Another Oregon state police crime lab under investigation

BEND, Ore. – Authorities are investigating a third Oregon state police crime lab after they say an analyst underreported some tests.

The Bend Bulletin reported that the state police forensic division says a former Clackamas lab analyst missed drugs or other substances in urine he tested.

A different forensic analyst is suspected of mishandling evidence in the Bend and Pendleton labs. Those labs have suspended drug testing while authorities investigate.

The former Clackamas analyst left the division in January. So far the division has re-examined 120 of his cases and 10 showed potentially unreported compounds, but scientists didn’t find that he reported anything that wasn’t present.

Forensic division Capt. Ted Phillips wrote a letter to district attorneys, informing them of the discovery. He wrote that the division did not find the analyst’s conduct to be criminal.