Thayres, in red, volunteered as a cadet adviser while in Gulfport, Fla. Thayres was hired by Salem Police Department in 2014. (Courtesy of Seth Thayres)
Former Salem police officer Seth Thayres was indicted Tuesday for new crimes that started within a month of being placed on paid leave from the Salem Police Department.
Thayres was indicted by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office on eight counts of felony computer crime, six counts of first-degree theft and one count of second-degree burglary.
All of the suspected crimes are said to have occurred from last November to February.
Investigators believe Thayres sold property stolen from a Portland business called on Ion Channel on Nov. 8, less than a month after being placed on leave. They suspect he also entered a building Jan. 30 intending to steal, but there is no charge he stole anything.
Thayres was first arrested Feb. 7 in connection to the theft of $30,000-worth of computers and digital video production equipment from several southeast Portland businesses. He resigned his Salem police job Feb. 11.
Thayres was arrested alongside another man, James Enrico Cardenas. Police also charged them with methamphetamine possession. Thayres has pleaded not guilty to the initial charges.
By the time of his arrest, Thayres had been on administrative leave for four months – since Oct. 9. Salem police officials said he was put on leave pending a “fitness for duty evaluation.” He was paid $70,000 a year.
Thayres, 31, told the Salem Reporter earlier this month that he had spent the previous year-and-a-half grappling with undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder, triggered by a confrontation with an armed robber. He said he has since been diagnosed.
The Salem agency ordered Thayres stay at his home from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday while on leave, calling his lieutenant to check-in every morning, according to records obtained by Salem Reporter.
Salem officials have declined to release records documenting how they handled the situation while Thayres was on leave.
Have a tip? Contact reporter Troy Brynelson at 503-575-9930, [email protected] or @TroyWB.
