Derek Wehr has spent the last three years as a ghost in the administrative machinery of Oregon State Hospital.
On paper, he is deputy superintendent, a high-ranking official paid an annual salary of $209,576. In real life, he hasn’t set foot in the facility since August 2023 — he’s been relegated to paid administrative leave, existing in a gray area between punching a clock and unemployment.
A review of Wehr’s salary and payroll records shows his pay and benefits exceed a half-million dollars while he’s been on leave. During that time, he has been “duty-stationed” at home, required to be ready to report for work if summoned, according to a whistleblower tort claim he filed against the state alleging he faced retaliation after trying to raise concerns about the safety of hospital staffers…