Braintree Police Evidence Scandal Leads to First Dropped Cases

BRAINTREE, MA — The Braintree Police Department evidence scandal has led to charges against three people bring dismissed in Norfolk Superior Court.

The cases, which were dismissed Monday at the request of the Norfolk County District Attorney's office, were all drug related according to WCVB.

In the first case, Roberto Castillo and Eileen Santos were accused of dealing heroin, morphine, and cocaine. They were arrested at a motel last year but their cases were dismissed due to "an inconsistency in regard to a portion of the evidence,” Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Deb Curley said in court.

Also dismissed was a drug charge against Cambridge man Jorge Grandon. He was charged with trafficking cocaine. Prosecutor Michael Pirrello said the state was unable to establish a chain of custody.

Hundreds of more cases are expected to be dismissed as a result of the mishandling of evidence by the Braintree Police Department. In August, it was reported that an outside investigator was being brought in to audit the police department's evidence room. The audit was focused on cases from the past three years and has reportedly found that in addition to missing weapons, over $70,000 in cash and 1,000 pieces of drug evidence were missing.

Two of the unaccounted for weapons were located at the home of Officer Susan Zopatti, who was in charge of the room until her death in May.

One of the guns belongs to Michael Flemmi, a former Boston police officer who served time in prison for hiding guns for his brother, mobster Stephen Flemmi, and mob boss Whitey Bulger.

Heat-sealed evidence bags were broken into, some narcotics evidence was replaced with other drugs. and rape kits were being stored in an outside trailer, according to a WCVB report at the time.