A former crime lab analyst in Ripon who is the subject of an investigation dealing with the tampering of narcotic evidence, was arrested Thursday by state drug agents authorized by the Department of Justice.

Hermon Brown, 40, of Sacramento was taken into custody on charges of grand theft, possession for sale of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.

The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office, along with district attorneys from four other counties announced in April that an investigation had revealed that some of the narcotic samples kept as evidence in various trials had lower amounts than the initial quantity stored.

Brown was the target of the investigation and resigned from his position soon thereafter.