Lewiston Morning Tribune Friday, September 26, 1997
OROFINO -- A report of county documents being shredded here caused a bit of a stir Thursday.
Clearwater County Prosecutor John A. Swayne later confirmed the report that county records were shredded in the courthouse parking lot.
But the destruction of documents, Swayne said with a light-hearted sigh, had nothing to do with an on-going federal investigation into operation of the county's flood control command center.
"Anybody who wants to watch is welcome," said Swayne, explaining the shredding will become a routine monthly housecleaning measure at the courthouse.
The Lewiston Tribune received an anonymous call Thursday afternoon about documents being shredded under the watchful eye of a guard at the courthouse.
But Swayne explained it was a demonstration by Shredaway Inc., a Spokane-based company that specializes in shredding and recycling paper products throughout the Northwest.
Clearwater County became the focus of attention some two months ago when agents of the Federal Emergency Management Agency swept in and confiscated a reported 40 boxes of documents at the flood command center.
The raid came in response to reports the county was allegedly destroying records at the center, amid allegations of defrauding the federal government.
"There is, quote, a paper trail," said Swayne, of every record destroyed Thursday. He said an inventory of shredded documents is kept by the county.
Shredaway spokesman Ed Burge said he isn't surprised by the interest, and sometimes concern, people have when one of his shredding trucks shows up.
"We're an on-site data destruction company. In other words, we shred sensitive and confidential material."
He said the company has some 20 customers in the Lewiston area and just recently signed a contract with Clearwater County.
The truck that showed up at Orofino has a shredding machine capable of destroying 6,000 pounds of paper documents in one hour, Burge said. A normal office shredding machine eats about 300 pounds an hour, he said.
He said all the company's employees are screened through the FBI. In addition to a driver, a uniformed guard accompanies the truck.