SBI director says agent’s firing was justified

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The director of the State Bureau of Investigation says the agency was justified in firing an agent because he repeatedly violated policy.

WRAL-TV reported that SBI director Greg McLeod testified Thursday at an administrative court hearing where fired agent Duane Deaver is seeking reinstatement.

Deaver was fired in January 2011 after an independent review of the SBI crime lab concluded that analysts frequently misstated or falsely reported blood evidence in about 200 criminal cases spanning 16 years ending in 2003. Some of the most egregious violations were linked to Deaver.

Deaver’s termination letter didn’t mention those violations. It cited three other reasons, including an allegation from the N.C. Innocence Inquiry Commission that he perjured himself.

An internal SBI committee determined he should be reinstated. McLeod refused to do so.