Palmer resident and former Alaska State Crime Lab analyst, Stephen Palmer, was charged with 10 counts that include six felonies in connection with alleged missing and tampering of drugs while employed at the lab according to the Department of Law.

The 53-year-old man was charged after a seven month investigation into missing drug evidence and tampering of reference standards drugs at the Crime Detection Laboratory in Anchorage. Irregularities in control samples of morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, opium, codeine and amphetamine were discovered in January of this year. Reference standards of drugs are nearly pure samples of a particular drugs used as official references in the lab.

Troopers began looking into the adulterated and missing drugs, and foreign matter was found in a reference sample of Oxycodone in the summer of 2012. The investigator found that drugs had gone missing in criminal cases where Palmer had analyzed drugs seized during drug arrests on multiple occassions.

More irregularities were discovered after the lab switched over to more sensitive equipment in January 2014.

Palmer is charged with scheme to defraud, Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance II, four counts of Evidence Tampering, and four counts of Official Misconduct.

Palmer, who had went to work for the Crime Lab in May of 1992, resigned unexpectedly in December of 2011. One month after he quit his job at the lab, his wife called in to 911 and hung up. Troopers responded to the hangup at Palmer’s home and found him unconsious on his bed, and drug paraphrenalia around the house. His wife gave troopers a jar of clear liquid that they allege that Palmer identified as “poppy straw.” According to troopers, Palmer told responding officers that he was a chemist and had produced the substance himself.

A warrant for Palmer’s arrest was issued on Thursday. Court documents show that Palmer is in custody at the Anchorage Jail with no bail set. He is to be arraigned at 2 pm on Friday.