LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Associated Press (AP) reported Wednesday evening that former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder will receive charges of willful neglect in the Flint Water Crisis.
That comes after the AP reported that Snyder would be receiving charges Tuesday, but could not confirm what the charges were.
The charges stem from Snyder’s role in the crisis, during which a series of decisions left Flint with lead-contaminated water and an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.
“We believe there is no evidence to support any criminal charges against Gov. Snyder,” defense attorney Brian Lennon said Wednesday.
The AP reports that the charge offense date is listed as April 25, 2014. At that time, an emergency manager who was appointed by Snyder made the decision to switch the city water supply to the Flint River while a new pipeline to Lake Huron was being constructed.
However, the corrosive water was improperly treated, and released lead from old plumbing into Flint homes. The AP reports that there were at least 90 accompanying cases of Legionnaires’ disease, along with 12 deaths.
Additional charges are expected against other people, including former officials who served under Snyder.
For instance, on Tuesday, a statement was released by Attorney Randall L. Levine, who was speaking on behalf of his client Rich Baird. Baird had previously served as a senior adviser under Snyder.
“At this time, we have not been made aware of what the charges are, or how they are related to his position with former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s administration,” Levine said in the statement.
The charges against Baird and other former officials were not immediately made available.
The AP reports that the outbreak was announced by Snyder and former health department director Nick Lyon in January 2016. However, the AP says Lyon admitted to knowing the cases were being reported months before that.
The AP also reported that Snyder had said in court that he was made aware of the issues in January 2016, although his urban affairs advisor, Harvey Hollins, said that he had informed Snyder on Christmas Eve, 2015.
Lyon later faced involuntary manslaughter charges in 2018. The following year, under Attorney General Dana Nessel, the case against Lyon was dismissed, as well as charges against seven other defendants as the probe was restarted.
The AP reports that this decision didn’t affect seven people who had already pleaded no contest to misdemeanors. Those defendants are said to have cooperated with the investigation.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced that she will hold a press conference on the case findings Thursday, January 14. That conference was scheduled for 11:30 a.m., according to a report from MLive.
That conference will be available to stream at michigan.gov/agflintwater and facebook.com/MIAttorneyGeneral.
In a related matter, a settlement with the City of Flint was recently reached. More information on that can be found here.
