Denver Fire Captain Keeps Job After 2 Swingers Club Break-Ins
DENVER (CBS4)- A Denver Fire Department captain is hanging on to his job after being arrested twice within nine months for breaking into a swingers club where couples go to swap partners and explore their sexuality.
"He was the perfect candidate for rehabilitation," said Fire Department Chief Eric Tade.
Tade talked to CBS4 about why the department decided to not fire Captain Bradley Thayer after he was caught twice in 2013 jumping a fence to get into the "Squirrel Creek Lodge" which hosts "fun and erotic evenings." The incidents were never reported until now.
Tade said he decided to keep Captain Thayer because he had a very good reputation, a good track record and a high level of performance. At this time, Thayer, who declined to be interviewed, is on stringent department probation and can be fired for any rule infractions.
According to police reports and internal city records, Thayer was arrested March 3, 2013 for criminal trespass for jumping a fence to get into the club which was in the midst of a swingers event.
"It was very surprising," said Tade.
Thayer agreed to plead guilty and got a deferred sentence of one-year probation, 24 hours community service and internal fire department discipline of a three day suspension without pay.
In a disciplinary order, the department said a law violation "is completely antithetical to a Department member's role in society and diminishes the public image of the Denver Fire Department. In addition, the Department has higher expectations for command officers."
If the fire chief was surprised in March, he was even more surprised in December when Thayer did the exact same thing again. On December 8, 2013, Thayer confessed that he "climbed over the fence to get inside" during another swingers event.
According to a Douglas County Sheriff's report, Thayer "knew that he was not supposed to be on the property."
He told deputies he "made a bad choice" when he jumped the fence "fully knowing he was not allowed to be here."
Fire department administrators noticed that at the time of his second arrest, Thayer was required to stay away from the swingers club and was on a one-year deferred judgment. In his second discipline that year, administrators wrote, "Captain Thayer's misconduct was particularly egregious because it was repeated criminal behavior and given his status as a high level command officer in the Department."
Firing, said the department, was the "appropriate sanction."
But Tade said termination was set aside because Thayer took responsibility for his actions, showed remorse and was capable of being rehabilitated. Tade said the captain immediately sought assistance for alcohol issues. He was given the equivalent of a six-week unpaid suspension but is on a five-year probation with any slip ups leading to termination.
"He had stressful things in his personal life and family structure," said Tade. "I think the biggest reason to keep him was he never tried to make excuses and was accountable."
Tade said the Thayer case is an example of the balancing act administrators have to deal with in disciplinary cases.
"At the end of the day you make a judgment call and as of today, it appears it was right," said Tade.
Tade said Thayer is an exemplary employee and has taken a leadership role in counseling groups.
CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass has been with the station more than 30 years uncovering waste, fraud and corruption. Follow him on Twitter @Briancbs4.