Former Michigan governor Rick Snyder is charged with two charges of willful dereliction of duty as a result of the Flint water crisis, according to online court documents. The crisis, which began in 2014, left the city of Flint’s drinking water contaminated with lead, and some have blamed it for an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in 2016 that killed at least 12 people.
Neglect of duty is a felony punishable by up to one year in prison or a fine of up to $ 1,000.
Brian Lennon, an attorney representing Snyder, told CBS News, “We believe there is no evidence to support any criminal charges against Governor Snyder.”
“We have asked the Michigan Attorney General’s Office of Special Counsel for a copy, or at least confirmation, of the charges leading up to tomorrow’s arraignment, and she has not yet provided us with either,” said Lennon. “It’s hard for us to say anything we haven’t seen yet.”
Howard Croft, the former director of Flint’s Department of Public Works, is also facing two charges of willful dereliction of duty, according to court documents. Croft’s attorney confirmed the charge to CBS News Wednesday night, saying he will turn himself in at 8 a.m. on Thursday.
Jamie White, a lawyer representing Croft, told CBS News on Tuesday they were told to expect charges, but they were not told what the charges would be.
White insisted that Croft was not doing anything wrong, saying, “The idea that because he was the city works manager and therefore knew the water was polluted 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 will speak at a press conference Thursday morning to announce the outcome of the state’s criminal investigation into the crisis.
Representatives for Rich Baird, a former aide to Snyder, also confirmed they were told to expect charges.
A lawyer for former health director Nick Lyon would not confirm whether Lyon was told to expect charges, but told CBS News that all charges against his client would be “an absolute mockery of justice.”
Lyon had previously been charged involuntary manslaughter in connection with the crisis that resulted from an investigation that began while Snyder was still in office. The charges against Lyon and several other officials were dropped abruptly in 2019 and a new investigation began under Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
The crisis started in 2014, when the city of Flint switched its water source from Detroit’s purified water to the Flint River in an effort to save money. The city has not treated the water properly, causing excess amounts of lead from old pipes to leak into the water and be pumped directly into Flint homes.
According to The Associated Press, authorities found 90 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Genesee County, where Flint is located, including 12 dead. Some experts found that the water purification system did not contain enough chlorine to fight Legionella bacteria.
However, legal representatives from Lyon dispute the cause of the outbreak. They took note of a 2019 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions that found evidence that the same strain of Legionella bacteria had been infecting people in a local hospital since 2008, long before the city’s changing water source.
According to Mayor of Flint, Sheldon Neeley, the replacement of the domestic water pipes is “almost complete”. Of the 26,750 lines excavated, fewer than 500 have yet to be checked, Neeley said in a statement.
Adam Brewster, Sarah Barth, Adriana Diaz, Zoe Christen Jones, Jordan Freiman and The Associated Press contributed to the coverage.