Just after 9:00pm, Saturday evening, the Grants Pass Police Department responded to Flespy’s Bar and Grill for a report of a male subject laying on the sidewalk, unconscious with blood on him.
Grants Pass Police Officers were on scene within one minute after the initial call, and located citizens attempting to provide emergency medical treatment to a male subject laying near the front of the building as emergency personnel from Grants Pass Fire Rescue and American Medical Response arrived on scene, providing medical treatment to the male.
Despite the rapid response of emergency personnel, the male was pronounced deceased at the scene. Detectives were notified and responded to assist with the investigation, as well as the Josephine County District Attorney and later the Oregon State Police Forensics unit. Fruitdale Drive was closed for all traffic for approximately 4 hours while the scene was processed.
After clearing from the crime scene, detectives continued working on leads and follow up on evidence throughout the night, where the name of a possible suspect developed after conducting the additional investigation. Detectives were able to determine the arrestee, Paul Dayton, was involved in this incident and obtained a search warrant for his residence in Rogue River, Or.
Due to the severity of the crime and an unknown threat to the public, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office was contacted for assistance with serving the warrant for Dayton. The Rogue River Police Department also assisted with looking for the suspect in this case and provided resources for our officers and detectives while conducting follow up in the Rogue River area. One additional witness to the incident was located at the Lil’ Pantry in Rogue River prior to the warrant being served. Dayton was located at his residence and was taken into custody without incident by members of the Jackson County SWAT and Negotiations teams.
Due to the diligence of the detective unit and assistance from our partnering agencies in Jackson County, Dayton was safely taken into custody approximately 16 hours after the initial reported incident.
