On-duty Klamath Falls detective accused of using fentanyl, crashing car

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — A Klamath Falls Police detective has been arrested on accusations he caused a multi-vehicle crash on duty while under the influence of fentanyl taken from evidence in a police case.

Thomas Reif, 27, was booked in the Klamath County Jail Tuesday on charges including controlled substance, impaired driving and official misconduct, according to a release from Oregon State Police, the agency handling the criminal investigation.

Witnesses told police they saw Reif driving erratically on Nov. 27 before the crash in Klamath Falls, and paramedics found Reif not conscious and not breathing at the scene. Reif was taken to a local hospital and stabilized. No other injuries were reported.

Over the weekend, evidence analyzed at an OSP crime lab allegedly determined that Reif had been under the influence of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, according to state police. Investigators believe that Reif obtained the drug from evidence in “an unrelated case in the course of his duties.”

Klamath County Jail records showed as of Tuesday afternoon, Reif was no longer in jail, the Mail Tribune reported. It wasn’t immediately known if he has a lawyer.

Reif resigned from the police department Dec. 1 while on administrative leave and in the midst of an internal affairs investigation, according to a Klamath Falls Police Department Facebook post.

The police department said it is cooperating with Oregon State Police in the criminal investigation, and that the police department will cooperate with the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training as the state agency determines whether Reif will be able to work as a law enforcement officer elsewhere in Oregon.