"Do the right thing." That has been the first order of our State Attorney's Office for the past 5 years.
Walter Smith's (FDLE lab fallout continues) suggestion that we would do otherwise demands response — a strong response.
Jeremiah Beazley was convicted for possessing hundreds of pills — Oxycodone and Hydromorphone. It was Mr. Smith's job to test the State's case — to test the State's evidence. Prior to trial, he did not request an independent lab test. Obviously, Mr. Smith and his client knew the pills were not aspirin.
Now let's get to the heart of the issue: the lab analyst is accused of taking pills out of evidence. He is not accused of putting prescription pills into evidence. These pills sell for $20 each on the street. The pills in the Beazley case are worth thousands of dollars. That, unfortunately, is an incentive for theft.
As State Attorney, I am charged to protect the innocent as well as to prosecute the guilty. I would have it no other way. This office is reviewing all of the affected cases now not later. If someone has been wrongfully convicted we will swiftly inform the Court. But in those cases where the totality of the evidence shows guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, we will do all that we properly can to see that convicted drug dealers do not return to prey on our community.
Glenn Hess
State Attorney
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