Montesano fires public works employee

Published 2:58 pm Tuesday, June 18, 2013

MONTESANO — The city of Montesano fired a public works employee Russ Burke on Monday over allegations involving missing paint and his private street striping business.

KBKW reports an outside investigation found the city lost hundreds of gallons of paint and a paint sprayer worth $6,000 was sold as surplus for $25 to one of Burke’s employees. Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges.

Burke has filed a $400,000 claim for damages against the city.