Earlier in the month, on Tuesday, February 2nd, at around 9:00am, the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety received a report of an unarmed robbery which occurred in the parking lot of Umpqua Bank in Grants Pass.
The suspect pushed the 73-year-old victim and stole money from his hand. Fortunately, the victim was not injured during this incident. Numerous officers responded to the scene but were unable to locate the suspect at that time.
Later that morning, the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety received numerous reports of thefts from motor vehicles and burglaries and several officers responded to investigate the crimes that occurred at five properties in the area.
During the course of the investigation, it was determined the suspect unlawfully entered two residences, one outbuilding, and at least five vehicles, committing thefts at most locations. The suspect also stole a vehilce from one property, but abandoned it after getting it stuck.
After reviewing surveillance videos and other evidence recovered from the crime scenes, officers discovered the suspect in the robbery, identifed as 39 year old Michael Gemar-Rickards of Washington, was also responsible for the thefts and burglaries.
On Monday, February 15th, Gemar-Rickards was arrested by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on unrelated charges. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office coordinated with the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety and when Gemar-Rickards was released from their custody on February 17, 2021, he was arrested by GPDPS and transported to the Josephine County Jail. Gemar-Rickards was lodged on a list of multiple charges.
