FLINT, Mich. (AP) – Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and other former officials have reported being charged after a new investigation into the Flint water scandal, which devastated the most of the black city with lead. the water was contaminated and was blamed for a deadly outbreak of the legionnaires ’disease, The Associated Press reported.
Two people with knowledge of the planned prosecution told the AP on Tuesday that the attorney general’s office has informed defense attorneys about the charges in Flint and told them to wait for the initial court appearances soon. They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak publicly.
The AP was unable to determine the nature of the charges against Snyder, former health department director Nick Lyon and others in his administration, including Rich Baird, a friend who was the governor’s main troubleshooting instrument while he was in charge.
Courtney Covington Watkins, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office, only said the investigators “worked diligently” and “will share more as soon as we are in a position to do so.”
Snyder, a Republican who has been out of office for two years, was governor when state-appointed managers in Flint switched city water to the Flint River in 2014 as a cost-saving move while a pipe was built on Lake Huron. However, the water was not treated to reduce corrosion, a disastrous decision claimed by state regulators that led to leaching of old pipes and damaging the distribution system used by nearly 100,000 residents.
Snyder’s lawyer, Brian Lennon, issued a dazzling statement on Tuesday stating that criminal prosecution would be “outrageous.” He said state prosecutors have refused to “share information about these charges with us.”
“Instead of following the evidence to find the truth, the Office of the Special Council seems to be addressing former Governor Snyder on a political getaway,” Lennon said.
Snyder apologized for the catastrophe during the 2016 statewide speech and said government at all levels had failed Flint.
LeeAnne Walters, a mother of four who is credited with exposing lead pollution, said she wants to get details about the charges.
“The fact that people are being held accountable is an incredible feat,” Walters said. “But when people’s lives have been lost and children have been seriously injured, it doesn’t seem enough.”
The disaster made Flint a nationwide symbol of government mismanagement, with residents putting themselves in bottled water and parents fearing their children had suffered permanent damage. Lead can damage the brain and nervous system and cause learning and behavior problems. The crisis stood out as an example of environmental injustice and racism.
At the same time, the bacteria in the water were blamed for an outbreak of legionaries. Legionella bacteria can arise through nebulization and cooling systems, causing a severe form of pneumonia, especially in people with weakened immune systems. Authorities counted at least 90 cases in Genesee County, including 12 deaths.
Snyder and Lyon announced the outbreak in January 2016, although Lyon admitted it knew cases were being reported many months earlier.
In 2018, Lyon was ordered to stand trial on charges of manslaughter after a special prosecutor accused him of failing to inform the public in a timely manner about the outbreak. His lawyers argued that there was not enough solid information to share before.
In June 2019, all of Flint’s water research was turned upside down afterwards over three years and millions of dollars. Prosecutors working under the direction of a new attorney general, Dana Nessel, dismissed the case against Lyon and charged seven more people and said the investigation would begin again.
The decision did not affect seven people who had no longer defended any foul for fouls. They cooperated with the investigators and their records were eventually cleaned up.
Lyon’s lawyer said he was denied when he asked prosecutors for a copy of the new charges. The new case “would be a hoax,” Chip Chamberlain said.
The witness at the court hearings had raised questions about when Snyder knew of the Legionnaires’ outbreak. His urban affairs adviser, Harvey Hollins, told a judge the governor was briefed on Christmas Eve 2015. But Snyder had told reporters three weeks later, in January 2016, that he had just found out. -se’n.
Defense attorney Randy Levine said he was informed Monday that Baird, a Flint native, would face charges. Another lawyer, Jamie White, said Flint’s former public works chief, Howard Croft, is being charged.
“When the Flint water crisis came, Governor Snyder did not assign him to go to Flint, but he raised his hand and volunteered,” Levine said of Baird.
One resident, Edna Sabucco, 61, said she still uses water filters, although the main service line at her home has been replaced for more than 40 years, along with more than 9,700 in Flint.
“He swept things under the rug, in my opinion, and for me that makes him as guilty as everyone else because he should have come out singing like a canary,” Sabucco said of Snyder.
Separately, the state, Flint, a hospital and an engineering company have agreed a $ 641 million deal with residents for the water crisis, with $ 600 million coming from Michigan. A judge studies whether to grant preliminary approval.
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White reported from Detroit. Eggert reported from Lansing. John Flesher in Traverse City contributed to this story.
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