Lab worker pleads guilty

ANCHORAGE — A Wasilla man who worked at the state crime lab pleaded guilty Friday to multiple counts stemming from his time there, authorities said.

Stephen C. Palmer, 54, pleaded guilty to second-degree theft, tampering with physical evidence, two counts of fourth-degree drugs misconduct, and one count of official misconduct. All counts are class C felonies, save for official misconduct, which is a class A misdemeanor. The counts are consolidated, and all remaining charges have been dismissed, according to a Friday press release from the Alaska Department of Law.

Palmer was arrested and charged in March 6 with 10 counts in connection with the theft of portions of reference samples — nearly pure samples of drugs the lab uses to compare against collected evidence — from the crime lab, according to court records and a Department of Law press release. The original charges ranged from official misconduct up to second-degree drug misconduct, a Class A felony.

Investigators believe Palmer cut some of the reference samples with inositol, a powdery substance sometimes used as a stand-in for heroin and cocaine on movies and television shows and frequently used to dilute or cut street drugs, according to court documents cited by a Frontiersman article at the time.

Palmer also used copper-clad BBs in opium, hydrocodone, amphetamine, and morphine reference samples. Evidence from some cases also went missing, with the widely available Zyrtec allergy medicine taking the place of some pills, according to the article.

Palmer resigned in December 2011 as investigators began to focus on him as a primary suspect in the drug thefts, according to the documents.

The following month, emergency responders and troopers arrived at Palmer’s house after reports that Palmer was detoxing, according to court documents. When investigators questioned him about the missing drugs, Palmer told authorities he didn’t know anything about it and that he wasn’t an addict, according to court documents.

Family members told troopers Palmer had been addicted for years following a skiing accident, and that during the period of addiction, he had never gone longer than 12 hours without using, according to the documents.

Alaska State Troopers also seized a jar used to remove opium from poppy straw, according to charging documents.

Palmer has been free on $50,000 bail since March 20, according to court documents. His sentencing has been scheduled for June 5 at 9:30 a.m.

Palmer could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 (or both) for each Class C Felony, according to the press release. The official misconduct misdemeanor carries a maximum one-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $10,000, according to the press release.

The Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory is located in Anchorage and provides biological screening, DNA, drug and alcohol fire debris and drug identification services to law enforcement, as well as training for evidence collection and preservation.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed a press release on Palmer's case. That release came from the Alaska Department of Law, which is handling the case, and not the US Attorney.