Story by Jamie Dexter, 19th Judicial District Drug Task Force
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Only 631 people, worldwide, have graduated the National Forensic Academy. And after 10 weeks of intensive training, Sgt. Mark Wojnarek is one of them.
“I’m thankful to have been able to bring this knowledge back and put it to work for the citizens of Montgomery County,” Wojnarek said.
The program, which also trains investigators from other countries, is taught by nationally-known experts in their fields, to include forensic anthropology, odontology and numerous other fields of study relating to crime scene investigations.
Throughout the course, Wojnarek stayed in an apartment near the University of Tennessee Knoxville, where the class was held.
“Everything was hands on,” Wojnarek said. “We located and exhumed a buried body. We watched an examiner remove a jawbone and study the dental work. Also, a blood splatter specialist went into a room and created blood stain patterns for us to investigate. And if we had questions or if we wondered if a certain thing would work, we were allowed to test our theories in a lab setting.”
While Wojnarek has been to many forensics-related classes, he said this class was the pinnacle of his career. And it took him a couple of years of applying before he was accepted.
“There’s no comparison to the prior training I’ve went through,” Wojnarek said. “I now have the ability to see things at crime scenes that I would have never noticed before.”
Wojnarek said the classes were rewarding, even though the exams and practical, hands-on exams were difficult, as the classes were Master’s Degree level classes.
Perhaps his favorite part of his time at the course was at graduation, when he was given a top award for being chosen as the leader of the class.
“I had no idea that was coming,” Wojnarek said. “It was such an honor.”
He added that none of it would have been possible without the support of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, his wife, Megan and his family.
Sheriff John Fuson said he wasn’t surprised that Wojnarek was selected to attend.
“I was proud, but not surprised,” Fuson said. “He has always been dedicated to crime scene investigations, particularly evidence collection and analysis. We are proud to have people within our ranks that have the training that affords them the ability to better serve victims of crime.”
Wojnarek takes some blood samples off a surface.
Wojnarek uncovers a buried body in one of the many hands-on exercises at the National Forensic Academy.
Wojnarek poses with a group he worked with analyzing blood splatter patterns.