LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Former Michigan governor Rick Snyder was charged on Wednesday with two counts of intentional neglect of duty stemming from an investigation into the Flint water crisis, which left residents with lead-contaminated water and was accused of a deadly outbreak of legionnaires’ disease.
The charges, shown in an online court record, are misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in prison and a $ 1,000 fine.
The charge brought by the attorney general’s office is groundbreaking: no governor or ex-governor in Michigan’s 184-year history has been charged with crimes related to their time in that position, according to the state archivist. Snyder’s lawyer, Brian Lennon, said he could not comment immediately. State Attorney General Dana Nessel and investigators scheduled a press conference on Thursday.
In addition to Snyder, a Republican who served until 2019, charges are expected against others, including former employees who served as state health director and senior advisor.
Flint was in chronic financial trouble in 2014, when a manager appointed by Snyder, who ran the mostly black city, made an economic decision to use the Flint River for water while a regional Lake Huron gas pipeline was under construction. Corrosive water, however, was not treated properly and released lead from old plumbing to homes in one of the worst environmental man-made disasters in United States history.
Despite residents’ desperate pleas holding jars of discolored and skunky water, the Snyder administration took no significant action until a doctor reported high levels of lead in children about 18 months later.
“I’m sorry and I’m going to fix it,” Snyder promised during his State of the State address in 2016.
Authorities accounted for at least 90 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Genesee County, including 12 deaths. Some experts found that there was not enough chlorine in the water treatment system to control the legionella bacteria, which can trigger a severe form of pneumonia when spread through fogging and cooling systems.
The disaster made Flint a national symbol of government abandonment, with residents forced to line up for bottled water and parents fearing that their children had suffered permanent damage. Lead can damage the brain and nervous system and cause learning and behavior problems. The crisis was pointed out as an example of environmental injustice and racism.
More than 9,700 lead service lines in homes have been replaced. Flint’s water, which now comes from a regional Detroit agency, receives good grades, although many suspicious residents still use filters.
The criminal investigation lasted five years under two teams of prosecutors. Todd Flood, who received seven convictions for misdemeanors, was removed in 2019 after the election of Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat. Fadwa Hammoud subsequently dropped the charges in eight pending cases and said the investigation would be resumed. She said the first team was unable to collect all available evidence.
Separately, the state, Flint, a hospital and an engineering company have agreed to a $ 641 million deal with residents because of the water crisis, with $ 600 million coming from Michigan. A judge said she hopes to decide by January 21 whether to grant preliminary approval. Other lawsuits, including one against the United States Environmental Protection Agency, are pending.