All Criminal Charges Dropped in Flint Water Crisis
Nick Lyon, the former director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, faced charges of involuntary manslaughter in the Flint water crisis. Charges against him were dropped on Thursday.CreditCreditTerray Sylvester/The Flint Journal-MLive, via Associated Press
By Mitch Smith
The Michigan attorney general’s office dismissed all pending criminal cases tied to the Flint water crisis on Thursday, ending the prosecutions of eight current and former officials accused of neglecting their duties and allowing Flint residents to drink tainted, dangerous water.
- June 13, 2019
The decision, announced years after the first charges were filed, left open the possibility for new prosecutions against some or all of the same people. But it was seen by some in Flint as a sign that their crisis was being forgotten.
“My heart breaks for the families that have lost loved ones,” said Melissa Mays, a Flint resident and water activist. “This is not justice for them. It just seems like a political ploy.” She added: “The only thing it tells me is our lives don’t matter.”
The prosecutors overseeing the case, Fadwa Hammoud and Kym Worthy, blamed missteps by the previous prosecution team for their decision. They said they would continue investigating the water crisis and noted: “We are not precluded from refiling charges against the defendants listed below or adding new charges and additional defendants.”
Among the officials whose charges were dropped: the former director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, a state epidemiologist, and emergency managers who had been appointed to oversee the city.
“Legitimate criminal prosecutions require complete investigations. Upon assuming responsibility of this case, our team of career prosecutors and investigators had immediate and grave concerns about the investigative approach and legal theories,” Ms. Hammoud and Ms. Worthy said in a statement.
Under Michigan’s previous attorney general, a Republican, 15 people were charged with crimes related to the water crisis. Several pleaded no contest and were convicted. The new attorney general, Dana Nessel, a Democrat, appointed a new team of prosecutors to oversee the remaining cases after she took office this year.
Ms. Nessel defended her prosecutors’ decision to drop the charges, but she also sought to reassure Flint residents. “I want to remind the people of Flint that justice delayed is not always justice denied,” she said.
All Criminal Charges Dropped in Flint Water Crisis
No words.
