Case Against Lakeville Teen To Be Dismissed Due to Scandal Rocking St. Paul Police Lab

On Friday, the Dakota County Attorney's Office announced that it will dismiss several drug cases, including one against Lakeville resident Cecelia Rose Jackson, 19, who was allegedly found with hypodermic needles in her driver's side door and a baggie of white, powdery residue during a routine traffic stop in June 2011.

Proving precisely what the substance in the bag was has become a challenge after concerns were raised about the St. Paul Police Crime Lab, which is under fire after an inquiry initiated by attorneys Laurie Traub of the Dakota County Public Defenders Office and Christine Funk of the state Public Defenders Office revealed that the crime lab's procedures were often sloppy and not scientifically reliable.

Officials have suspended drug testing at the lab and prosecutors have asked the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to retest evidence in drug cases. However, defense attorneys have argued that evidence could have been contaminated while it was stored at the St. Paul lab, and thus cannot be reliably tested, MPR reported. 

In light of reent developments, the Dakota County Attorney's Office will dismiss four cases involving defendants Haley Aymar, Patrick Behan, and one of two cases against Jackson. During a court hearing on Friday, Dakota County's chief deputy prosecutor, Phillip Prokopowicz, said the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found "insufficient sample for retesting."