Missing something,someone? It's a job for Sea Breeze sleuth
By Elizabeth A. Phillips,
Headlight Herald Staff
ROCKAWAY BEACH---
Charles Vander Perren works to uncover the truth.
The phrase appears on the window of his business, Sea Breeze Investigations, which moved last month from Nehalem to Rockaway Beach.
Vander Perren came to the area from Texas about 20 years ago to do construction work for friends. He saw the need for a private investigator in the growing community.
His brother worked as a P.I. and Vander Perren quickly found that he enjoyed the work.
Sitting behind his desk in the new office next to the Rockaway Beach Police Department, Vander Perren's red mustache mirrors those of the Wild West figures that decorate his walls. He also has several framed certificates from investigative groups to which he belongs, including the National Association of Investigative Specialists and the National Professional Skip Tracers Association. A fedora sits atop a small lamp, and Dollie, his 4-year-old chocolate Lab, and trusty assistant, is always close at hand.
"I don't go anywhere without her," he said.
Despite the fedora, Vander Perren said his work has little in common with the likes of Same Spade, a fast-talking private investigator played by Humphrey Bogart in the 1941 hit "The Maltese Falcon." Real-life private eyes, Vander Perren said, must practice honesty and work within the bounds of law.
And while there is some undercover work involved, Vander Perren said much of what he does is right out in the open.
Sea Breeze Investigations offers a range of services, including asset recovery, skip tracing and witness locating. Visit its Web site at seabreezeinvestigations.com for a list of services available.
Vander Perren said his work requires ethics, training and experience.
"You need to know how to be a gumshoe," he said, adding that there is more to the work than sitting in front of a computer.
To hire this gumshoe-and of course, Dollie-visit Sea Breeze Investigations from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesday and Thursday. Vander Perren is also available by appointment.
For more information, call Sea breeze Investigations at (503) 355-2555.
