Former Salem cop facing criminal charges has fled the state

Troubled ex-Salem police officer Seth Thayres is now a fugitive, fleeing Oregon to avoid a possible prison sentence after he learned he would face more criminal charges. He said he would return if the charges were dismissed.

The 31-year-old, who was a four-year veteran of Salem Police Department, missed both an arraignment and a probation check-in on April 1, prompting Multnomah and Clackamas counties to issue warrants for his arrest.

Thayres said in an interview with Salem Reporter he was driving halfway across the country in a rental car at that time. He bussed the second half to the east coast, he said, but he wouldn't say exactly where he went.

He said he decided to flee after learning March 29 that Multnomah County prosecutors indicted him on additional charges of first-degree theft and charges of computer crime.

-snip-

Thayres was placed on administrative leave by Salem police last October over workplace issues that city officials have declined to disclose. He was still on paid leave when he was arrested Feb. 7 in a Portland hotel in connection to a rash of burglaries. Thayres was charged with two counts of first-degree theft and methamphetamine possession.

Read more: https://www.salemreporter.com/posts/703/former-salem-cop-facing-criminal-charges-has-fled-the-state