PRESENTERS

Jessica Crawford:

Jessica has been with Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory for 6 years. In this time Jessica has worked a very versatile background ultimately leading her to her position as a Firearms and Toolmarks Examiner. She began her career with the Crime Lab as a Forensic Program Technician in the DNA Databank in the Madison Crime Lab. This position was designed to be utilized in many ways including working with Law Enforcement to establish guidelines for collecting DNA from Arrested and convicted parties, performing maintenance on DNA equipment, and aiding the other units in the laboratory upon request. This role then transitioned into an Evidence Specialist position for Jessica where she was able to learn to Intake evidence submission as well as a multitude of other tasks regarding the custody and security of evidence. It was during this position that Jessica found her way to the Milwaukee Crime Lab. After about one year of evidence the opportunity to join the Firearms Unit became available. As a Firearms and Toolmarks Examiner Jessica’s job is to examine firearms and fired evidence to determine if the fired evidence was fired from a particular firearm. This includes testing a firearm for functionality, serial number restoration, cartridge case comparison, bullet comparison, and toolmarks comparison. Jessica has been in her role as a Firearms and Toolmarks Examiner for approximately five years and looks forward to many more!

Gretchen DeGroot:

Gretchen DeGroot currently is the CO-DNA Technical Leader for the WSLC. She has been working for the WSCL for 35 years.  She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a concentration in Chemistry from St. Norbert College and a Master’s of Science degree in Biology for UW-Milwaukee which she received while working full time as the DNA Technical Leader of the WSCL Milwaukee DNA Section. She has been a DNA Technical Leader since 1997. Gretchen was a active member of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) from 1997 to 2001 and currently serves as a technical assessor for ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB). She is also a member of the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG), and a member of the Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists (MAFS). Gretchen has been an author on four forensic DNA articles and has presented numerous times at professional meetings and training events.

Ben DeStaercke:

Ben is a Crime Scene Response Specialist working in The Office of Crime Scene Response stationed at the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory in Milwaukee. He has two B.S. degrees: one from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in Human Biology and the other from Virginia Commonwealth University in Forensic Science-Biology Tract. Ben worked at the Crime Laboratory in Madison in the DNA Analysis Unit for 13 years. Part of his duties as a member of the Laboratories Crime Scene Response Unit is as a Team Leader and a Crime Scene Photographer. He has also been a member of the Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists (MAFS) since 2012.

Amanda Hahn:

Amanda Hahn is an Advanced DNA Analyst at the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory in Madison.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and Masters in Forensic Science from the University of Illinois - Chicago.  Amanda began her career at the Crime Lab in the DNA Analysis Unit in 2007. She started also working in the DNA Databank unit when the Familial Search program was started in 2014. Amanda is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Scientists (AAFS), Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists (MAFS), and the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG), as well as an ANAB technical assessor.

Karley Hujet:

Karley Hujet is the Technical Leader of the Latent Prints & Footwear Unit at the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratories. Karley has a Master of Science degree in Forensic Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology & Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She joined the Department of Justice in 2001 as a Fingerprint and Footwear Examiner and became the Technical Leader of the Latent Prints & Footwear Unit in 2014. Karley is a member of the International Association for Identification (IAI) and has been certified in Latent Prints through the IAI since 2004. She is also an American National Standards Institute National Accreditation Board (ANAB) Technical Assessor in the disciplines of Friction Ridge and Impressions.

Chris Johnson:

Chris Johnson is currently the Program Chief for the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratories Office of Crime Scene Response.  He received his bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Marquette University in 2003.  He joined the Milwaukee Crime Lab in 2007 and has held the positions of a Forensic Scientist- DNA Analyst, Crime Scene Response – Team Leader, Laboratory Quality Manager, and Forensic Scientist-Supervisor (DNA Analysis Unit).  Chris serves as a technical assessor for ANAB and is a member of the Midwestern Associated of Forensic Scientists (MAFS) and the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD).

Brooke Laxton:

Brooke Laxton is a Forensic Imaging Specialist at the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory in Madison. She has a BFA with a concentration in Photography from Northern Michigan University. Brooke began her career as an Imaging Specialist just over five years ago where she wears many hats; photographing evidence, creating demonstrative exhibits, training Crime Scene Response photographers and analyzing video, just to name a few. She has been a member of the International Association of Identification since 2017 and placed second in the photography contest at the 2019 conference. As technology advances, Brooke looks forward to learning about imaging processes and how the laboratories can use these technologies in the future.

Leah Macans:

Leah is the Technical Leader of the Toxicology Unit for Wisconsin’s Division of Forensic Sciences. In 2004, she obtained a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse. Leah started her career right after graduating at the WSCL-Milwaukee as a Controlled Substances Analyst. In 2010, she transferred to the Toxicology Unit and has worked thousands of cases for alcohol and drugs over the last 11 years as both a senior and advanced toxicologist. She has testified more than 100 times over her career. In addition, she is a member of the Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientist and the Society of Forensic Toxicologists.

Aaron Matson:

Aaron Matson started his career as a Forensic Imaging Specialist with the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory in 2001 and currently serves as the Technical Lead for the State. He is a contributing member of OSAC (Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science) as well as SWGDE (Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence) helping shape best practices in Forensic Multimedia examinations nationwide. He has testified as an expert in photography and in video/image analysis, finding creative approaches to visually demonstrate his work to the court. He also provides instruction to others inside and outside of the Crime Lab and enjoys that moment when “it clicks” for the student. His favorite part of the job has always been the various challenges from the different types of evidence and requests submitted to the Forensic Imaging Unit.  

Laura Matson:

Laura Matson is a Latent Print and Footwear Examiner-Advanced with the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory in Madison. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and was employed as a Police Officer prior to her employment at the Crime Lab.  Laura has been working in the Latent Prints discipline for 18 years and is Certified by the International Association for Identification.  She has been working in the Footwear discipline for 7 years, recently helping to establish the new service of Footwear Investigative Leads.

Lacey Neuendorf

Nicole Roehm has been at the Wisconsin DOJ Wisconsin State Crime Laboratories (WSCL) since 2007 and has been the Administrator of the Division of Forensic Sciences since 2019. Nicole attended the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse for her undergraduate studies and received a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in biology with a biomedical science concentration. She attended the University of Florida for her graduate studies and received a Master’s Degree in Pharmacy and a certificate in Forensic Serology and DNA Analysis.  Nicole started her forensic science career as a DNA Analyst at the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory – Milwaukee in June 2007. Nicole has also worked on various initiatives for the WSCL and currently serves as a technical assessor for ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), a member of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD), and a member of the Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists (MAFS).

Amy Sasman:

Amy is a Toxicologist - Advanced at the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory in Milwaukee.  She has a B.S. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a M.S. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the Medical College of Wisconsin.  Prior to working at the Crime Lab, Amy worked in academic and clinical research labs, participating in work that generated seven articles published in peer reviewed journals. Amy began her career at the Crime Lab in the Toxicology Unit almost 6 years ago, taking on the Advanced position in Milwaukee in March 2020.  She became a member of Laboratory’s Crime Scene Response Team in May 2019.  In May 2020 she became a member of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists. 

R. Nick Stahlke:

Crime Scene Response Specialist – Advanced Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory – Madison

Before being employed by the State Crime Laboratory in Madison, Nick Stahlke was a Criminalist Principal at the Idaho State Forensic Laboratory in Coeur d’Alene. As a Criminalist, he worked in the areas of toxicology, controlled substances, crime scene processing and bloodstain pattern analysis. He has been with the Wisconsin Department of Justice since 1992 and has worked in the areas of controlled substances, questioned documents and crime scene response. He continues to assist law enforcement agencies as a Team Leader in the processing of crime scenes and in the analysis of bloodstains and bullet paths at crime scenes.

As the Crime Scene Response (CSR) Technical Leader for the Office of Crime Scene Response, he provides technical oversight for the Division of Forensic Sciences’ crime scene response program and in the coordination of the activities of the crime scene processing teams. As the CSR Technical Leader, he is also responsible for the training of Laboratory personnel in all aspects of crime scene processing.

Sarah Zastrow-Arkens:

Sarah is a Forensic Scientist – Senior DNA Analyst at the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory in Madison.  She has a B.S. in Biology from St. Norbert College and certificates in Forensic Science and Death Investigation from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.  Sarah began her career at the Crime Lab in the DNA Unit nearly 14 years ago.  She has also been a member of Laboratory’s Crime Scene Response Team since 2010.  She is also a registered diplomate of the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators since 2006.