VIDEO/PHOTOS: A man is facing multiple charges after committing a series of violent crimes Monday morning, according to the Salem Police Department. At about 10:17 a.m., emergency crews responded to the 300 block of Khartoum Street Southeast after people reported a house fire. Police said initial information indicated 26-year-old Ethan Thorington was seen leaving the home shortly before the fire began.
Fire crews arrived to the scene and called for a second alarm. After the fire was put out, arson detectives began an investigation. A representative from the Salem Police Department confirmed to FOX 12 that the house was being rented by Thorington’s parents, but that the suspect was not currently living there.
A short time later, at about 11:41 a.m., a Marion County Sheriff’s Office sergeant was called to the Panera Bread in the 2800 block of Commercial Street Southeast after a man, later identified as Thorington, tried to steal an employee’s car keys and assaulted her before taking off on foot.
