CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. Josephine County Sheriff's Office deputies found garbage bags stuffed full of marijuana during a traffic stop in Cave Junction on Thursday, according to the agency. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Josephine County Sheriffs Office deputies search a property in the 9000 block of Takilma Road in Cave Junction during an investigation into suspect Christopher So mind your own business.. Since 2010, its been legal to grow hemp in unlimited quantities. Dec 21, 2021 04:38 PM, SOU president gets feedback on realignment plan, Oregon will begin processing 2022 state income tax returns Jan. 23, Man sentenced in connection with beating death, Since You Asked: Panera Bread on track for early 2023 opening. Bosses withholding pay and substandard living conditions are the most prominent issues her organization has to address in relation to cannabis farms.There were some pretty extreme cases. Forester was taken into custody without incident. Longnecker has been notifying local officials for years about the illegal grows neighboring his property. You can cancel at any time. Manage Settings Cave Junction. According to OSP, it was later discovered Roberts had suffered a gunshot wound to the back of his head. The threat of violence isnt limited to workers. A man, one of four suspects, will be sentenced later this week for his role in a 2019 homicide and arson in A jury found Richard M. Webb, 39, guilty last week in Josephine County Circuit Court on two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree arson and first-degree burglary for his involvement in a Jan. 16, 2019, murder and fire at 150 E. River St., Cave Junction, where police found the body of 66-year-old Donald M. Thomas. But in the past year, longtime locals have been alarmed by the rapid proliferation of unlicensed pot farms, unprecedented in terms of size and allegedly controlled by crime syndicates from eastern Europe, China and Mexico. One match. People are also reading JCSO said the vehicle was pulled over near Gold Canyon and the three occupants inside were arrested without incident. 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. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. This ruse allows criminal organizations to grow on a vast scale. These violations could result in the civil forfeiture of the property.. Not safe at all. A 17-year-old male has been arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting that happened earlier this year in Millersburg. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. [Josephine County Sheriffs Office photo], 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: Learn more about: Privacy Policy, 2022-23 NFL Sunday Night Football schedule, Cave Junction bank robbery suspects arrested, Portland region begins homeless point-in-time count, Snow leads to slick conditions, crashes early Tuesday across Jackson county, SMHS basketball breaking school records, led by emerging star Boden Howell, 19th annual Oregon Chocolate Festival in Ashland this weekend, Highway 199 closed briefly as part of widespread snow. After the hemp market crashed in 2018, some farmers began hiding psychoactive cannabis plants in their hemp fields and many more leased their properties to out-of-state operators who claimed they planned on growing hemp. In August, law enforcement officials raided the ranch after the death of man found dropped off at a gas station. Theres farms where there were young children living in what someone referred to as squalor. Kevin Bacon is in his little police or military uniform and hes got his hands in the air and he says Remain calm, all is well and then completely gets mowed over by the crowd? A former staff member at the Barren County Detention Center has been charged with engaging in organized crime after being caught bringing drugs into the jail. 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. In another Douglas county raid this November, police seized 500,000 pounds of weed, which they estimate is worth $500m. Extremely safe. To ensure licensed cannabis farms arent selling on the illicit market, Oregon law requires that farmers document every scrap of plant material they grow from seed to sale. Josephine County Mugshots Josephine County Mugshots : Feb-13-2023 Feb-14-2023 OCN provides news and information Hall documents the impact of the illegal farms depleting aquifers by pumping from protected rivers and digging huge pits to tap into the groundwater. Every story from every site is brought to you automatically and continuously According to the Police Department, officers responded to a report of suspicious activity at the transit yard in the 100-block of River Heights Way on Sunday at 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. Jan 09, 2022 03:02 PM, SOU president gets feedback on realignment plan, Oregon will begin processing 2022 state income tax returns Jan. 23, Man sentenced in connection with beating death, Since You Asked: Panera Bread on track for early 2023 opening. 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. The remains were found in the Quartz Creek area in June 1986. News FOX 32 Chicago CHICAGO - A large chunk of the Kennedy Expressway is scheduled for construction beginning this March. Empty hoop houses grows seen along the road Holland Loop Road near Cave Junction, Oregon. JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. A suspect was arrested in connection with an illegal indoor marijuana manufacturing site near Cave Junction. (The US average is 22.7) Cave Junction The investigation began in December 2022 when Barren County Jailer Aaron Shirley requested the Barren River Drug Task Force investigate how drugs were getting into the detention Another suspect, Justin Robert Mason, 31, was sentenced to 75 months in April after pleading guilty in January to second-degree manslaughter and first-degree burglary for his involvement in the arson and homicide. When residents call in, they are scared, Freeman says. They were sleeping under black plastic tarps inside the hoop houses, she says. There is virtually no crime in this area. status as a stronghold of illegal cannabis farms since the 1960s, Jackson and Douglas counties declared a state of emergency in October, Operation Green Sweep descended on the nearby Emerald Triangle, recently raided two supposed hemp farms they believe are operated by the same cartel. According to deputies, more than 190 pounds of processed marijuana and 500 pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes were seized. But he has been growing cannabis in this area since 1998, the year Oregon legalized marijuana for medical use. 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. The break in the case came when a witness identified as Clarabelle Compton came forward, and provided a statement that named the four suspects. YOU SHOULD KNOW Violent crime is composed of four offenses: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Please subscribe to keep reading. There is more crime than I'd like in this area. 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. From Dec. 1 to Jan. 6, Meyer allegedly engaged in sexually explicit text conversations with the purported 14-year-old, according to a document filed by the Josephine County Sheriffs Office in the case. 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. Moehring is the second suspect arrested in the case. Glenn and Evans-West were also charged with a probation violation. According to investigators, two male suspects in masks reportedly fled on foot after taking an undisclosed amount of money. Troopers deployed less lethal impact rounds in order to get her into custody. The Josephine County As of Friday afternoon, Josephine County Jail records showed Meyer was still an inmate held on $50,000 bail. It takes an act of God to get a water right in Oregon, so they just dont bother. Pot was legalized for recreational use in Oregon in 2015, making it legal for any person to grow up to four plants. Man found guilty of murder and arson in Cave Junction. 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. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Crime Map. There is only a little crime in this area. Our local government seems to spend more time enforcing compliance on legal cannabis farms than even visiting illegal cannabis farms, Cedar says. 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. Photograph: Mason Trinca/The Guardian, Somethings not right in southern Oregon: alarm at rise of illegal pot farms, Felisa Rogers, with photographs by Mason Trinca. I fully support federal resources being brought, Oregon national guard and federal law enforcement coming in. 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. A big part of the problem is rooted in the legalization of industrial hemp, which looks and smells like marijuana but wont get you high. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Were in close contact with the governor and our federal partners are starting to open their eyes. 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. by Karen Brooks Harper Feb. 27, 2023 . The fully skeletonized remains of a woman discovered in 1986 has been identified using investigative genetic genealogy in Josephine County, authorities say. His wallet, cell phone, and handgun were also missing from the vehicle. A gated property where an illegal cannabis operation was located in Cave Junction, Oregon. Crime is ranked on a scale of 1 (low crime) to 100 (high crime) Cave Junction violent crime is 15.1. And everyone is going, Somethings not right in southern Oregon.. 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