Ex-OSP evidence tech accused of stealing $10,000
A former Oregon State Police evidence technician was arrested on numerous charges Friday by OSP troopers and detectives, accused of stealing more than $10,000 from the agency’s Klamath Falls evidence locker and tampering with records to hide his actions, troopers said.
Mark Matlick, 57, of Klamath Falls, was employed by OSP was employed by OSP from 2007 through 2015 at the Klamath Falls Area Command, a news release stated.
Last October, OSP command staff in Klamath Falls became aware evidence had been unlawfully removed from the evidence lockers located in Klamath Falls and Lakeview, troopers said.
A lengthy investigation was conducted by OSP detectives and support staff, and investigators from the Oregon Department of Justice. The investigation was conducted in consultation with Klamath County and Lake County District Attorney’s Offices.
The investigation regarding the Klamath Falls evidence locker revealed the following: Between Nov. 13 , 2007 and June 30 , 2015, Matlick allegedly stole over $10,000 of money from the OSP evidence locker. Troopers said Matlick also forged written instruments and tampered with the OSP evidence database (public records) to facilitate his thefts.
Matlick was lodged on the following charges in Klamath County: One count of aggravated theft, 29 counts of computer crime, 19 counts of tampering with public records, two counts of second-degree forgery, 19 counts of first-degree official misconduct, one count of first-degree theft and four counts of second-degree theft.
The investigation in Lake County is ongoing, officials said.
In the last couple of years, OSP said it has efforts to improve the integrity and security of evidence maintained under the control of the Oregon State Police Evidence Program.
In regards to currency, OSP no longer holds any more than $100 in evidence at any given point in time. When the total combined amount of currency rises above $100, the currency is secured in a bank account.
Additionally, troopers said, annual inventories are conducted in all evidence lockers,a practice consistent with the national standard, and the destruction policy has been improved with additional layers of oversight.
Last December, Bend OSP crime lab forensic scientist Nika Larsen was sentenced to three years in federal prison for stealing hundreds of pills from evidence submitted to the lab over two years. The crimes prompted prosecutors around the state to re-evaluate more than 2,500 cases, and district attorneys dismissed or dropped more than 150 convictions or charges as a result.
