Michigan Attorney General Expected to File Charges Over Flint Water Crisis

It’s been two years since the city of Flint, Michigan started sourcing its water from the Flint River, causing a cascade of events that eventually polluted that water with lead. Now the people who are responsible for this calamity may be facing justice. According to the Detroit Free Press, sources close to Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette have revealed that criminal charges will likely be filed against several officials over the Flint water crisis.

As many as 4 people are facing felony and misdemeanor charges due to evidence found during an ongoing investigation. The most damning evidence found that one city official signed a document saying that the homes which were tested for lead levels all had lead pipes, when that wasn’t true at all. Essentially the city reported artificially low lead counts in accordance with the federal Lead and Copper Rule, because they avoided homes that had lead pipes. Officials with the Department of Environmental Quality are facing separate charges.

It seems that the Attorney General is conducting this investigation in much the same way that a criminal organization would be tackled. The number of people who will be charged hasn’t been officially stated, because authorities are hoping their suspects will cooperate and implicate people who gave them instructions to break the rules. Even more charges could be filed if links are found between Flint’s management of the water supply, and an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease which killed 12 people.