FDLE Arrests Local Crime Lab Chemist

Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents arrested former Pensacola crime-lab chemist Joseph Graves Tuesday evening, three days after announcing he might have compromised hundreds of state drug cases, the agency said.

Graves was arrested at the Escambia County Jail, and he was released a short time later on a $290,000 bond. Graves is charged with grand theft, 12 counts of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and nine counts of trafficking in illegal drugs. Additional charges are possible.

Investigators believe that Graves, while processing drug cases, replaced prescription pain pills with over-the-counter medications.

“The actions of Joseph Graves are disgraceful,” FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey said in a statement. “FDLE is working with state attorneys’ offices statewide to ensure he is held accountable for his actions.”

FDLE began the investigation last month, collaborating with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and State Attorney Bill Eddins, after prescription pain pills from the evidence room at the sheriff’s office went missing. Investigators determined that each case involving missing drugs had been analyzed by Graves, who was relieved of duty Friday. He had been a crime lab analyst in Pensacola since December 2005, and was promoted to supervisor in July 2009.

FDLE teams are inspecting evidence from all cases handled by Graves to determine which of the cases could be compromised. He handled nearly 2,600 cases for 80 law enforcement agencies spanning 35 counties and 12 judicial circuits. Eddins will prosecute the case; the investigation is ongoing.