STORY: "New Broward crime lab scandal could taint many cases," by reporter Kyle Swenson, published by Miami New Times on August 7, 2014.
GIST: "Roberts' bust was only one piece of a scandal that could shake South Florida law enforcement to its core. Though the broad outlines of the scandal at the Broward crime lab have been made public — two top staff members have resigned, and an internal affairs investigation is underway — New Times has learned it is likely more far-reaching than previously thought. An audit expected later this year is likely to show that drugs are missing in many more cases.
After reviewing hundreds of pages of court documents and police reports, the newspaper has found problems in everything from street-level drug busts to large-scale probes of heavy movers.".........The common factor: All the drugs landed on the desk of forensic chemist Kelli McDonald. She is still employed at the Broward Sheriff's Office but was recently transferred and could not be reached for comment. Her last known annual salary was $85,800 in 2012. "There seem to be multiple manners in which she has engaged in misconduct," says Gordon Weekes, a chief assistant with the Broward Public Defender's Office. "It creates an issue because it erodes the confidence of the entire criminal justice system.".........Prosecutor Jeff Marcus says his office has retested drugs in cases as they go to trial. "We haven't been dismissing cases," he says. "[But] the crime lab is down a chemist, and they've been swamped with all their work." At the Public Defender's Office, however, attorneys continue to comb through cases McDonald worked. Says chief assistant Weekes: "When you have a chemist that is engaging in chronic misconduct, it becomes an issue of confidence in a fair trial.""
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2014-08-07/news/broward-crime-lab-scandal-could-taint-many-cases/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
I look forward to hearing from readers at:
hlevy15@gmail.com.
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;
