Legal News

Thousands of cases under review after lab tech admits lying

By Richard Binder

Lab technician Aaron Layton, according to district attorneys, worked on about 3,700 cases in Riverside County, as many as 4,800 in San Bernardino County and about 3,000 in San Diego County.  These cases have been called into question because Layton allegedly acknowledged a slew of shortcomings when he worked at Forensic Laboratories in Denver in the early 2000s. Consequently, defense attorneys want to review those cases.

Lawyers are looking at cases and convictions in which Layton tested samples for the Riverside-based forensic toxicology facility Bio-Tox Laboratories. He worked at the company for about a year and a half until he was fired in February. Bio-Tox business manager Tracy Stangarone declined to say why he was fired, citing ongoing investigations by district attorneys.

Attorneys at a February hearing in Riverside County said Layton admitted lying under oath about conducting lab work and forging signatures on documents while working at Forensic Laboratories, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported. Prosecutors had been checking into his background ahead of calling him as an expert witness in a case.

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Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on April 22, 2009 (boomark / email).