WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - The fate of thousands of drug prosecutions could hinge on an upcoming hearing related to Delaware's troubled and now closed Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The Wilmington News Journal reports that the Delaware Public Defender's Office will argue Tuesday that any evidence that passed through the state's drug-testing lab should be thrown out.
Prosecutors and police have found more than 50 incidents of evidence tampering or theft at the office between 2010 and February 2014. Prosecutors say only those cases should be considered tainted.
Superior Court Judge William Carpenter has said the outcome of this week's hearing "may have an effect on hundreds if not thousands of cases." His ruling is expected to apply to all other claims related to the missing drug evidence scandal.
