Mass. Governor Sees "Lack of Oversight" at Closed State Crime Lab

Gov. Deval Patrick said Monday there would be criminal and civil consequences for what he called an apparent "breakdown in oversight" at a now-closed state police crime lab.

The governor ordered the Hinton State Laboratory Institute in Boston shut down last month after authorities discovered that a chemist had not followed proper protocols in the testing of drug samples, a finding that could result in legal challenges from people convicted of or awaiting trial on drug charges.

The chemist resigned in March during an internal investigation and two supervisors have been suspended. The state attorney general has launched a criminal investigation and Patrick said Monday that an internal review is also ongoing.

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