, Josephine County Jail records showed Meyer was still an inmate held on $50,000 bail. The charges stem from the March 24 discovery of the bodies of Daniel Hill, 24, and Paul Folk, 26, in a burning car in Selma. Longnecker has been notifying local officials for years about the illegal grows neighboring his property. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The Josephine County He points out a cluster of greenhouses surrounded by piles of trash, and the hillside above, which has been terraced and entirely stripped of vegetation. 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