Former Michigan governor Rick Snyder is being charged with two counts of intentional neglect of duty stemming from the Flint water crisis, according to online court documents. The crisis, which began in 2014, left drinking water in the city of Flint contaminated with lead and some blame it for the legionnaire’s disease outbreak in 2016 that killed at least 12 people.
Neglect of duty is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison or a fine of up to $ 1,000.
Brian Lennon, a lawyer representing Snyder, told CBS News: “We believe there is no evidence to support any criminal charges against Governor Snyder.”
“We asked the Michigan Attorney General’s Office for a copy or at least confirmation of the charges before tomorrow’s indictment, and she still hasn’t provided us with either,” said Lennon. “It is difficult for us to comment on something that we have not yet seen.”
Howard Croft, a former director of the Flint Department of Public Works, also faces two charges of intentional neglect of duty, according to court documents. Croft’s lawyer confirmed the charges to CBS News on Wednesday night and said he would surrender at 8 am on Thursday.
Jamie White, a lawyer representing Croft, told CBS News on Tuesday, they were told they expected charges, but were not told what they would be.
White insisted that Croft did nothing wrong, saying: “The idea that because he was the city works manager and therefore knew that the water was contaminated and did nothing about it, is simply not supported by the facts. “
Attorney General Dana Nessel, Attorney General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy are expected to speak at a news conference on Thursday morning to announce the outcome of the state’s criminal investigation into the crisis.
Representatives for Rich Baird, Snyder’s former aide, also confirmed that they should expect charges.
A lawyer for former health director Nick Lyon did not confirm whether Lyon was warned to expect charges, but told CBS News that any charges made against his client would be “an absolute farce of justice”.
Lyon had previously been accused of manslaughter in connection with the crisis stemming from an investigation initiated while Snyder was still in office. The charges against Lyon and several other officials were abruptly fell in 2019 and a new investigation began under Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
The crisis began in 2014, when the city of Flint moved its source of treated water from Detroit to the Flint River in an effort to save money. The city failed to treat water properly, which caused excessive amounts of lead to leak from old pipes into the water and be pumped directly into Flint’s homes.
According to the Associated Press, authorities found 90 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Genesee County, where Flint is located, including 12 deaths. Some experts determined that the water treatment system did not have enough chlorine to control the legionella bacteria.
However, Lyon’s legal representatives dispute the cause of the outbreak. They observed a 2019 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found evidence that the same strain of the legionella bacterium had infected people in 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 supply lines is “almost complete”. Of the 26,750 lines that have been excavated, fewer than 500 have yet to be verified, Neeley said in a statement.
Adam Brewster, Sarah Barth, Adriana Diaz, Zoe Christen Jones, Jordan Freiman and The Associated Press contributed to the report.