BEND, Ore. (AP) – A federal judge has sentenced a fired forensic scientist at the Oregon State Police crime labs to three years in prison for stealing hundreds of pills from evidence submitted to the lab over two years.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports 36-year-old Nika Larsen was sentenced Monday after she pleaded guilty in August to two counts of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud and deception.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Larsen used her position to steal methamphetamine, morphine and other drugs while processing and overseeing cases.
Oregon State Police launched an investigation in 2015 after a forensic scientist in the Bend lab found 18 oxycodone pills were missing. Investigators found some pills were missing, partially missing or had been replaced with non-controlled substances – all in cases handled by Larsen.
Larsen’s crimes potentially affected more than 2,500 drug cases statewide.
Filed under: Crime, Editor's Pick, Oregon
