[ad_1]
Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is charged with two counts of willful neglect of his duties stemming from the Flint water crisis, according to court documents online. The crisis, which began in 2014, left Flint town’s drinking water contaminated with lead and some blamed it for a legionella outbreak in 2016 that killed at least 12 people.
Neglect of duty is an offense punishable by one year in prison or a fine of $ 1,000.
Brian Lennon, an attorney representing Snyder, told CBS News: “We believe there is no evidence to support criminal charges against Governor Snyder.”
“We’ve asked the Michigan attorney general’s office for a copy or at least confirmation of the charges before tomorrow’s arraignment, and they haven’t provided us yet either,” Lennon said. “It’s hard for us to comment on something that we haven’t seen yet.”
Howard Croft, former director of Flint’s public works department, also faces two counts of willful neglect of his duty, court documents show. Croft’s attorney confirmed the charges to CBS News on Wednesday night and said he would surrender at 8 a.m. on Thursday.
Jamie White, a lawyer representing Croft, told CBS News Tuesday they were told to expect charges, but they were not told what they would be.
White insisted that Croft had done nothing wrong, saying, “The idea that because he was the city’s construction manager, and therefore knew the water was contaminated and didn’t nothing done about it, is just not supported by the facts. “
Attorney General Dana Nessel, Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County District Attorney Kym Worthy are due to speak at a press conference Thursday morning to announce the results of the state’s criminal investigation into crisis.
Representatives for Rich Baird, a former aide to Snyder, also confirmed that they were told to expect charges.
A lawyer for former health director Nick Lyon has not confirmed whether Lyon should expect charges, but told CBS News that any charges against his client would be “an absolute travesty of justice.”
Lyon had previously been accused of Manslaughter in connection with the crisis resulting from an investigation that began while Snyder was still in office. The charges against Lyon and several other officials were suddenly fell in 2019 and a new investigation began under the leadership of Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
The crisis began in 2014, when the city of Flint changed its source of treated water from Detroit to Flint River in an attempt to save money. The city did not treat the water properly, which resulted in the leaching of excessive amounts of lead from the old pipes into the water and pumping directly into Flint’s homes.
Authorities have found 90 cases of legionellosis in Genesee County, where Flint is located, according to the Associated Press, including 12 deaths. Some experts have determined that the water treatment system lacks chlorine to control Legionella.
However, Lyon’s legal representatives dispute the cause of the epidemic. They noted a 2019 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions which found evidence that the same strain of Legionella bacteria had been infecting people at a local hospital since 2008, long before the city changed its water source.
According to the Mayor of Flint, Sheldon Neeley, the replacement of the domestic water pipes is “nearing completion”. Of the 26,750 lines that have been excavated, less than 500 remain to be verified, Neeley said in a statement.
Adam Brewster, Sarah Barth, Adriana Diaz, Zoe Christen Jones, Jordan Freiman and The Associated Press contributed reporting.
[ad_2]
Source link