Deschutes County, Ore. – An Oregon State Police forensic scientist who worked in Bend was charged Thursday with two federal crimes.
Nika Larsen allegedly stole pills submitted to OSP crime labs as evidence, according to federal court records.
Larsen was charged with two counts of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud an deception.
Larsen, who began working at he Bend lab in 2012, was placed on administrative leave last year after she was suspected of tampering with drug evidence.
She previously worked at the lab in Pendleton.
Larsen stole morphine, hydrocodone, methadone, oxycodone, tramadol, and hydromorphine, from evidence items submitted by police agencies to the crime lab for analysis and testing.
