Wilmington to continue joint operation with NHCO of forensic lab

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY-TV) – The city of Wilmington has approved an agreement with New Hanover County to continue joint operation of a forensic lab.

The agreement was unanimously approved by city council. The lab, located on Bess Street, handles blood alcohol analysis, seized drugs and more.

According to the agreement, the city will pay 40% of the lab’s operational costs and the county be responsible for 60%.

Former District Attorney, Ben David said he was a major advocate for getting a local lab established.

“Time is of the essence when you are analyzing cases from an investigative standpoint but also when you have those results, if the lab is in Raleigh and you need that agent to testify, that’s a four hour round trip just to get to right here,” David said.

David said the lab is not only important for the investigation of cases, but also the prosecution of those cases.