By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
Prosecutors may have a tougher time proving their case against a New Jersey police officer accused of setting a captain’s front porch ablaze because the FBI lab lost a critical hair sample collected at the scene, NJ.com reports.
Edison Police Officer Michael Dotro was charged with aggravated arson and five counts of attempted murder for allegedly setting the fire at the home of Capt. Mark Anderko.
“Taken together, the lost hair and the sample that excluded Dotro could make it more difficult for the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office to prove the officer started the fire,” NJ.com wrote.
Prosecutors have said Dotro, a 14-year veteran with a long disciplinary history, lied about his whereabouts during the fire.
“We don’t think there’s sufficient evidence to tie Mr. Dotro to the arson, and it is our belief that because of the lack of evidence, they’ve brought additional indictments which would not normally be prosecuted but for the fact it is the Edison Police Department and Mr. Dotro,” Dotro’s lawyer, Robert Norton, said.
Prosecutors declined to comment.
