Criminalist Jared Heath responds to the scene of an assault,…

Criminalist Jared Heath responds to the scene of an assault, on an unpaved lane in a rural neighborhood.  Rain had fallen steadily the night before, making the area quite muddy.  A suspect with very muddy shoes was apprehended nearby but claims to have picked up the mud either from his garden or from the unpaved parking lot of a local restaurant.  Jared uses a spade to remove several samples of soil, each about 2 inches deep, from the immediate crime scene and places each in a separate plastic vial.  He collects the muddy shoes and wraps them in plastic as well.  At the laboratory, he unpackaged the soil samples and examines them carefully, one at a time.  He then analyzes the soil on the shoes to see whether it matches the soil from the crime scene.  What mistakes, if any, did Jared make in his investigation?