Monday, June 17, 2013
WBUR reports that the drug lab scandal, which originated in Jamaica Plain, has had severe consequences for crime-ridden Brockton.
As ex-chemist Annie Dookhan awaits court appearances while ordered to home confinement, violent crime in Brockton has surged. Police officials in the crime-ridden southeastern Massachusetts city say this spike is directly related to Dookhan’s activities while employed at the Hinton Drug Lab in Jamaica Plain. WBUR reported Friday three recent violent crimes were committed by Brockton criminals released in the wake of the drug lab scandal. Dookhan is accused of falsifying drug evidence in thousands of cases in Massachusetts, which has led to the release of numerous convicted criminals around the state. Suffolk County District Attorney’s office spokesman Jake Wark told Jamaica Plain Patch in November 2012 that 100 percent of the victims …
Friday, May 31, 2013
A judge rescheduled the hearing of a motion filed on the ex-chemist’s behalf to June 27.
Proceedings continued in the state’s case against Annie Dookhan, the ex-chemist accused of falsifying state drug evidence while employed at the Hinton Drug Lab in Jamaica Plain, who made a very brief appearance in court Friday morning. Nicolas Gordon, Dookhan’s lawyer, attempted to file a motion on her behalf to have 11 of the 13 obstruction charges against her in counties other than Suffolk dismissed. Suffolk Superior Court Justice Jeffrey Locke denied a motion to dismiss two of these obstruction charges Dookhan faces in Suffolk County May 7. The obstruction charges refer to Dookhan’s court appearances as an expert state’s witness in which she testified that that she held a masters degree in chemistry, according to court documents. The 13…
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Ex-state chemist Annie Dookhan faces 27 charges in six Massachusetts counties related to falsifying test results in drug cases.
A Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that all 27 charges against ex-state drug lab chemist Annie Dookhan will stand despite attempts by her lawyer to get two thrown out. The Boston Herald reports Dookhan’s lawyer Nicolas Gordon argued to try to get two counts of witness intimidation dismissed, but Judge Jeffrey Locke denied Gordon’s attempt. Dookhan, who is accused of falsifying drug case evidence in thousands of cases during her tenure at a Jamaica Plain lab, pleaded not guilty Dec. 19, 2012 to four counts of obstruction of justice, eight counts of tampering with evidence and one count of falsely pretending to hold a degree from a college or university.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
In a busy week for drug lab news, one man was convicted despite arguing that disgraced chemist Annie Dookhan tested the evidence in his case.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Julio Medina was convicted on charges related to the sale of heroin to an undercover officer in the South End in 2009.
Although the substance he sold to an undercover officer which turned out to be heroin was originally tested by Annie Dookhan, a repeat offender has been convicted. Julio Medina, 57, was found guilty March 27 in Suffolk Superior Court of selling five bags of heroin to a plainclothes officer in the South End in 2009, according to a statement from Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley. The original drug evidence was tested by Dookhan, who is accused of falsifying evidence in thousands of state drug cases. The jury deliberated in under 15 minutes, according to the statement. “Given all the facts, anyone can see that the evidence in a drug case is never limited to merely the drugs,” Conley said in the statement. “There’s a sequence of …
Monday, March 18, 2013
Massachusetts has already spent $760,000 re-prosecuting drug cases in which ex-chemist Annie Dookhan was involved in testing.
By this summer, the state will have spent $2.5 million prosecuting individuals whose court cases have been affected by the Annie Dookhan-sparked drug lab crisis. The Boston Herald reported Saturday that state prosecutors have spent $760,000 so far in the scandal, which has rocked the Massachusetts justice system. Dookhan, who tampered with drug evidence, faces charges in six counties. Her actions as an employee at the state Hinton Drug Lab in Jamaica Plain have had consequences statewide, as judges and prosecutors scramble to retry – and in some cases release – those convicted on drug charges.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Ex-chemist Annie Dookhan accused of tainting evidence in thousands of Massachusetts drug lab cases.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts wants the sentences of defendants put on hold in drug cases in which evidence was handled by a an ex-state drug lab chemist accused of falsifying the results in thousands of state cases. The ACLU has asked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to rule that defendants whose cases were handled by Annie Doohan have their sentences held while they await new trials, according to ABC News. Dookhan, who worked at the Hinton state drug lab in Jamaica Plain, faces 27 charges, 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. She has pleaded not guilty at each of six arraignments …
Monday, February 4, 2013
Annie Dookhan faces 27 charges for her central role in the state drug lab crisis.
The ex-chemist whose work will have tainted thousands of drug lab cases across the state will face another arraignment today. Annie Dookhan will be in Salem Superior Court for her sixth arraignment Monday for a charge of obstruction of justice, according to the Salem News. Dookhan pleaded not guilty to 15 charges in Suffolk Superior Court Dec. 20. The charges included four counts of obstruction of justice, eight counts of tampering with evidence and one count of falsely pretending to hold a degree from a college or university. She pleaded not guilty to charges in Norfolk Superior Court in January well. She faces a total of 27 charges in counties around the state. She pleaded not guilty to charges in Norfolk Superior Court earlier this …
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Annie Dookhan, the chemist at the center of the state drug lab crisis, pleaded not guilty to more charges today.
The ex-chemist whose malfeasance tainted thousands of state drug cases was in court facing six more charges this week. Annie Dookhan pleaded not guilty to five counts of obstruction of justice in Brockton Superior Court and to one count in Fall River Superior Court Wednesday, according to WHDH.com. Dookhan pleaded not guilty to 15 charges in Suffolk Superior Court Dec. 20. The charges included four counts of obstruction of justice, eight counts of tampering with evidence and one count of falsely pretending to hold a degree from a college or university. She pleaded not guilty to charges in Norfolk Superior Court earlier this month as well. Dookhan is the centerpiece in a state drug lab crisis that has affected the outcome of thousands of …
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
The proposed five-member board would have oversight authority over all state facilities engaged in forensic services in criminal investigation.
In the wake of the Jamaica Plain Drug Lab crisis, the Massachusetts Senate Republican Caucus wants “tighter controls and higher standards” at its state drug labs. The caucus proposed that a five-member board be established to “have oversight authority over all state facilities engaged in forensic services in criminal investigations,” according to a statement released Wednesday. The board will consist of the secretary of public safety and security, the attorney general, the inspector general and the colonel of state police, or their designees, along with one appointee from the governor, according to the statement. “We need to create a new infrastructure of oversight, accountability, transparency and integrity, and this legislation will …
