Grants Pass Courthouse Protest Turns Physical (UPDATED)
Videos capture the confrontation as both sides dispute what led to the physical encounter.
AT A GLANCE
Updated:8/31/26, 2:45pm
Altercation: A protester and counter-protester became involved in a physical confrontation Aug. 26 outside the Josephine County Courthouse.
Video evidence: Grants Pass Police said initial accounts were inconsistent and officers waited to make arrests while additional footage was gathered and reviewed.
Arrests: David Haury, 39, and Edgar Pelfrey, 62, were arrested Aug. 31.
Charges: Both men were lodged in the Josephine County Jail on harassment and disorderly conduct charges.
Cover Photo / Courthouse Confrontation: Photograph captures the moment a protester and counter-protester became involved in a physical confrontation outside the Josephine County Courthouse in Grants Pass Wednesday. Erin Cook via Grants Pass Tribune.
Update: August 31, 2026, 2:45pm
Both Men Arrested
Grants Pass Police arrested both men involved in Wednesday’s courthouse protest confrontation after investigators reviewed additional video evidence.
David T. Haury, 39, and Edgar M. Pelfrey, 62, both of Grants Pass, were arrested Sunday, Aug. 31, and lodged in the Josephine County Jail on charges of harassment and disorderly conduct.
Police said no arrests were made the day of the incident because statements from those involved and witnesses were inconsistent, and investigators believed additional video may exist. After obtaining and reviewing more footage, officers said they were able to assess the full altercation and establish probable cause to arrest both men.
Grants Pass Police said the incident occurred during a protest involving opposing viewpoints and thanked the community for its patience while investigators gathered additional evidence.
GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A political protest outside the Josephine County Courthouse turned physical Wednesday morning when a protester and a counter-protester became involved in an altercation that spilled into the roadway before bystanders separated them.
The confrontation occurred during a weekly pop-up protest organized by the Josephine County Democrats outside the courthouse. The group had scheduled Wednesday’s demonstration from 9:30 to 11 a.m., overlapping with a Josephine County Board of Commissioners meeting nearby.
Edgar Michael Pelfrey, commonly known as Mike Pelfrey, had attended the commissioners meeting before interacting with people gathered outside, according to multiple local reports.
The other man involved in the confrontation has been identified as David Haury.
Video recorded during the protest shows a heated verbal exchange before the encounter becomes physical. As the two move toward the roadway, the footage shows Pelfrey strike Haury from behind, then grab and pull him down. The two grapple on the pavement in the roadway, with Pelfrey appearing to restrain Haury around the upper body and neck area before bystanders intervene and separate them.
Pelfrey disputes that the available video shows the full lead-up to the confrontation.
In a statement provided to the Grants Pass Tribune, Pelfrey said the videos circulating online did not show everything that happened before the physical confrontation and said he acted in self-defense.
“I was physically assaulted and I protected myself. End of story,” Pelfrey said.
Video from the protest also shows Haury with one arm in a sling and a small dog with him on a leash before the confrontation began.
Erin Cook, communications chair for the Josephine County Democrats and a witness to the confrontation, told KDRV that Haury later went to an emergency room and that the dog was taken to a veterinarian.
“It really does speak to how divided we really are, that we can’t even agree to be civil,” Cook told KDRV.
Grants Pass police responded to the confrontation and spoke with both men. Local media reports indicate Haury planned to seek legal representation and that Pelfrey told responding officers he wanted to pursue charges.
According to local reports, no arrests were made at the scene.
As of Friday afternoon, a search of the Josephine County Jail inmate inquiry showed no booking for Pelfrey or Haury related to Wednesday’s incident. Jefferson Daily News has also found no public announcement from Grants Pass Police indicating that Pelfrey or Haury has since been arrested.
It remains unclear whether investigators are continuing to review the video and witness statements or whether the case will be forwarded to prosecutors for consideration.
A familiar figure in local politics
Pelfrey has been involved in Grants Pass and Josephine County political issues for several years.
The Grants Pass City Council appointed him to the city Budget Committee in February 2025. He later resigned from that position in August 2025 as the council was preparing to discuss the possible removal of a committee member following controversy surrounding social media posts attributed to him. City records confirm his earlier appointment to the committee.
He has also appeared regularly at local government meetings and has been involved in disputes surrounding the Josephine Community Library District, including unsuccessful efforts to remove his property from the district.
Wednesday’s confrontation, however, remains a separate matter.
What happened before the physical encounter is disputed, and investigators have not publicly identified either man as the aggressor or announced criminal charges.
Jefferson Daily News will update this story if Grants Pass Police releases additional information about the investigation or any potential charges.
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