INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency employee is on the other side of the investigative process.
He is in jail after he was arrested for child pornography.
WRTV does not name suspects until they are formally charged. We have confirmed he was a forensic scientist for the firearms unit, and he worked for the Marion County Forensic Services agency for seven years.
The forensic scientist is preliminary charged with 10 counts of child exploitation/pornography and one count of distribution.
IMPD said the employee is accused of trading video of intimate moments with his wife for child pornography.
Police said the cybertip came from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
"It's alarming that another person in the position of power, particularly in the public safety, not directly in law enforcement, but in that law enforcement apparatus, has been caught harming children," said organizer for the Black Church Coalition, Josh Riddick.
The I-MCFSA said the man who is accused is responsible for examining guns, bullets, and other evidence for local and federal agencies.
The employee also prepares formal reports regarding exams, stats, and provides expert testimony in court.
As a ballistic expert, there is concern about pending and upcoming court cases.
"I'm sure a defense attorney might use that or leverage that, but potentially influence a case in a particular direction. That can't be acceptable," said Riddick.
While Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner can't speak specifically about the case, he said crime labs and its employees are essential in trial.
"A crime lab employee, just like a police officer or any other key witness, their credibility is very important in a trial, and it's going to have an impact on how people view the evidence," said Hamner. "I don't think it will impact past cases, but it could possibly have an impact on a person's credibility if they were to become a witness in the future."
The director of the Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency sent the following statement:
As an agency dedicated to serving the public safety community, we find these allegations profoundly disturbing and disgraceful. They do not align with our core values of integrity, accountability, and ethics. In response, I-MCFSA leadership has taken immediate action by suspending the employee without pay, effective immediately, and removing him from all casework and access to the laboratory. We are exploring every option to ensure we continue to provide critical services to our public safety partners and the residents of Indianapolis and Marion County. Our hearts grieve with the victims and their families. For any questions related to the investigation, please refer to IMPD.
The Johnson County prosecutor said crime labs are often overworked and short staffed.
"We never have enough of the technicians to get all the work done. Sometimes we ask to expedite a certain bit of evidence for a case, but everybody's standing in line," he said.
If formal charges are filed in the case, they will come from the Marion County Prosecutor's Office within the next week.
