I Think This Qualifies as Inappropriate Use of DNA Testing
LANSING — A state forensics scientist who said she tested her husband’s
underwear for DNA to determine if he was cheating on her has been fired.
Ann Chamberlain of Okemos testified in a March 7 divorce hearing that
she ran the test last September on the underwear of Charles Gordon Jr.
Asked by his attorney what she found, she answered: “Another female. It
wasn’t me.”
She said during another hearing that she ran the test on her own time with expired chemicals that were set to be thrown away. The
Michigan State Police, which oversees the Lansing forensics laboratory
where Chamberlain worked, announced Tuesday that it had fired her
effective Aug. 16 after conducting an internal investigation into
violations of department administrative policy.
Now, I do believe Chamberlain’s claims that she did this on her own time – forensic scientists must be uber-diligent about documenting their work and schedules. But it does seem to be a bit much…
(thanks, Bryon!)