STORY: "Scientist’s work records show litany of problems, but praise from cops," by reporters , , and, published by
"G. Michele Yezzo worked at the Ohio attorney general’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation for more than three decades."
GIST: "Forensic scientist G. Michele Yezzo’s first meltdown happened only four months after she was hired at Ohio’s crime lab.She “stormed off” as laboratory chief Michael Yarchak reviewed her performance at a mock trial in 1977. “I instructed her that this attitude was very immature — that she must be able to accept criticism,” Yarchak wrote in a memo to document the incident. Over 32 years on the job at the Ohio attorney general’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Yezzo’s behavior escalated from immature to toxic. Her personnel file paints a portrait of an often dysfunctional employee who alienated colleagues and created what they described as a hostile environment. But at the same time, prosecutors and law-enforcement officers praised her work and her willingness to drop other analyses to work on their cases........That spring, members of her union, the Fraternal Order of Police, asked her supervisors to impose a bargaining-unit rule to force Yezzo to undergo a mental-health examination. The union charged that: Yezzo’s erratic, abusive behavior was chasing off employees; She had threatened to use a gun to shoot her co-workers and herself; She frequently broke into sobbing spells for no reason; She swore at her boss, called colleagues by expletives and made offensive hand gestures at them. “The consensus is that Michele’s perceived problem affects her overall performance. Her findings and conclusions regarding evidence may be suspect,” then-Assistant BCI Superintendent Daniel Chilton wrote in a three-page memo. “She will stretch the truth to satisfy a (law enforcement) department.” Yet nothing came of the memo — no reprimand, no counseling, no investigation. Cappy said during a court hearing this year that he never saw that memo......... Then, in 2008, Yezzo made multiple mistakes. In September, the BCI disciplined her for misinterpreting the results of a glass test, an exam that uses trace evidence to determine how proficient a forensics expert’s analysis is. Because it was the second time that she had made such an error, the bureau had to transfer all cases involving glass to its Bowling Green office for analysis. In December, BCI officials questioned Yezzo about a second “quality issue” related to a paint analysis in a criminal case. Discovery of the errors forced the BCI to re-examine all paint analysis she had completed in the previous 18 months. “These interpretational and observational errors indicate a lack of attention to detail, which cannot be tolerated in such a sensitive position,” BCI Superintendent Paul C. Tobin wrote in a 2009 reprimand. “Your failures could lead to a substantial miscarriage of justice.” Tobin also told her that a forensic scientist would re-evaluate her work in the future to make sure it was correct. A month later, Yezzo resigned."
The story can be found at the link below;
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/10/30/records-show-litany-of-problems-but-praise-from-cops.html
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/
