Setup begins at Crime Lab in Northwest Arkansas

Evidence testing not likely until fall, state director says

Kermit Channell, director of the state Crime Laboratory, says a Northwest Arkansas branch should be able to do drug analysis by September, to be followed by toxicology testing.
Kermit Channell, director of the state Crime Laboratory, says a Northwest Arkansas branch should be able to do drug analysis by September, to be followed by toxicology testing.

BENTONVILLE -- Employees are ready to set up equipment at the state Crime Laboratory site in Lowell, but actual testing of evidence isn't expected to begin until September, according to Kermit Channell, the laboratory's director.

Channell, who also will be in charge of the Northwest Arkansas lab location, said he plans to have employees start preparing equipment this week to ready the satellite laboratory for operation.

The 10,000-square-foot building, which is west of Interstate 49 along Arkansas 264, will have areas for drug analysis and toxicology testing that involves blood-alcohol content or samples submitted by coroners.

Lab workers must conduct internal tests and validations to ensure that the equipment works correctly before the lab can open, Channell said.

He expects drug analysis at the Lowell site to begin by September and toxicology testing to start a little later.

Channell believes the new $2.6 million laboratory will make analysis efficient for the entire state. That site can handle the northwest region, and the state Crime Lab in Little Rock can concentrate on the rest of the state, he said.

"I'm no longer going to have chemists in a car for a three-hour trip there and back in order to testify in court," Channell said. "That's a full day that they lose."

Scientists can continue to work in the lab and be notified when they are needed in court, instead of losing lab time sitting and waiting for hours to testify, Channell said.

The Lowell lab will have a supervisor, along with six forensic scientists and two evidence technicians, Channell said.

Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith said the lab will be invaluable to regional police officers who now must spend time carrying evidence to Little Rock.

"Law enforcement has needed this lab for a long time, and I am grateful to the governor for dedicating the resources to make this a reality," Smith said.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced last year that the lab would be built in Northwest Arkansas. He released $2.7 million in reserve money to pay for laboratory setup costs and to begin hiring a staff. The state Crime Laboratory received a $900,000 federal grant.

Washington County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Durrett said the Lowell lab will have a positive impact for the courts and law enforcement agencies.

"I'm hoping it will cut our waiting time in half," he said. "Not only will we get samples back sooner, which will help speed up our docket, but it should also greatly help law enforcement."

Some officers from each agency spend a day taking evidence to Little Rock for testing, Durrett said. With the new lab that time could be cut to as little as an hour, he said.

Jay Saxton, Benton County's chief public defender, said he's been told the waiting time for getting results may decrease to a month.

He said defendants now wait six to seven months for results of drug testing. Some of them have to wait in jail.

Defendants sometimes plead guilty to charges instead of waiting for the drug testing results, he said. Pleas in those circumstances happen only when they will be released from custody after the plea, Saxton said.

"We advise them of their rights and discuss whether they want to wait or proceed with the plea," he said.

Capt. Josh McConnell with the Washington County sheriff's office said some cases could be resolved sooner, but he doesn't think the Lowell lab will have a big impact on reducing crowding at the Washington County jail.

"I would think it will help some, but I don't know if it will reduce 50 to 60 people from sleeping on the floor," he said.

Sgt. Shannon Jenkins, spokesman for the Benton County sheriff's office, said deputies receive evidence daily that needs to go to the Crime Lab. Jenkins said the office's evidence technician travels at least once a month to Little Rock and usually takes 75 to 200 items.

Having a lab in Lowell "will mean we can take things there more frequently, which will result in quicker turnaround on cases and prosecution," she said.

Channell said DNA testing and autopsies will continue to be done in Little Rock.

He said the new lab also has room to expand.

The new Crime Lab will be adjacent to the Arkansas State Police's new headquarters in Lowell. Bill Sadler, a spokesman for the state police, said the agency won't offer services at the Lowell headquarters until early to mid-September.

State Desk on 07/05/2019

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