Breath Test Results in Massachusetts may be in jeopardy as report of faulty breath test machine in Essex County

According to a news report in MyFoxBoston, Prosecutions in Essex County have stopped using breath test results as a problem has arisen with the calibration of the machine. This report was confirmed by several other media outlets. According to one report, the problem arose in a case out of the Lawrence District Court where a defendant accepted a plea but the machine read outside of the accepted range but produced a result anyway.

While I have not learned of the exact error at this point, I did experience a similar problem with a case out of the Attleboro District Court. In that case, the breath test machine appeared to produce a result, but when the machine self calibrated itself on a solution that was suppose to be .08, it read .071. When testing the calibration solution of .08, the machine is suppose to be within a range of .076 to .084. In this case, the machine was outside the range, but it produced a test result as if it was working properly. When the error was brought to the attention of the district attorney, the results were excluded from evidence.

There could be other ways that the machine provides a faulty calibration. Until further information about the problem is disclosed, it would be advisable as a Massachusetts OUI Lawyer to delay resolving any breath test case until the Commonwealth completes its investigation.