Posted on 09/28/2012 11:12:10 AM PDT by raccoonradio
Annie Dookhan, the former state chemist at the center of a lab scandal which could overturn hundreds of drug convictions, was arrested by state police this morning.
Dookhan, 34, was brought out of her Franklin home in handcuffs and put into an unmarked cruiser shortly before noon. She did not speak and kept her head down as she was led down her walkway in front of reporters.
Dookhan is charged with two counts of obstruction of justice and falsely pretending to hold a degree from a college or university. She will be arraigned at Boston Municipal Court this afternoon.
Dookhan, a former chemist at the Hinton State Laboratory Institute, is alleged to have lied about the integrity of drug evidence that she analyzed at the lab in two instances, according to a statement from Attorney General Martha Coakley. She is also alleged to have lied under oath about having a masters degree in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts, according to the statement.
Troopers assigned to Coakleys office are investigating.
Dookhan, who admitted to police she messed up bad and confessed to forging colleagues signatures, sneaking evidence out of a drug safe and tainting samples for years, has thrown cases against 34,000 defendants into jeopardy and created chaos in the state and federal courts in recent weeks.
The growing scandal forced Gov. Deval Patrick to close the Hinton State Laboratory Institute, the Jamaica Plain facility where Dookhan worked, last month. Patrick has appointed former prosecutor David Meier to review cases in which Dookhan tested drugs. Meier has said 1,140 people are currently behind bars based on evidence handled by Dookhan.
Dookhan had been intentionally turning a negative sample into a positive a few times and in some cases, classifying drugs without testing them for at least several years, according to her interview with state police last month.
Dookhan, who also falsely testified during a drug case that she had a masters degree, resigned in March amid an internal probe by the state Department of Public Health as the agency was set to turn over control of the lab to state police.
Dookhan has been unavailable for comment since the scandal broke last month.
A man who answered the door after Dookhan was driven away by troopers declined to comment.
Coakley will address the arrest this afternoon.
“intentionally turning a negative sample into a positive a few times”
In order to prove what?
“Dookhan is charged with two counts of obstruction of justice and falsely pretending to hold a degree from a college or university. She will be arraigned at Boston Municipal Court this afternoon.”
Apparently they only like true pretenders there in Massachusetts (says me as I duck and run for cover)...
LMFAO! They didn’t even validate her credentials?
Must be the same district that validated Obama’s paperwork.
>>has thrown cases against 34,000 defendants into jeopardy and created chaos in the state and federal courts in recent weeks.
The spirit of Massachusetts is the spirit of America
The spirit of the red, white, and blue
The spirit of Massachusetts is the spirit of America
The spirit that we want to share with you!
NOT GUILTY
Should recieve compensation for even being accused.
>>true pretenders
Liz Warren could not be reached for comment!
This is one very good reason why we shouldn’t hate defense lawyers. Sometimes, it’s the state who are the bad guys.
Fake chemists, fake indians, fake lawyers....
Should recieve compensation for even being accused.
I agree! Not guilty!
(Not smiling now.)
How long was she there? It just says years.
Good grief.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quite a bit more guilty in that photo, yet, one must consider, a woman in handcuffs always is slightly more innocent — just for being in handcuffs.
I can feel the chemistry between us....
Looks like she checked the box?
Oh my!!!
—— LMFAO! They didnt even validate her credentials? ——
Soon they’ll be providing our healthcare. Yay!
NOT GUILTY!
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