Shekter Smith, who formerly led Michigan’s drinking water office, appeared in a Detroit courtroom last month as her attorney invoked her constitutional right against self-incrimination while investigations continued.
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Meanwhile, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver told the Democratic National Convention this week that in her city, the “water is still not safe to drink or cook with from the tap”.
“I’m really surprised to see criminal charges”, Morley said.
– Progress Michigan (@ProgressMich) July 29, 2016#FlintWaterCrisis Criminal charges for 6 state employees, but Snyder remains untouched, why when his cost cutting measures are to blame? The 18 charges total include felonies in all six cases, all potentially carrying jail times and fines.
The defendants who remain at the health department are Nancy Peeler and Robert Scott.
Facing charges of misconduct in office, tampering with evidence and willful neglect of duty. He also is accused of misleading the EPA in connection to the necessity of using corrosion control in Flint after the switch to Flint River Water.
The people come from two different departments: The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. “There’s one system of justice – it applies to everyone equal, no matter who you are”. In addition to the misconduct in office charges, there were willful neglect of duty and various conspiracy counts.
Schuette said his investigative team has interviewed more than 200 people.
They reported to state Chief of Drinking Water, Shekter-Smith, who “deliberately mislead her superiors” about the severity of the contamination, Schuette said.
“The families of Flint will not be forgotten”.
Shekter Smith, the former top drinking water official, and current officials Patrick Cook and Adam Rosenthal were charged with misconduct in office related to federal regulations that limit lead in drinking water.
Rosenthal was an environmental quality analyst with the Office of Drinking Water Municipal Assistance at MDEQ, and Cook was a professional engineer in that office.
Schuette alleged in court Friday that the Health and Human Services employees being charged worked to bury a report previous year that detailed elevated lead levels among Flint residents, the Detroit News said.
Cook: 1 count wilful neglect of duty (misdemeanor: 1 year and/or $1,000); 1 count misconduct in office (felony: 5 years and/or $10,000); 1 count conspiracy (felony: 5 years and/or $10,000).
These are the second batch of charges to be announced after two state regulators and a city employee were charged with official misconduct in April. Conspiracy, evidence tampering and neglect charges were also filed.
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Schuette filed a suit against two water engineering companies in June claiming that their negligence both caused and worsened the contamination, and is calling for millions in damages.
