MISSOULA — Prosecutors in Montana have asked for the arrest of a former state crime lab analyst who stole methamphetamine from the facility’s evidence supply, saying he tested positive for the drug while he was out on pre-trial release.
The Missoulian reports Derek Thrush tested positive for meth through a drug-monitoring patch last month, but his attorney says the results indicated an exceptionally low level of the drug, which could indicate a “false positive.”
Defense attorney Matthew Stevenson says the patch could have picked up the drug’s presence on some of Thrush’s clothes that haven’t been washed since he stopped using.
Judge Karen Townsend didn’t order Thrush back into custody Tuesday but instead told him to take a urine test.
Thrush has pleaded guilty to several drug possession charges.