In the ongoing case of Deborah Madden, whose proclivity for going klepto on the cocaine samples that crossed her desk as an SFPD crime lab technician led to the dismissal of hundreds of the city's drug cases, the defendant finally pled guilty on one count of felony cocaine possession yesterday. After a year of delays by her attorney, and for all the teeth-gnashing she's caused down at the SFPD, she's getting off incredibly easy with only rehab and a mere $300 in court fees and fine.

As her attorney put it, "If she attends all the classes and keeps her nose clean, the case gets set aside." Right - Set aside like the slew of cases that were dismissed because of a drunk who liked to sober up with a little bit around the gums with her morning coffee. And while Madden has been waiting for her court date, the city is still blowing through roughly $1.8 million a year outsourcing crime lab duties, although we can't completely blame that on the SFPD's drug problem.

Previously: All Deborah Madden Coverage
[BCN/Appeal]