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NY court says prosecutor can keep steroid case

Albany County District Attorney David Soares
WAMC Photo by Dave Lucas
Albany County District Attorney David Soares

An upstate New York prosecutor who targeted a Florida pharmacy while investigating online sales of steroids and other drugs can keep the case. WAMC's Dave Lucas reports.

The New York Court of Appeals says a state judge exceeded his authority when he dismissed Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares' fifth indictment of Signature Pharmacy of Orlando and barred his office from continuing.

Albany County Judge Stephen Herrick cited "demonstrable potential for prejudice" since Soares' was being sued by Signature in a federal court in Florida. He appointed a special prosecutor instead.

New York's top court says Tuesday there are only narrow circumstances where an elected DA can be replaced, generally requiring a showing of "actual prejudice."

The court notes the pharmacy's federal constitutional claims have been dismissed.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

 

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.