Florida Prosecutor Sherri Collins Obstructs Justice?
Judge Colbath Complicit
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Read all about the John Goodman case here.

By Joseph Snook
Investigative Reporter

West Palm Beach, Florida - In an 11th hour attempt to sway Judge Colbath's decision to allow John Goodman's blood evidence at his next trial, Prosecutor Sherri Collins has pulled yet another unbelievable magic trick. Could it backfire?

Former Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Senior Crime Laboratory Analyst in the Alcohol Testing Program and also the Alcohol Testing Program Manager Laura Barfield testified on Monday that before she left her position, she was in the middle of changing Florida rules on blood draws. The significance of her testimony was directly related to John Goodman's case. She stated under oath that Florida is behind times with regards to law enforcement blood draw procedures. Many other states require that law enforcement does not deviate from their blood draw kits, which happened in John Goodman's case when nurse Cecilia Betts used an alternative needle, not part of the kit. The size of the needle used by Betts "causes hemolysis (damaged red blood cells)," according to many professional reports, which presented another significant problem, also confirmed by Barfield.

The theory is that smaller needles damage red blood cells during the blood draw process, which produces an inaccurate representation of the blood being drawn. Basically, damaged red blood cells compromise the accuracy of the test, likely increasing the blood alcohol levels according to Barfield.

Smaller butterfly needle vs standard 21 guage needle effects dui blood analysis

Keep in mind that Laura Barfield is the former head of FDLE's Alcohol Testing Program. She is a former government employee who has now testified before Judge Colbath regarding the blood draw problems with the state's case against Goodman, on the record. Judge Colbath ruled against the recent defense motions regarding the blood evidence on Oct. 3, basically saying that what Barfield had to say will not be allowed to be presented to the jury during Goodman's upcoming trial. Judge Colbath's order of denial stated, "Barfield's conclusion about the effect of hemolysis in this case is not the product of reliable principles and methods."

Nurse Betts will allegedly be allowed to testify that she used a 23, not a 25 guage needle, despite what was annotated on records, and previously testified to during the first trial. The reality of this is that the 23 guage needle is larger than the 25 guage, which could be preceived as an appropriate needle size that would not damage the red blood cells and... wala, Sherri Collins saves the day by getting Betts to change her testimony about needle size (doesn't matter if a 21 guage is the "standard size”). Colbath also disallowed more time for the defense to ask experts if in fact the 23 guage needle would remedy the damaged blood theory, which caused concern since jury selection started this Monday, Oct. 6. In essence, Florida is trailing many other states in being transparent in the field of blood draws. The rules regarding blood draws are vague and ambiguous, only requiring use of a "standard needle," which at this point in time can come from another source other than the law enforcement kit.

How convenient that Sherri Collins goes out of her way to get nurse Betts to retract something that she already testified under oath about, and annotated on a medical document nearly four years ago. So, is it safe to presume that the nurse originally lied under oath, and on her medical records, or is she lying now, at the direction of Assistant State Attorney Sherri Collins? Simple mistakes should not be allowed in this line of work, especially when they can result in a 30 year prison sentence.

How significant is all of this? That depends on who you ask. There is still the issue with Goodman consuming alcohol post crash. The evidence showing he drank post crash is much stronger than the first trial, which can be viewed here.

One fact remains - Goodman will never receive a fair trial at this point, especially with Colbath presiding. Goodman was convicted long ago by the mainstream media, and the state has disposed of his car, arguably the most important piece of evidence. I find it confusing how many people today agree that government is corrupt and the mainstream media are mostly repeaters, not reporters, yet people buy the government issued, one-sided mainstream details regarding criminal cases; especially when the repeat (report) involves a tragic death, and an allegedly intoxicated "billionaire." Sadly, this is the world we live in today. Many people only oppose that which does not reflect their individual bias.

Read all about the John Goodman case here.

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