Officials face manslaughter charges over Flint

12 died in Michigan after water polluted

Michigan’s attorney general charged health officials Wednesday over the Flint drinking- water crisis. Six officials are charged in all — five with involuntary manslaughter — ac- cording to Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette. “We are confident that the charges that we have filed will be upheld in the courts,” he said.

Nick Lyon, director of the state Department of Health and Human Services, is charged with felonies: involuntary manslaughter and misconduct in office.

Eden Wells, the department’s chief medical executive, is charged with obstruction of justice and lying to a police officer, also felonies.

Darnell Earley, Flint’s former state emergency manager, is charged with involuntary manslaughter. He pre- viously was charged with felony false pretenses, conspiracy to commit false pretenses, misconduct in office and a misdemeanor charge of willful neglect of duty.

Howard Croft, Flint’s former Water Department manager, is charged with involuntary manslaughter. He previously was charged with false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses.

Liane Shekter- Smith, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s drinking water chief, is charged with involuntary manslaughter. She previously was charged with felony miscon- duct in office and misdemeanor willful neglect of duty.

Stephen Busch, the district supervisor for the Office of Drinking Water, is charged with involuntary manslaughter. He previously was charged with felony misconduct in office, tampering with evidence, conspiracy to tamper with evidence and two misdemeanor counts of the Michigan Safe Water Drinking Act.

The charges are related to a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in 2014 and 2015 that led to 12 deaths after the city’s water supply was switched to the Flint River. Flint’s drinking water was contaminated with lead.