Nebraska Statutes 29-4125. Biological material; secured; when
(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law and subject to subsection (2) or (4) of this section, state agencies and political subdivisions shall preserve any biological material secured in connection with a criminal case for such period of time as any person remains incarcerated in connection with that case.
Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes 29-4125
- Action: shall include any proceeding in any court of this state. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- Attorney: shall mean attorney at law. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
- Person: shall include bodies politic and corporate, societies, communities, the public generally, individuals, partnerships, limited liability companies, joint-stock companies, and associations. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
- State: when applied to different states of the United States shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories organized by Congress. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
(2) State agencies or political subdivisions that have secured biological material for use in criminal cases may dispose of biological material before expiration of the period of time specified in subsection (1) of this section if:
(a) The state agency or political subdivision which secured the biological material for use in a criminal case notifies any person who remains incarcerated in connection with the case, such person’s counsel of record, or if there is no counsel of record, the public defender, if applicable, in the county in which the judgment of conviction of such person was entered. The notice shall include:
(i) The intention of the state agency or political subdivision to dispose of the material after ninety days after receipt of the notice; and
(ii) The provisions of the DNA Testing Act;
(b) The person, such person’s counsel of record, or the public defender does not file a motion under section 29-4120 within ninety days after receipt of notice under this section; and
(c) No other provision of law or court order requires that such biological material be preserved.
(3) The person, such person’s counsel of record, or the public defender who receives notice under subdivision (2)(a) of this section, may, in lieu of a motion under section 29-4120, request in writing to take possession of the biological material for the purpose of having the material available for any future discovery of scientific or forensic techniques. Copies of any such written request shall be provided to both the court and to the county attorney. The costs of acquisition, preservation, and storage of any such material shall be at the expense of the person.
(4) The Department of Health and Human Services shall preserve biological material obtained for the purpose of determining the concentration of alcohol in a person’s blood for two years unless a request is made for the retention of such material beyond such period in connection with a pending legal action.