Crime & Safety
'Out on Annie Dookhan': Somerville Police Seek to Monitor Former Inmates
Some Somerville residents have been released from prison due to the Annie Dookhan drug lab scandal, and Somerville police want to help them, according to the police chief.
According to Somerville Police Chief Thomas Pasquarello, 11 individuals have been repatriated in Somerville as a result of the Annie Dookhan scandal.
Dookhan, a former chemist at a drug lab, has been accused of malfeasance and using improper procedures when conducting tests on drugs seized as evidence in criminal cases. Her alleged mistakes with such crucial evidence put at least 34,000 criminal cases in jeopardy and led to the release of hundreds of inmates.
One Chelsea man who was arrested less than a month after being released allegedly said, "I just got out on Annie Dookhan and I ain’t going back to jail" as police escorted him out of a McDonalds.
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Pasquarello, speaking to the Somerville Board of Aldermen Tuesday, said Somerville police have formed a partnership with the Middlesex County District Attorney's office to monitor and potentially help the former inmates residing in Somerville.
"When these people are out on the streets, we want to have encounters with them … and offer services," Pasquarello said.
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He said police want to offer things like job-searching help, resume help and physical and mental health assistance.
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