A Massachusetts prosecutor has resigned in the wake of a scandal that threatens to unravel thousands of drug cases in the state, Ally Donnelly of NECN reports.
Chemist Annie Dookhan, 34, was arrested last month after she admitted to tampering with evidence over two or three years, the AP reported at the time.
George Papachristos, 37, prosecuted numerous drug cases in which Dookhan provided the drug analysis, according to the Boston Globe.
The Globe, citing an unnamed person familiar with the investigation, reports that Papachristos and Dookhan frequently exchanged emails and that some touched on personal subjects like Dookhan’s troubled marriage.
District Attorney Michael Morrissey released the following statement:
“After discussions with his supervisors, Assistant District Attorney George Papachristos has offered his resignation ... George Papachristos communicated that he does not wish to be a further distraction from the central issue of the criminal conduct that has been alleged and the complete breakdown of supervision that allowed it to continue.”
Dookhan handled more than 60,000 drug samples submitted in the cases of about 34,000 defendants over nine years, according to the AP.
The office of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick identified 1,141 inmates in Massachusetts jails and prisons convicted based on evidence handled by Dookhan, the Globe has previously reported.
The Globe notes that some drug convicts have already been released from custody because of questions about the handling of evidence in their cases. The ACLU is asking that all cases be thrown out where DAs or police officers communicated directly with the chemist, according to NECN.
Here's the NECN report:
SEE ALSO: Rogue Chemist Arrested After Admitting She Faked Drug Tests >
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