STORY: "Hundreds of Cases Under Review After Potential Contamination at RI Forensics Lab, by Reporter Thea DiGiammerino, published by NECN, on March 17, 2023.
SUB-HEADINNG: "The situation involves potential false positive tests for cocaine at the Rhode Island Department of Health Forensic Chemistry Lab, according to the state's Attorney General's Office."
GIST: "Authorities are reviewing hundreds of test results at the Rhode Island Department of Health lab over concerns they could have been contaminated, the state's Attorney General's Office said Friday.
The AG said they first learned of the potential contamination at the Forensic Chemistry Lab on Tuesday and said it could mean false positive tests for cocaine.
Right now it appears to involve tests done by just one particular scientist, officials said. The lab is reviewing any criminal cases that could be affected. So far, 52 cases have been flagged as being impacted, and another 263 are being reviewed.
Defense attorneys and police will be notified if their case is impacted, and samples will be retested. The courts have been made aware of the issues.
The AG's office noted that the notification process is time-consuming because while the lab has notified them of the impacted cases, they do not have corresponding court case numbers for them.
"We have been working to identify all pending and disposed cases as well as cases where the defendant may be held or serving a sentence at the ACI. At this juncture, it does not appear that any defendant is held solely based on charges involving cocaine," a media statement reads.
The review process is ongoing. Anyone with questions can contact the Rhode Island Department of Health."
The entire story can be read at:https://www.necn.com/news/local/hundreds-of-cases-under-review-after-potential-contamination-at-ri-forensics-lab/2947766/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. 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/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:
David Hammond, one of Broadwater’s attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, “Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it’s the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.”
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