Expired BAC solution at regional lab raises DWI case doubts
A Roseville-based defense attorney is challenging blood‑alcohol test results from the Midwest Regional Forensic Laboratory, which serves Anoka, Wright and Sherburne counties, after the lab admitted it used an expired testing solution on blood samples in July 2023. According to a letter cited by attorney Chuck Ramsay, the lab says nine cases were affected but insists the results remain reliable, a stance he attacks as 'trust me' science given the high stakes of DWI prosecutions. Ramsay argues the expired solution could be skewing BAC readings in ways that cost people their driver’s licenses and saddle them with criminal records, and says his client’s DWI trial has already been delayed while the issue is litigated. The lab, which previously acknowledged in 2010 that its urine alcohol tests were about one‑third too high, did not respond to FOX 9’s latest questions about the expired reagent or how it validated its continued use. For metro residents — especially those picked up in Anoka County — the fight goes to the heart of whether local crime labs are following rigorous, auditable science or cutting corners that could taint drunk‑driving enforcement.
📌 Key Facts
- Defense attorney Chuck Ramsay says the Midwest Regional Forensic Laboratory admitted using an expired blood‑alcohol testing solution in July 2023.
- A lab letter reportedly identifies nine affected cases but maintains the BAC results are still reliable despite the expired reagent.
- The same regional lab previously admitted in 2010 that its urine alcohol test results were about one‑third higher than they should have been.
- Ramsay’s client’s DWI trial has been delayed while courts sort out whether the BAC evidence can be trusted.
📊 Relevant Data
In Minnesota, from 2002 to 2023, White individuals comprised 62.6% of felony DWI prison admissions, Black individuals 17.5%, American Indian individuals 13.5%, Hispanic individuals 5.2%, and Asian individuals 1.1%.
Minnesota Felony Driving While Impaired Report 2023 — Minnesota Department of Corrections
In 2023, Minnesota's population was approximately 76.3% non-Hispanic White, 7.1% Black, 1.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.4% Hispanic, and 5.1% Asian.
Population of Minnesota 2023, by race and ethnicity — Statista
American Indian/Alaska Native adults in Minnesota have an excessive drinking rate of 23.0%, compared to 19.1% for White adults and 11.5% for Black adults.
Explore Excessive Drinking in Minnesota — America's Health Rankings
In 2010, the Minnesota crime lab admitted that urine alcohol test results were about one-third higher than they should have been in 111 DWI cases.
Minnesota "Scientists" Blow it on 111 Urine Tests — Kansas DUI Blog
A study found no significant differences in blood alcohol concentrations obtained from expired venipuncture tubes (mean 0.074 g/100mL) compared to unexpired tubes (mean 0.074 g/100mL).
Does an Expired Blood Tube Affect the Alcohol Test Result? — LinkedIn
📰 Source Timeline (1)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time