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The Columbia Press
March 19, 2021
Anniversary: Officer was killed in 1996
Continued from Page 1
good relationship that could
lead to that, and a daughter
who would make any mother
proud.
Alannah McMaster Rud-
duck, is a dental hygienist
working in Augusta, Ga. She
turns 25 this year.
“It was very hard growing
up in a single-parent house-
hold,” Rudduck said. “I’m the
only child by my father, after
two years of my parents try-
ing for a child.”
The following are excerpts
from an article written by
former Columbia Press Pub-
lisher Gary Nevan:
McMaster and Police Offi-
cer Walter Garcia, who was
driving, were traveling west
on Harbor Drive when they
received the alarm call at
6:28 p.m. The alarm turned
out to be false.
The pair were following
another Warrenton police
patrol car and a sheriff’s
vehicle to the school when a
1987 Honda pulled in front
of them across from West
Coast Propeller Service.
To avoid hitting the vehicle,
Garcia swerved to the right,
causing their car to spin and
strike the rear of a 1990 Ford
Aerostar van and then the
front of a Eagle Summit. The
police car rolled over and
slid upside-down into the
Skipanon Slough a few feet
from the bank.
Two deputies were the first
in the water attempting to
rescue the men trapped in
the patrol car. Neither the
deputies nor Garcia were
able to break the windows.
The speedy response of the
Warrenton Fire Department
saved Garcia’s life, Police
Chief Dan Kneale said.
“Members of the fire de-
partment used the ‘Jaws of
Life’ to pry open the driv-
er-side door,” Kneale said.
“They responded immedi-
ately. It was tremendously
fast and they were able to
get Walt and Bernie out be-
fore water filled the vehicle
entirely. They are a bunch of
very dedicated people.”
Garcia and McMaster were
taken to Columbia Memorial
Hospital, where McMaster
was pronounced dead at 8
p.m. from a broken neck sus-
tained in the accident. Gar-
cia remained in the hospital
overnight for observation.
Speed did not appear to be
a factor in the accident.
Warrenton police secre-
tary Kathi Smith remembers
answering phones nonstop
for several days following
McMaster’s death. The calls
were from police agencies
around the country sending
their condolences.
“I was treated really good,”
Elena said of the community
support. “All of the police de-
partment guys always asked
if I needed help. They kept an
eye on me.”
For many years she lived
next door to current Police
Chief Matt Workman.
“He’s been really nice, and
always helping my daughter,”
she said. “He’s a gem to the
community.”
Alannah
earned three
associate’s
degrees
at
Mount Hood
Community
College and
a bachelor’s
Alannah
degree
in
dental
hy-
giene from Augusta Universi-
ty in Georgia.
As a child and teenager, she
volunteered with the War-
renton Volunteer Fire De-
partment’s food basket give-
aways and while at college
was a volunteer at Legacy
Mount Hood Medical Center.
“From what everyone says
about him, I remind them of
my father, which makes me
really happy to hear,” Rud-
duck said. “He was a very
futuristic man … I tend to be
the same way in planning out
everything I do. … I’m sad I
never got to meet him, but I’m
happy to be his daughter and
represent all that he was.”
McMaster had served aboard
the Coast Guard Cutter Reso-
lute from 1992 to 1994 and
then was stationed at Cape
Disappointment. That’s when
he met his future wife, a local
girl. He took her to Kansas to
meet his family while she was
still in high school.
“He had bright red hair. He
was very charming, very nice
and polite and always helped
people out. One of those kind
of good guys you don’t see
very often,” Elena said. “It
was wonderful to have had
him in my life.”