Monday, December 17, 2012
The chemist at the center of the state drug lab investigation allegedly mishandled evidence in thousands of Massachusetts drug cases.
Annie Dookhan, the chemist who stands accused of mishandling evidence in thousands of state drug cases, has been indicted on new charges. Dookhan, 34, was indicted by statewide grand jury on 27 charges today including 17 counts of obstruction of justice, eight counts of tampering with evidence, perjury and falsely pretending to hold a degree from a college or university, according to a press statement from Attorney General Martha Coakley's office. “We allege that Annie Dookhan tampered with drug evidence and fabricated test results on multiple occasions,” Coakley said in the statement. “Her alleged actions have sent ripple effects throughout the criminal justice system. We are committed to working with all stakeholders to fix this …
Friday, November 30, 2012
Annie Dookhan, the state drug lab chemist accused of mishandling evidence, will face further indictments.
The chemist who faces charges related to the mishandling of evidence in thousands of state drug cases will face further charges. WCVB.com reported Tuesday that indictments against Annie Dookhan, the state drug lab chemist accused of mishandling evidence in thousands of drug cases, are forthcoming. State Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office filed a motion in Boston Municipal Court Tuesday asking to reschedule a pretrial hearing from Dec. 3 to Dec. 20 because the investigation is ongoing with "indictments expected," according to WCVB.com. Dookhan has preliminarily been charged with obstruction of justice and falsifying academic credentials.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Since September, four people facing serious drug charges have been issued a continuance or otherwise freed due to the state drug lab crisis only to be arrested a subsequent time.
Four violent convicts have been released and re-arrested in the wake of the state drug lab scandal, and a Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office spokesman says if the trends play out as they should, it’s only the beginning. In most cases involving evidence that was tested by Annie Dookhan, the state drug lab chemist who allegedly mishandled evidence in thousands of cases, prosecutors have been able to negotiate pleas and have not had to re-litigate, Suffolk County DA spokesman Jake Wark said in an interview. If the facts surrounding a case involve evidence that does not have to do directly with Dookhan, the conviction will typically stand, according to documents provided by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. But what …
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to appoint an independent investigator soon to focus on the wider effects and root causes of the scandal at the shuttered State Drug Lab in JP.
Legal defense and civil rights groups are applauding a move to take the investigation of the State Drug Lab scandal out of the Attorney General's hands. The state's top law enforcement official, Attorney General Martha Coakley, has agreed to a plan for an independent investigator to take over a probe of the wider effects and root causes of the scandal at the shuttered State Drug Lab in JP, according to several media sources. Coakley will continue the more narrow criminal probe against so-called "rogue chemist" Annie Dookhan, however. She is the chemist accused of tainting evidence in 34,000 or more drug cases. Her alleged actions have already sent dozens of convicted drug dealers back onto Bay State streets. Critics had called on Coakley…
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Boston City Councilors look to work with state with many chronic offenders re-entering the city due to the Jamaica Plain Drug Lab scandal.
With as many as 600 convicted drug dealers headed to the streets of Boston before their full sentences are up, city councilors are brainstorming about how to handle the influx. "We have seen the news. We know there are and will be several hundred more people released into our community... due to the crisis at the JP state lab," said District 7 Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson at Wednesday's council meeting. A "rogue chemist" may have mishandled evidence in 34,000 cases over nine years of work at the shuttered State Drug Lab in Jamaica Plain. State and municipal officials have been struggling to deal with the fallout as convicted drug dealers get released early. Calling for an immediate hearing to address the issue, Jackson said many of …
