Ex-Mass. chemist arraigned in drug lab case

WOBURN, Mass. (WHDH) -- Annie Dookhan faced two separate arraignments Wednesday.

Dookhan, a former chemist, is alleged to have tampered and mishandled evidence she tested in the Jamaica Plain drug lab.

Her first appearance was in Middlesex Superior Court and the second in Norfolk Superior Court. She pleaded not guilty to obstruction of justice charges.

The Boston Globe reports that Dookhan’s husband warned prosecutor George Papachristos that his wife was not truthful. The paper reports that in text messages in 2009 Dookhan’s husband told Papachristos his wife was “always lying” and craved “sympathy and attention.”

Papachristos had a friendly relationship with Dookhan. They spoke frequently. It is unclear if he took the warning signs seriously. Papachristos resigned under fire in October.

“I have exhausted myself with expressing my incredible frustration with that kind of behavior in an area of that criticality and then the notion that the immediate supervisors didn’t appreciate the impact of that behavior for the time they did,” said Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick.

Experts said Dookhan’s alleged crimes are far-reaching. Chelsea police said as they arrested Jonathan Vaughan at a McDonald’s Tuesday night he said “I just got out on Annie Dookhan and I ain’t going back to jail.” Police said they found eight bags of crack.

Dookhan was free on $10,000 cash bail.