On 01-11-2021 at around 3:15pm, Detectives with the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) Team, with the assistance of the Oregon State Police SW Region Marijuana Team, Oregon State Police and Grants Pass DPS Narcotic Detection K9, arrested Migueal Angel Jauregui-Hernandez. Jauregui-Hernandez is part of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) who was bringing large quantities of methamphetamine into Josephine County via California. The investigation into this DTO has been ongoing by RADE for several months. Jauregui-Hernandez was stopped after being followed coming into Oregon from California. During the stop, GPDPS's Narcotic detection K9, Match, alerted to the vehicle having illegal controlled substances. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, detectives located 15.9 pounds of crystal methamphetamine. Jauregui-Hernandez was taken into custody and lodged in the Jackson County Jail. DTO's are described as being complex organizations with highly defined command-and-control structures that produce, transport, and/or distribute large quantity of illegal controlled substances; in this case, methamphetamine. Anyone with information or questions can contact Det. Sgt. Doni Hamilton with RADE at 541-450-6370 or dhamilton@grantspassoregon.gov
See the attached press release from Josephine County District Attorney Josh Eastman regarding the officer involved shooting that occurred in Cave Junction on December 7th, 2020. The Grants Pass Department of Public Safety sends our condolences to the family of the victim in this incident. We also would like to send our appreciation to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and the Major Assault/Death Investigation Unit (MADIU) of Jackson County for their assistance with this investigation. The professionalism and assistance with this tragic case was a tremendous support as we navigated this difficult incident.
On January 5, 2021 at 11:07 a.m., the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety (GPDPS) received a 911 call from the Red Lion Inn at 1880 NW 6th St in Grants Pass. An employee located an unconscious man on the floor of a hotel room and requested immediate assistance. Police Officers with the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety responded to the scene and initiated a death investigation. GPDPS Detectives were later notified and assumed control.
Through the course of the investigation, the victim was identified as 42-year-old Ryan Antone Dutra. Mr. Dutra is a resident of California and had rented the room at the hotel. He was found alone and sustained a gunshot wound. Detectives secured the scene and applied for a search warrant for the room. No other suspects or persons were located in the area or had knowledge of the incident. It was not believed there was any additional threat to the public.
Due to the fact there was no suspect information at the scene, Detectives worked tirelessly throughout the day and night to develop leads. Using numerous technologies, to include video surveillance, cell phone technology, and license plate reader data, they were able to identify the suspects as 41-year-old Derek Ian Smith and his wife, 34-year-old Tera Lindsey Smith, of California.
By the time the suspects were identified, it was believed the couple had already returned to California. Aided by detectives from the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) Team, GPDPS Detectives coordinated efforts with several California agencies to obtain information pertinent to the case. Assisting agencies included the California Highway Patrol, Sacramento Police Department, San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office. The Josephine County District Attorney’s Office was also consulted throughout the investigation.
On January 6 at 10:30am, Derek and Tera Smith were located on Interstate 5 in Newton, California. Both suspects were taken into custody without incident by the California Highway Patrol and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, less than 24 hours after the initial report.
This incident is an example of a coordinated response by local police agencies and the use of numerous investigative techniques and partnerships between adjoining states to ensure the safety to the public and a complete investigation resulting in the arrest of those suspected of committing this egregious crime.
This remains an active investigation and further requests for specific information about the incident should be forwarded to the Josephine County District Attorney’s Office. General investigative and/or procedural questions can be directed to Chief Warren Hensman at (541) 450-6260.
The Grants Pass Department of Public Safety would like to extend our condolences to the family of Mr. Dutra. We would also like to acknowledge the hard work of our detectives and those of the California law enforcement agencies who assisted in locating and arresting the suspect in this case.
VICTIM:
Ryan Antone Dutra, 42 years old California Resident
ARRESTEES:
Derek Ian Smith, 41 years old California Resident
Charges:
- Murder I
- Robbery I
- Unlawful Use of a Weapon
Tera Lindsey Smith, 34 years old California Resident
Charges:
- Murder II
- Robbery I
- Unlawful Use of a Weapon
GRANTS PASS -- The Grants Pass Department of Public Safety, the Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) and Options for Southern Oregon are pleased to announce the launch of "A New Way Home", a program that will provide support to those struggling with addiction.
As a part of the program, the city created a Community Response Team (CRT), which is made up of two Grants Pass Police Officers. These officers have received specialized training in de-escalation and are well versed in community resources that can be utilized to support those in need.
CRT officers will work with Options for Southern Oregon, an organization that offers substance abuse support services, to facilitate outreach to those who have overdosed on drugs, as well as their families.
The Grants Pass Police Department is also introducing a new non-arrest referral program. Residents struggling with addiction can come directly to the Grants Pass Police Department and surrender illicit drugs without the fear of being arrested. Officers will direct individuals to Options for Southern Oregon where they can receive evaluation and treatment.
Residents can also anonymously turn over unwanted prescription drugs at drug drop boxes. The boxes are located at 726 NE 7th St., and at the Parkway Public Safety Station at 800 East Park St.
Additionally, P.A.A.R.I. has donated 101 doses of the overdose reversal medication Narcan to support the program.
“We are eager to partner with P.A.A.R.I. to address the addiction crisis and its impact on our city,” said Chief of Public Safety, Chief Warren Hensman. “As of August of this year, our officers had administered Narcan to overdosing individuals more than 25 times. This is a lifesaving drug that can give those fighting addiction a second chance, and we are so grateful for P.A.A.R.I.'s generous donation and are looking forward to the positive impact this new program will have on our community.”
"Those struggling with substance use disorders need to know that there are resources to help them on the pathway to recovery, and I commend the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety for taking this innovative approach," P.A.A.R.I. Executive Director Allie Hunter said. "This new program will help those working to overcome addiction to receive the help that they need and will ultimately save lives."
The program was inspired by Becky Ward and others who have struggled to overcome addiction. Ward was in a car crash and was prescribed opioids for pain relief, which ultimately set her on a path to opioid addiction, and eventually led to her turning to heroin before losing her life to an overdose in 2019.
About P.A.A.R.I.
The Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help law enforcement agencies nationwide create non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery. Founded alongside the groundbreaking Gloucester MA Police Department Angel Initiative in June 2015, P.A.A.R.I. has been a driving force behind this rapidly expanding community policing movement. We provide technical assistance, coaching, grants, and other capacity-building resources to more than 500 police departments in 35 states. We currently work with more than 130 law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts alone. P.A.A.R.I. and our law enforcement partners are working towards a collective vision where non-arrest diversion programs become a standard policing practice across the country, thereby reducing overdose deaths, expanding access to treatment, improving public safety, reducing crime, diverting people away from the criminal justice system, and increasing trust between law enforcement and their communities. Our programs and partners have saved thousands of lives, changed police culture, reshaped the national conversation about the opioid epidemic and have placed over 24,000 people into treatment since its founding in June 2015. Learn more at paariusa.org.
In May of 2016, the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety (GPDPS) received a report involving crimes under Oregon law of Coercion, Computer Crime, and Use of a Child in Display of Sexual Conduct. The female victim, a resident of Grants Pass, had been contacted by an unknown male subject on KIK social media who claimed to have hacked her Apple iCloud account. The suspect had obtained sexually explicit photos of the victim, taken when she was 15 years old. The suspect threatened to send the photos to the victim’s friends and family if she did not send him more sexually explicit images and videos of herself. After the female refused, the male suspect sent sexually explicit images of the victim (as a juvenile) to her family and friends via Facebook Messenger under an assumed name.
The investigation was assigned to a detective with the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety, who was able to trace the offender’s IP address to Calgary, Canada. He then coordinated efforts with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Southern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Unit in Calgary, Canada. This collaboration resulted in identifying the suspect as Andrew Neil Cox. The Southern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Unit served a search warrant at Cox’s residence, where additional evidence of child exploitation was located.
Cox was charged under Canadian law with Accessing Child Pornography, Importing or Distributing Child Pornography, Possessing Child Pornography, and Extortion. On December 11, 2020, Cox was sentenced to five years imprisonment in Canada. Although this was a lengthy investigation, it is an excellent example of the results that can be achieved when law enforcement agencies partner together, whether locally or internationally, to combat child sexual exploitation.