Delegates to the Northwest Oregon Labor Council “passed the hat” at the Feb. 24 monthly meeting and collected $450 for the memorial fund of AFSCME member Grady Waxenfelter.
Waxenfelter, a Clackamas County weighmaster and a member of AFSCME Local 350, which represents Clackamas County workers, was shot and killed Feb. 6 after pulling over a commercial logging truck with no license plate.
As of press time, the alleged killer was still at large. Police have identified the suspect as Dirck Morgan White, 41, of Washington state. White has a long criminal record in Washington.
Waxenfelter, 47, a resident of Estacada, had been a Local 350 member since 1987, when he started with the county as a mechanic. He was promoted to senior mechanic in 1999, and has been a county weighmaster since 2005.
Under Oregon law, weighmasters have the same authority as police officers to issue citations and even make arrests.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office has announced a $7,500 reward for information leading to an arrest, with $5,000 coming from the county and an additional $2,500 donated by O’Malley Brothers Trucking, where the suspect was employed.
Local 350 has established a memorial fund to benefit Waxenfelter’s family. He has a wife and three grown children.
Donations to the fund can be made to: AFSCME Waxenfelter Memorial Fund, c/o Sterling Bank, 25529 SW Glen Dr., Wilsonville, ORÂ 97070. You can also make a donation at any Sterling Bank branch; the account number is 9944634964.
