Men plead guilty to church theft, get 2 years probation

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — On October 26, a pair of men are seen in surveillance footage stealing from a Gresham church — now months later, they’ve both pleaded guilty to the crime.

Gresham police arrested Michael Schroeder, 40, and Gabriel Deere, 43 in
November after the two men were caught on camera loading the equipment onto trucks and trailers and driving away.

‘Brazen’ thieves take $80K equipment from Gresham church

Both suspects appeared in court on March 4 and took a plea deal, both pleading guilty to one count of theft in the first degree. The judge handed down two years of formal probation, along with an order to pay $13,214 in restitution split evenly. Both men will be required to complete 60 hours of community service, as well.

Gresham Police Officer Ben Costigan described the theft as “pretty brazen” since it wasn’t dark and there were surveillance cameras that captured the theft. Each had a dark-colored pickup with a trailer.

Two large pieces were taken, a John Deere skid steer and a mini excavator, Costigan said.

“The value of those are right around $80,000 between the two of them,” he said.