T he C olumbia P ress
September 14, 2018
3
Suspicious package was doughnuts
A suspicious tape-wrapped
box found near Walmart’s
Garden entrance prompted a
police response for a possible
bomb.
Witnesses reported seeing
a man with dark hair and a
goatee and dressed in dark
clothing leaving the area be-
fore 8:30 a.m. Sept. 6.
Officer Len Mossman con-
tacted store employees and
reviewed video surveillance,
which showed two people
leaving the box. While Moss-
man searched inside the
store, Sgt. Jim Pierce found
one of the men in the parking
lot at Astoria Ford. The man
was carrying another box,
which he held tightly.
Upon questioning, the man
was identified as Christopher
Bernhardt, 34, of Warren-
ton and he said he’d left the
box near the entrance for his
friend, who was shopping
inside. The box contained
doughnuts, he told the officer.
But Bernhardt refused to dis-
close the name of his friend or
where he got the doughnuts.
Meanwhile, Mossman locat-
ed the second man and veri-
fied that the box left near the
entrance did, in fact, contain
doughnuts.
The food had been retrieved
from the trash bin behind
Dollar Tree, whose employ-
ees had placed them there
because they’d been damaged
and couldn’t be sold. Petco,
which is next door, has re-
ported similar issues with
someone using bolt cutters to
access the trash receptacles.
Bernhardt, who was carry-
ing a pair of bolt cutters, had
a warrant for this arrest.
Man damages Fort Stevens fence
A Bend man was arrested on
suspicion of reckless endan-
gering and criminal mischief
after he drove down a bicycle
path in the Fort Stevens his-
torical area and repeatedly
rammed a fence trying to get
out of the park, according to a
police report.
Mark J. Wirges Jr., 40, was
taken into custody after the
10:13 p.m. Sept. 3 case.
Two days later, after park
personnel had reviewed sur-
veillance video, he was ar-
rested again on suspicion
of taking a trailer hitch and
splitting maul from a park
ranger’s vehicle. And the
park estimated damage to the
fence at $1,500.
Wirges came to the War-
renton police station about 4
p.m. Sept. 5 and demanded
officers return a bag full of
items taken from his vehicle
when he was arrested, police
said.
“Mark Wirges was being
verbally abusing and disturb-
ing in the hallway,” an officer
wrote. “He had to be asked
a couple of times to calm
down or he would be asked to
leave.”
The bag was found later, on
the front seat of his car, which
had been towed.
Escapee caught after downtown chase
A Roseburg man being
held for attempted murder
escaped from the Clatsop
County Jail and led police
on an hourlong foot pursuit
through downtown Astoria
Sept. 6.
Virgil Lee Adams, 21,
eluded officers by escaping
through heavy brush and by
entering and leaving several
downtown buildings.
Warrenton Police Sgt. Jim
Pierce, who had just booked
a warrant suspect at the jail,
was one of the first officers on
the scene and assisted in the
pursuit.
Adams was taken into cus-
tody without further incident
after jumping into the Colum-
bia River, near 17th Street.
Bonamici to have
town hall Saturday
Jenifer Katon of Wauna hands a ceremonial check to Pam
Ackley and Debbie Morrow of Warrenton-Hammond Healthy
Kids.
Backpack program gets a boost
Wauna Credit Union em-
ployees donated $3,000 to
the
Warrenton-Hammond
Healthy Kids BackPack Pro-
gram, an amount raised in
only two months.
“I would just like to let ev-
eryone know how much $5
can make a difference in the
lives of hungry children; $5
fills a backpack for an entire
weekend,” said Jenifer Ka-
ton, an executive assistant at
Wauna.
The backpack program as-
sists children in need by pro-
viding weekend meals and
is completely reliant on the
good will of others.
“This means so much to us
and our kiddos to keep the
growing number of back-
packs filled, school supplies,
playground equipment and
everything else they need
to concentrate on learning
instead of where their next
meal will come from,” said
Pam Ackley, a Warrenton
city commissioner and direc-
tor of Warrenton-Hammond
Healthy Kids.
WHHK has sponsored the
program since 2011.
Those who would like to
donate to the backpack pro-
gram can do so at any Wauna
branch.
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonami-
ci, D-Ore., will hold six town
hall meetings across the 1st
Congressional District this
month, including one in Sea-
side.
The meeting is from 1 to 2
p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at
Seaside Heights Elementary
School, 2000 Spruce Dr.
Bonamici will take ques-
tions from residents and
provide an update about her
work in Congress.
“This is a piv-
otal time in our
country on many
issues, so it is im-
portant for peo-
ple to participate
in our democracy
and
make their
Bonamici
voices heard,”
Bonamici said. “Town hall
meetings allow me to meet
with constituents in person
so I can hear what matters
most to them.”
Members of Bonamici’s
staff can assist those having
problems with federal agen-
cies such as Veterans Affairs,
Social Security or the IRS.