Melting evidence endangers case

SALEM, Mass., Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A lawyer for two Massachusetts men accused of stealing the head from an ice sculpture said he wants the case dismissed after the evidence melted.

Attorney Marc Salinas said the case against William Hare, 47, and Rajendra Srivastava, 30, who were arrested on a larceny charge after allegedly taking the head from the dragon sculpture Feb. 12, should be dismissed after the head melted while in a Salem Police Department freezer, the Boston Herald reported Thursday.

Police said a faulty plug in their freezer led to the head, which had been court-ordered to be preserved until the trial, melting away into a puddle.

"The Salem Police Department is one of the best on the North Shore and I'm sure this wasn't done intentionally," Salinas said. "But it doesn't change the fact that my clients have a right to confront the evidence brought against them in court."