HOUSTON – A crime scene investigator was fired this week after it was discovered she significantly violated policy at the Houston Forensic Science Center, officials said.
Officials said Tammy Barette had worked at HFSC since late 2015 before she was fired Thursday.
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Officials said their quality control process revealed that she was using an unapproved device to test evidence for biological stains in two sexual assault cases.
When the issue was discovered, officials said, a total of 19 cases were reviewed. Of those 19 cases, only four had evidence that could be re-examined, officials said. Of those four cases, two had evidence that tested positive for bodily fluids even though Barette reported negative results, officials said.
The violations were reported to the Texas Forensic Science Center, the state oversight board.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the number of cases that were reviewed and the results of those reviews.