Detective stole drugs from evidence, overdosed and crashed cop car in Oregon, feds say
A former Oregon police officer pleaded guilty on Tuesday to stealing meth and fentanyl from an evidence room, federal authorities said.
He later overdosed and crashed his patrol vehicle.
Thomas Dwayne Reif, 28, who was a detective with the Klamath Falls Police Department, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Oregon.
“This former officer had his whole life ahead of him — a life that could have been filled with service to his community. Instead, addiction caused him to violate his oath and lose the trust of those who were counting on him to protect them,” FBI special agent Kieran L. Ramsey in charge of the Portland Field Office said in a statement on Tuesday.
On Nov. 27, 2020, Reif entered a temporary evidence room using an unauthorized key from another officer, indictment documents show. He removed meth and fentanyl from an evidence container in a secured locker and left with the drugs before coming back and returning the container and locking it up.
Then he got into his police car and drove off. Shortly after, he overdosed and “jumped” his cruiser over a median into oncoming traffic, court records show. The crash caused a multiple-vehicle accident and left Reif in the hospital.
He was found unresponsive and not breathing and rushed to the hospital, according to a news release from the police department last December. But he made a “full recovery,” the Herald and News reported.
Toxicology reports showed he had meth and fentanyl in his system at the time of the collision, according to the indictment.
An evidence bag of meth was also later found by investigators in his personal locker at the police station.
An attorney appointed to represent Reif declined to comment in a statement to McClatchy News on Wednesday, citing a state policy.
A few days following the crash, he was placed on leave while he was investigated. He then resigned on Dec. 1 after the investigation concluded he violated department policies.
“We are deeply embarrassed and disappointed with Mr. Reif’s misconduct. The Klamath Falls Police Department does not condone this type of behavior or misconduct by any law enforcement officer,” the December release stated. “We will continue to hold each other accountable to the highest ethical standards without exception.”
Reif is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 23 and faces a maximum sentence of four years prison, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release.
He also agreed in the plea agreement to surrender his Department of Public Safety Standards and Training certification, a five-year probation term and a Veterans Treatment Court program.
This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Detective stole drugs from evidence, overdosed and crashed cop car in Oregon, feds say."
