After revelations that the residents of Flint had been drinking poisoned water since the MI government switched their water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River in April 2014, Schuette launched a probe manned by 20 attorneys and an investigation was launched to determine culpability, according to The Detroit News.
Advertisement
The Flint water crisis became a criminal case Wednesday when two state regulators and a city employee were charged with official misconduct, evidence-tampering and other offenses over the lead contamination that alarmed the country and brought cries of racism.
He allegedly tampered with a 2015 report, “Lead and Copper Report and Consumer Notice of Lead Result”, and failed to perform his duties as a treatment plant operator, according to Schuette’s office.
State Attorney General Bill Schuette (SHOOT’-ee) charged Stephen Busch and Michael Prysby, who both work at the state Department of Environmental Quality, with several things, including misdemeanor violations of Michigan’s safe drinking water law.
Schuette was asked a couple of times whether Gov. Rick Snyder, a fellow Republican, was being investigated.
He reiterated that his office has been fully cooperative in the investigation and that the investigation isn’t complete yet. It’s much rarer to see charges against the government regulators tasked with ensuring that the water is safe to drink-and in this case, those regulators now face the most serious charges of anyone involved so far.
“These are deeply troubling and extremely serious”, he said.
The charges are the first since the crisis began.
Sources said the number of people to be charged Wednesday was still uncertain late Tuesday because of the possibility one or more of those targeted could agree to cooperate with authorities and avoid charges.
Experts believe the chemical-laced Flint River water corroded lead pipes, allowing large amounts of the chemical element to leach into the city’s water.
The city has been under a state of emergency for more than four months, and people there are using filters and bottled water.
The failure to deploy lead corrosion controls after the city’s switch to the Flint River is considered a catastrophic mistake.
Wednesday, the first of what are expected to be many charges were filed.
Prysby, who was suspended without pay Wednesday, pleaded not guilty to charges of misconduct in office, conspiracy to tamper with evidence, tampering with evidence – including manipulating monitoring reports – and violations of water treatment and monitoring laws. If that image bothers you, imagine what it did to the children who were drinking and bathing in it. Doctors finding dangerously high levels of lead in their blood. Poisoning a community. They failed in their responsibilities to protect the health and safety of families of Flint.
Advertisement
“It really hurts when I have friends, personal close friends, they live here”, said Ellis Stafford, the Deputy Chief Investigator.
