9 Employees Disciplined Over DNA Lab
POSTED: 5:46 p.m. CDT June 12, 2003
UPDATED: 6:11 p.m. CDT June 12, 2003
HOUSTON -- Nine employees of the Houston Police Department Crime Lab were disciplined for violating policies that resulted in DNA evidence that may have been contaminated in rape and murder cases, News2Houston reported Thursday.
The Internal Affairs Division conducted the investigation in response to the December 2002 Department of Public Safety audit, which shut down the DNA section of the crime lab.
The disciplinary recommendations for the nine employees range from seven-day suspensions to indefinite suspensions.
Officials said that those who supervised the DNA lab and command level managers received the most severe discipline.
The following people were disciplined.
Copyright 2003 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Milton C. Simmons, assistant chief
Simmons was in charge of the Technical/Support Services Command from May 1993 until March 2003. The 36-year veteran retired Wednesday after it was recommended that he be fired for failing to provide adequate supervision of the crime lab operations, officials said. Donald Krueger, crime lab director
Krueger was also terminated, but chose to retire instead. He applied for his retirement on Feb. 23. Krueger did not adequately supervise the crime lab and establish policies following FBI guidelines, according to the report. James Bolding, DNA section supervisor, criminalist IV
Bolding, who investigators said submitted false information regarding the 2000 and 2001 audits, was fired, but also chose retirement instead. He submitted his retirement paperwork Wednesday. Robert Bobzean, assistant chemist/toxicologist
He failed to conduct a supervisor's inspection of the area and equipment in the Crime Lab as required in standard operating procedures, officials said. Bobzean received a seven-day suspension. Pauline Louie, criminalist IV
She also failed to conduct inspections of the lab and received a seven-day suspension. Regina Ortiz-Boyd, criminalist I
Internal affairs officers said that while attempting to supplement a report, Boyd inadvertently deleted all the information about an analysis that had been conducted in a sexual assault case. She was fired. Robert Baldwin, criminalist IV
Officers said Baldwin also did not conduct required inspections of the lab. He was suspended for seven days. Christi Kim, criminalist II
Kim received a 14-day suspension for writing incomplete and inaccurate reports on DNA cases, including a sexual assault and murder, according to the report. Joseph Chu, criminalist II
He received a 14-day suspension for incorrectly reporting statistics in DNA findings, officials said.
Previous Stories:
- March 6, 2003: Lawmakers Examine HPD Crime Lab
- March 6, 2003: Lawmakers To Hear About Houston DNA Lab Problems
Copyright 2003 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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