STATESVILLE (AP) — The Chairman of the Iredell County Board of Commissioners has told the county’s criminal forensics lab it will be closed if it keeps losing so much money.
The Statesville Record & Landmark reports that commissioners estimate the lab has lost nearly $1 million since it was created in 2009.
The Sheriff’s Office hopes to get grants and charge other jurisdictions for blood-alcohol tests to make up for the shortfall.
Sheriff’s Maj. Darren Campbell says the lab is also worth the price because it can get results to investigators in weeks, where sending evidence to the state crime lab can take more than a year. He says getting results that quickly can get suspects off the street before they commit more crimes.