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State crime lab analyst faces additional charges

PENSACOLA, Fla. — A former state crime lab analyst accused of stealing narcotics from evidence bags and replacing them with over-the-counter medicine has been rearrested on additional charges.
 
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement reports that Joseph Graves was arrested in Panama City Wednesday and charged with an additional 41 counts of trafficking in illegal drugs. The former FDLE Pensacola chemist had been free on $290,000 bond, but his new bond is set at $1.025 million.
 
Graves was originally arrested in February on charges of grand theft, 12 counts of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and nine counts of trafficking in illegal drugs.
 
The Escambia County Sheriff's Office, the State Attorney's Office and the FDLE began investigating missing drugs in January. Investigators determined that each case with missing drugs had been analyzed by Graves, who was relieved of duty on Jan. 31.

Graves worked on nearly 2,600 cases in 35 Florida counties.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.