Storage facility worker shoots suspected thief

Vickie Aldous, Mail Tribune, Medford, Ore.
·2 min read
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Oct. 10—A storage facility worker shot a suspected thief Saturday night at a Grants Pass storage unit business, according to police.

At approximately 11:27 p.m., Grants Pass police said they began receiving calls about shouting coming from U-Stow-It Mini Storage on Willow Lane off Redwood Highway. Callers reported they heard a person shouting, "Get down, or I'll shoot!"

As officers responded, additional callers reported hearing multiple gunshots from the location. Police arrived to find Robert Correa Jr., 34, near the business with multiple gunshot wounds. Officers performed life-saving efforts before Correa was transported to Three Rivers Medical Center, where he was reported in stable condition, according to Grants Pass Police Department.

Police said the caretaker for U-Stow-It Mini Storage surrendered to officers and cooperated with the investigation. The caretaker said he fired shots after attempting to place Correa under citizen's arrest and then feeling that his life was threatened.

Responding investigators found evidence of a theft in progress at the storage facility, and no legitimate reason could be found for Correa to be on the property. No arrests have been made in this case, and the investigation is ongoing, police said Sunday.

Correa previously was convicted of multiple counts of first-degree criminal mischief after firing a pellet gun throughout Grants Pass in 2019. The shots caused thousands of dollars of damage to parked cars and businesses that included The Twisted Cork wine bar and Southpaw Tattoo downtown, GameStop along the Grants Pass Parkway and Quality Inn near Interstate 5 Exit 58, according to Josephine County Circuit Court records.

A charge of methamphetamine possession was dismissed in that case. Correa was sentenced to nearly two years in prison, court records show.

This year, Correa pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of intoxicants after police said he was driving while impaired by drugs. He entered a diversion program that included a condition to complete substance abuse evaluation and a treatment program, court records show.

Reach Mail Tribune reporter Vickie Aldous at 541-776-4486 or valdous@rosebudmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @VickieAldous.