Michigan‘s attorney general has handed out a series of charges against officials connected to the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Mich. Earlier today, Bill Schuette continued his pursuit towards those responsible for the scandal that has gripped a nation and highlighted how impoverished communities are often ignored.
Mlive.com reports:
Two former emergency managers appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to run the city are among four defendants charged today with crimes related to the Flint water crisis.
Darnell Earley, who served as Flint emergency manager at the time the city changed its water source to the Flint River in April 2014, was charged Tuesday, Dec. 20, in Genesee District Court.
Also charged were former emergency manager Jerry Ambrose; Howard Croft, former Department of Public Works director; and Daugherty Johnson, former utilities administrator for the city.
Those charged Tuesday bring the number of defendants tied to the lead-in-water crisis to 13.
According to the publication, Early and Ambrose face charges of false pretenses, conspiracy to commit false pretenses, willful neglect of duty, and misconduct in office. Johnson and Croft are facing charges of false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses.
Since the scandal blew open, finger pointing among the officials has been rampant with Earley putting some blame on Croft for publishing assurances that the city could fix the river’s water quality despite push back from city utilities director Michael Glasgow questioning if that would be possible.
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Photo: “Flint River in Flint MIchigan” by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Digital Visual LibraryImage pageImage description pageDigital Visual Library home page. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.
