Ex-governor charged in Flint’s water crisis
FLINT — A queue of cars stretched for more than a half mile outside a church in Flint on Thursday morning, filled with residents waiting for free cases of bottled water, as they have since tainted water began streaming out of their taps six years ago.
Miles away in downtown Flint, a line of state officials, most prominently Rick Snyder, the former governor, were charged with crimes connected to the crisis.
After a criminal investigation that stretched close to two years, prosecutors in Michigan on Thursday announced 41 counts — 34 felonies and seven misdemeanors — against nine officials who once worked in the highest echelons of state government.
Prosecutors said the officials failed to protect the safety and health of the residents of Flint, who were sickened by increased levels of lead and by Legionnaires’ disease.
At least nine people died of Legionnaires’ in the Flint region from June 2014 through October 2015; two of the officials on Thursday were charged with nine counts of involuntary manslaughter.