Massachusetts Chemist Charged in Crime Lab Scandal

Massachusetts Chemist Charged in Crime Lab Scandal

A former chemist has been arrested accused of falsifying evidence at a Massachusetts state crime lab where she handled more than 60,000 drug samples. She has been charged with obstructing justice and lying about her training.

The former chemist, Annie Dookhan, 34, was arrested by state police at her family's home in Franklin, Attorney General Martha Coakley's office said in a statement.

The very foundation of the Massachusetts criminal justice system was shocked by the scandal - the integrity of evidence used to convict and imprison defendants - and authorities promised to create safeguards to prevent it from happening again.

"Her actions totally turned the system on its head," Coakley said at a news conference.

The governor ordered the lab closed in late August and last week established an office to oversee a review of criminal cases potentially affected by the "failures" there.

Dookhan was charged with two counts of obstruction of justice and a single count of pretending to hold a master's degree in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts. If convicted of the charges, she could face 20 years in prison.

Further charges against Dookhan were expected, Coakley said. She said the criminal activity and misconduct appear to be limited to the single rogue chemist who worked for nine years the Hinton State Laboratory Institute in Jamaica Plain.

The charges brought on Friday stem from Dookhan allegedly lying about the integrity of drug evidence she analyzed on two occasions, the statement said.

Apparently motivated by ambition, Dookhan juggled a case load that was two to three times what her co-workers were able to handle, Coakley said.

Posted by James Fried on Wednesday October 03 2012, 6:30 AM EDT. Ref: Yahoo. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Nation. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0