PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The incident involving mishandled DNA first became public in late 2023, after the CBI issued a press release stating that Woods was facing a criminal investigation following anomalies in her work. Woods spent 29 years with the agency. She was first arrested and charged in January 2025. Since her arrest, one conviction out of Boulder was vacated: Michael Clark was released from custody in April after he was convicted of a 1994 murder in 2012, where evidence from Woods was presented in the trial."
STORY: "Arraignment delayed again for former CBI scientist accused of mishandling DNA evidence," by Robert Garrison, Natalie Chuck and Joe Vaccarelli, published by Denver 7 News, on December 30, 2025.
SUB-HEADING: "Woods will now be arraigned on Feb. 11 in Jefferson County court."
SUB-HEADING: "The case against former Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic scientist Yvonne “Missy” Woods – who is facing more than 100 felony charges related to the alleged mishandling of DNA evidence throughout much of her career – saw yet another delay on Tuesday."
GIST: The case against former Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic scientist Yvonne “Missy” Woods – who is facing more than 100 felony charges related to the alleged mishandling of DNA evidence throughout much of her career – saw yet another delay on Tuesday.
Woods’ arraignment was continued for the second time, after her defense attorney asked for more time, saying that “important discussions were needed” with the district attorney’s office. The hope was to have those discussions in January.
Woods, 65, who is out on bond, is facing 52 counts of forgery, 48 counts of attempting to influence a public servant, and one count each of perjury and cybercrime, for alleged misconduct that impacted more than 1,000 cases between 2008 and 2023.
Prosecutor Darren Kafka did not object to more time and said it made sense to resolve any discussions before scheduling what he anticipates to be a five-to-eight-week trial.
Judge Andrew Poland agreed to continue the hearing and set a final arraignment for Feb. 11.
Woods' first arraignment in August was continued, and a subsequent hearing in late October was vacated and rescheduled.
The incident involving mishandled DNA first became public in late 2023, after the CBI issued a press release stating that Woods was facing a criminal investigation following anomalies in her work. Woods spent 29 years with the agency. She was first arrested and charged in January 2025.
Since her arrest, one conviction out of Boulder was vacated: Michael Clark was released from custody in April after he was convicted of a 1994 murder in 2012, where evidence from Woods was presented in the trial.
Potential lawsuits are also being discussed.
A Colorado law firm filed notice in June that it intends to sue CBI over a conviction in another case in which Woods handled evidence.
A third-party review paid for by CBI painted a harsh picture of leadership in the forensics office, stating that the agency failed to address staffing concerns and was “ill-equipped to handle crises and critical incidents.""
The entire story can be read at:
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;
------------------------------
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;
---------------------------------------------------------------
