From
The Montana Standard:
The forensic analysis of state Sen. Greg Barkus' blood samples was completed Wednesday by an out-of-state lab and should arrive in Flathead County by the end of this week, said Judy Beck, a spokeswoman for the state attorney general's office.
The sample was submitted to a private lab in Willow Grove, Pa., to avoid any appearance of conflict within the State Crime Lab in Missoula, which is run by state Rep. Dave McAlpin, D-Missoula, who served with Barkus in the Legislature.
The lab,
National Medical Services, sent the findings back to Missoula for an administrative review, Beck said, and the results were then postmarked in certified mail and sent to the Flathead County sheriff and county attorney.
Authorities are investigating whether or not Barkus had been drinking the night of Aug. 27, when he crashed his speedboat into the rocky shore along Flathead Lake.
The accident seriously injured all five on board, including U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg and two of his top staff members.
Barkus and his wife, Kathy, were also injured.