ARREST MADE IN EVIDENCE THEFT

A drug technician with the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Auburn
has been arrested and charged with theft and possession of a controlled
substance in connection with missing evidence. Department Director Taylor
Noggle said Charlie J. Holcomb had been with the Auburn division for about a
year when his job performance began declining. His supervisor had a
discussion with him about it, and suggested he check into a rehabilitation
program, Noggle said. He had been in the program about two weeks when he
requested an interview with me for a pre-dismissal hearing. He is now
dismissed.

Noggle said after Holcomb was dismissed, he and Holcomb's supervisor began
reviewing cases the technician had worked on and found several
discrepancies. "We started checking into his work and the evidence he had
handled. It appears he may have tampered with evidence and may have even
taken some,the director said. Noggle called Abbett, who asked the Auburn
Police Division investigate. Noggle said something resembling cocaine was
found at Holcomb's residence, and said the substance will be sent to an
outside lab for testing. "It will be sent to an outside agency for analysis
because it involved an employee of the department of forensic sciences, that
is standard law enforcement procedure," he said.

Auburn police Sgt. Tommy Dawson said the investigation officially began Nov.
4, ending in the 34-year-old's arrest Monday. He was taken to the Lee County
Jail, where he was later released on bond.

Holcomb received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Jacksonville State
University before joining the military where he served in the Navy. He
trained with the forensics department for about five months before coming to
work at the Auburn lab. He continued to work closely with his supervisor
until the last three months, during which time he worked cases on his own.

We feel like we caught (behavior) fairly early, Noggle said. "We saw a
decline in productivity about a month before discussing it with him. I'm
extremely disappointed that this happened, but the Department of Forensic
Sciences has made every effort to take care of it in an efficient manner."
Dawson complimented Noggle and his team for catching the problem as early as
they did.

"Even though it happened, they caught it in a short amount of time. The
checks and balances they have out there are excellent. They caught it before
it became a real problem, he said. Noggle said approximately seven cases in
the East Alabama area may have been affected, and said some of those cases
will have to be reworked by other technicians. As for Lee County, we will
take them on a case-by-case basis and see what has to be done, Abbett said.

Holcomb has been charged with three counts of second-degree theft of
property and one count of possession of a controlled substance. Abbett said
theft of a controlled substance automatically warrants a felony charge,
regardless of the amount or value taken. The district attorney said he hopes
to be able to present Holcomb's case to the grand jury in January, and said
he will not go easy on the former lab technician.

I have a zero tolerance for crime whether its white collar crime, blue
collar crime or no collar crime. I have no sympathy for anyone who violates
the public trust like this man did, he said. All three men agreed that drug
abuse is a serious problem that knows no boundaries. No one is immune from
drug abuse, Dawson said. Just like a cancer takes over a person's body,
drugs take over a person. A lot of lives are destroyed because of drug
abuse.