October 18, 2022 10:10 a.m.

A Winston man was jailed and a mortuary vehicle was recovered in a Monday incident.

A Douglas County Sheriff’s Office report said at 8:00 a.m. a deputy responded to the 100 block of Stanford Road near Winston after a caller said someone was trespassing and had driven onto their property. The van was parked at the far north end of the property near the creek bed.

The deputy located the vehicle but found no one inside. The van was considered suspicious because of the type of vehicle it was. Mountain View Memorial Chapel in Myrtle Creek confirmed it was their van which had been missing. Winston Police K9 Nike and a deputy did a track that led south in the creek bed toward Kent Creek, but eventually the track was lost.

Later a Winston Police officer spotted 36-year old Rickey Gross walking through a nearby field. Gross originally hid, but then came out and was taken into custody without incident.

Gross was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, two counts of second-degree criminal trespass and for a parole violation. He was detained without bail. the van was returned to the owner.