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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (July 3, 2020)
T he C olumbia P ress 1 50 ¢ C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly www.thecolumbiapress.com Counterfeit bills making the rounds Several counterfeit bills have been passed during the past week and mer- chants especially are being warned to be on the lookout. Two fake $50 bills were successfully passed in a downtown Seaside busi- ness on June 28, Seaside Police re- ported. A second attempt was made to pass counterfeit $50 bills at another business, but the clerk there recog- nized that the bills felt different from typical currency. Some counterfeit $10s and $20s also may have been passed, police said. Tips for spotting a counterfeit: •The counterfeit feels different from real money. Counterfeit bills may be passed together so a merchant won’t notice the bills don’t feel the same or are of different sizes, police said. •Take a quick glance at the serial numbers on the bills. Counterfeit bills often have the same serial numbers on each bill. • Check for a watermark and an im- bedded strip when you hold the bill up to the light. • Compare the quality and detail of the artwork – such as trees or faces – to ensure crispness. If someone passes a fraudulent bill and you recognize it’s fake, hold onto it for authorities, police said. Do not return it to the individual who tried to pass it unless you feel unsafe. July 3, 2020 Vol. 4, Issue 27 Still some fun to be had this Fourth of July In this era of COVID-19, there will be no Fourth of July fireworks ex- travaganzas or parades with hun- dreds of candy-throwing entries. But where municipalities fear to tread, patriotic stalwarts have stepped in to spread colorful good- will and nationalistic pride. • Clatsop County Freedom Ride, in which participants will decorate their vehicles and drive through north county, begins at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds, 92937 Wal- luski Loop, Astoria. Street-legal vehicles can join, and the group will pass Astoria High School, cross Youngs Bay Bridge, head down Harbor Drive and Main Avenue in Warrenton, then south on Highway 101 to the Seaside Outlet Mall and North Coast Family Fellowship. The ride is sponsored by North Coast Oregon United. • Clatsop County Sons of Beach- es 4x4 Club will have a similar ride, “We the People Independence Day.” They’ll stage at Seaside American Legion Post and Broadway Park at 10 a.m. The group will head west on Broadway to the Turnaround, drive along several Seaside streets before heading north to Warrenton on High- way 101. At Ensign Lane, the group turns left to Main Avenue and proceeds through downtown Warrenton be- fore heading through Hammond and through Fort Stevens to the Peter Ire- dale shipwreck. The last leg will be along the beach to Gearhart’s 10 th Street, then back to the highway and the American Legion. • A beach cleanup hosted by the Sons of Beaches and SOLVE (Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism) will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, July 5, at Sunset Beach recreation area. The annual cleanup – open to everyone – scours the beaches for fireworks, trash and other items left behind by beachgoers on the Fourth of July and throughout the year. • A second beach cleanup sponsored by Lincoln Memorial Park and Funeral Home, is set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning at the Turnaround in Seaside. Investigation into officer’s conduct continues B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press An investigation continues into the conduct of an off-duty Warrenton police officer, accused in a Facebook post of mocking the final words of George Floyd, who died while being arrested by a Minneapolis police of- ficer. “The investigation is under way, but not yet complete,” City Manager Linda Engbretson said. “It depends on the availability of all witnesses, so I am not sure when she will be able to complete all interviews, but I am hoping it will be concluded sometime in the next few weeks.” Renee E. Starr, a Portland lawyer who specializes in employment law, is conducting the investigation on the city’s behalf. Starr did not return a phone call or email seeking information. Officer Robert Wirt, Warrenton Po- lice Department’s K9 officer, was off duty and spending time with friends at Bubba’s Sports Bar last month when they began talking about the Floyd case and a buddy put an arm around Wirt’s neck and Wirt respond- ed, joking “I can’t breathe,” according to the Facebook post. Wirt, a senior officer who has been with the department since 1997, was honored by the Oregon Peace Officers Association last year for administer- ing naloxone and saving the life of a man who’d stopped breathing during an apparent drug overdose. He spent more than a year raising funds to pay for training and equip- ment for the department’s drug-sniff- ing dog, Gabe. Wirt did not return a phone call Wednesday. He has been on admin- istrative leave since June 14. “Any number of disciplinary actions could be taken, up to and including termination if the allegations are founded,” Engbretson said. “Again, I have not formed an opinion as to dis- cipline until I have a full report and the investigation is concluded. Officer Wirt is entitled to due process and cannot, nor should he be, disciplined based on a Facebook post.” The city is reviewing its discrimina- tion and harassment policies and will schedule mandatory diversity train- ing for all employees, she said. Diver- sity training will take place regardless of whether the allegations are found- ed as the city regularly conducts train- ing and now’s an appropriate time to review diversity issues. And the future of the K9 program, should Wirt be relieved of his duties? “I will wait until the conclusion of the investigation before making any deter- minations as to how to proceed with the K9 program,” Engbretson said.
