FLINT, Mich. (AP) – Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and other ex officials have been told they are being charged following a new investigation into the Flint water scandal, which destroyed the majority of the black city with lead. polluted water and blamed for a deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, The Associated Press has learned.
Two people with knowledge of the planned prosecution told the AP on Tuesday that the attorney general’s office has informed defense attorneys about charges in Flint and told them they can expect an initial trial soon. They spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak in public.
The AP could not determine the nature of the charges against Snyder, former health department director Nick Lyon, and others under his administration, including Rich Baird, a friend who was the governor’s main problem solver during his tenure.
Courtney Covington Watkins, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s office, said only that investigators “are working diligently” and “will share more once we are able to do so.”
Snyder, a Republican who has been absent for two years, was governor when state-appointed managers in Flint transferred the city’s water to the Flint River in 2014 as a cost-effective step while a pipeline was being built to Lake Huron. However, the water was not treated to reduce corrosion – a disastrous decision upheld by government agencies that led to the leaching of old pipes and spoiling the distribution system used by nearly 100,000 residents.
Snyder’s attorney, Brian Lennon, issued a blistering statement on Tuesday saying that a criminal charge would be “outrageous.” He said prosecutors have refused to “share information about these allegations with us.”
“Rather than follow the evidence to find the truth, the Office of Special Counsel appears to be attacking former Governor Snyder during a political escapade,” Lennon said.
Snyder apologized for the catastrophe during his 2016 State of the State speech, saying the government had failed Flint at all levels.
LeeAnne Walters, a mother of four who is credited with uncovering the lead contamination, said she wants details on the charges.
“The very fact that people are being held to account is an astonishing achievement,” said Walters. “But if lives have been lost and children have been seriously injured, that doesn’t seem like enough.”
The accident turned Flint into a nationwide symbol of government maladministration, with residents lining up for bottled water and parents worried their children had sustained permanent harm. Lead can damage the brain and nervous system and cause learning and behavioral problems. The crisis has been highlighted as an example of environmental injustice and racism.
At the same time, bacteria in the water were blamed for an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. Legionella bacteria can emerge through fogging and cooling systems and cause severe pneumonia, especially in people with weakened immune systems. Authorities counted at least 90 cases in Genesee County, including 12 deaths.
The outbreak was announced by Snyder and Lyon in January 2016, though Lyon admitted he knew cases were reported many months earlier.
In 2018, Lyon was ordered to stand trial on the charge of involuntary manslaughter after a special prosecutor accused him of failing to timely inform the public of the outbreak. His lawyers argued that there was not enough solid information to share earlier.
In June 2019, the entire Flint water research was turned upside down more than three years and millions of dollars. Prosecutors led by a new Attorney General, Dana Nessel, dismissed the case against Lyon and the charges against seven more people, saying the investigation would restart. They said all available evidence was not being pursued by the previous team of prosecutors.
The decision did not affect seven people who had already advocated no disputing crimes. They worked with investigators and their files were eventually scrubbed clean.
Lyon’s lawyer said he was dismissed when he asked prosecutors for a copy of new charges. The new case “would be a mockery of justice,” said Chip Chamberlain.
Testimony at hearings had raised questions about when Snyder was aware of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak. His city advisor, Harvey Hollins, told a judge that the governor had been briefed on Christmas Eve 2015. But Snyder had told reporters three weeks later, in January 2016, that he had just learned about it.
Lawyer Randy Levine said he was told Monday that Baird, a resident of Flint, would be charged. Another attorney, Jamie White, said Howard Croft, Flint’s former public works director, is being charged.
“When the Flint water crisis hit, he wasn’t assigned by Governor Snyder 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 lead service line at her home for over 40 years has been replaced along with more than 9,700 others in Flint.
“He was sweeping things under the rug, in my opinion, and that makes him just as guilty as anyone else because he should have come out singing like a canary,” Sabucco said of Snyder.
Separately, the state, Flint, a hospital and an engineering firm have agreed to a $ 641 million settlement with residents over the water crisis, $ 600 million of which is from Michigan. A judge is considering granting provisional approval.
___
White reported from Detroit. Eggert reported from Lansing. John Flesher in Traverse City contributed to this story.
___
Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez