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Defense lawyer alleges “systemic failure” at Maine crime lab

Defense lawyer alleges “systemic failure” at Maine crime lab

Photo: 560 WGAN Newsradio


AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) A criminal defense lawyer claims that officials have withheld information that could reveal “systemic failures” at the state police forensic lab and has filed a lawsuit against Maine for the release of those documents.

The Bangor Daily News reports that Lyman-based lawyer Amy Fairfield said Tuesday in a filing that the public deserves transparency in how the criminal justice system operates.

Fairfield submitted a Maine Freedom of Access Act request last year for information about the resignation of a crime lab employee in 2012 after he allegedly lied to superiors.

Prosecutors have disclosed to several defendants that evidence the employee was involved with may have credibility issues.

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