Ex-Chemist Pleads Not Guilty to 6 More Charges

The ex-chemist whose malfeasance tainted thousands of state drug cases was in court facing six more charges this week.

Annie Dookhan pleaded not guilty to five counts of obstruction of justice in Brockton Superior Court and to one count in Fall River Superior Court on Wednesday, Jan. 30 according to WHDH.com.

Dookhan pleaded not guilty to 15 charges in Suffolk Superior Court on Dec. 20. The charges included four counts of obstruction of justice, eight counts of tampering with evidence and one count of falsely pretending to hold a degree from a college or university. 

She pleaded not guilty to charges in Norfolk Superior Court earlier this month as well.

Dookhan is the centerpiece in a state drug lab crisis that has affected the outcome of thousands of cases. More than 200 defendants have been released since Dookhan admitted to falsifying drug test results while working at the Hinton Drug Lab in Jamaica Plain. Some of those released have been arrested on new drug charges.

Questions about the culture at the lab, and Dookhan’s relationship with prosecutors, began to arise at hearings toward the end of the last year.

Surren Dookhan, Annie Dookhan’s husband, allegedly sent a text message to George Papachristos, former Norfolk Count assistant district attorney and a noted friend of Annie Dookhan, calling her a liar, The Boston Globe reported on Jan. 9.

For more information on the Jamaica Plain Drug Lab Crisis, check out Jamaica Plain Patch's topic page.