Nika Larsen: Oregon; (Crime lab corruption series: Part Two)... Oregon District Attorney John Hummel has vowed to probe the mounting number of possibly contaminated convictions in the wake of revelations concerning former police state lab technician Nika Larsen who is suspected of removing drugs and replacing them with over-the-counter medications. "The number of possibly contaminated convictions grew, from one to now around 1,500 in central Oregon’s Deschutes County alone. District Attorney John Hummel is vowing to re-examine each conviction, arguing that revisiting them is critical to ensure that the public has confidence in the justice system. So far, he has recommended 10 convictions be overturned. “I want people to say: ‘You know what? When the DA stands up and says he thinks someone is guilty, he is doing that based on solid evidence,”’ said Hummel, whose county’s natural beauty belies a reputation for misdeeds by its own lawmen."..."Kevin Sali, a defense attorney who is on Gov. Kate Brown’s work group investigating the Oregon State police forensic laboratory system, said problems go beyond a few analysts tampering with the evidence. Sali said the group needs to try to improve the process “at every level,” from eliminating influence and pressure on technicians to come up with results that please police and prosecutors, to making clear to juries when a finding is not purely scientific but is subject to an analyst’s interpretation." Reporter Andrew Selsky; The Herald.

STORY: "Oregon DA is gunning for justice in review of convictions," by Associated Press reporter Andrew Selsky, published on July 25, 2016.

PHOTO CAPTION: "Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel stands in his Bend, Oregon, office May 15 next to a gown he received in 2009 while working for the Carter Center in Liberia. Hummel, who is examining about 1,500 convictions after a state police forensics lab technician allegedly tampered with evidence, says his experiences in the West African country helps guide him."

GIST: "At first, authorities in Oregon believed the lab tech had been stealing drugs from just one batch of evidence. Then they saw drugs were missing from other cases she had worked. And then they finally concluded she had also stolen evidence from ones she had not worked on. The number of possibly contaminated convictions grew, from one to now around 1,500 in central Oregon’s Deschutes County alone. District Attorney John Hummel is vowing to re-examine each conviction, arguing that revisiting them is critical to ensure that the public has confidence in the justice system. So far, he has recommended 10 convictions be overturned. “I want people to say: ‘You know what? When the DA stands up and says he thinks someone is guilty, he is doing that based on solid evidence,”’ said Hummel, whose county’s natural beauty belies a reputation for misdeeds by its own lawmen. Hummel said he has seen the consequences when people lose faith in their justice system, pointing to his experience in a post-civil war Liberia when he’d find smoldering bodies during morning walks, the victims of mob justice. Nika Larsen, the lab technician from the state police lab in Bend, is suspected of removing drugs and replacing them with over-the-counter medications. Hummel said a joint investigation by his office, the U.S. attorney, the Oregon Department of Justice and the Umatilla County district attorney is wrapping up and an announcement is forthcoming on who will take the lead on prosecution. Meanwhile, his office is reviewing all those convictions. So far, a judge has thrown out at least one conviction for methamphetamine possession. The lawyer for another one of the 10 asked the court on June 8 for his client’s conviction to be thrown out......... Some other counties are also investigating possible tampering of evidence, including Umatilla where Larsen previously worked at a lab in Pendleton. Hummel’s office has posted a spreadsheet, tracking all the cases. The Oregon Innocence Project has applauded Hummel’s actions and transparency and called on other counties to follow his lead by opening their own files to the public. Kevin Sali, a defense attorney who is on Gov. Kate Brown’s work group investigating the Oregon State police forensic laboratory system, said problems go beyond a few analysts tampering with the evidence. Sali said the group needs to try to improve the process “at every level,” from eliminating influence and pressure on technicians to come up with results that please police and prosecutors, to making clear to juries when a finding is not purely scientific but is subject to an analyst’s interpretation.
Hummel said he expects his review to be completed in September.

The entire story can be found at:

http://www.heraldnet.com/news/oregon-da-is-gunning-for-justice-in-review-of-convictions/

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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:

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Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:

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