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.