Two former health officials in Michigan were charged with involuntary manslaughter for their part in the Flint water crisis, as reported by the Associated Press.
Nick Lyon, Michigan’s former state health director, and Eden Wells, the state’s former medical executive, were charged Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of nine people who caught Legionnaires’ disease from the water in Flint, Michigan, according to the Associated Press.
This marks the second time the pair of former health officials have been charged with manslaughter. In 2017, Wells and Lyon stood accused of failing to warn the public about the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. However, the cases against the pair were dropped by prosecutors upon further consideration of new evidence. This time around, both are being charged with a larger number of deaths. (RELATED: Rick Snyder Pleads Not Guilty To Neglect Charges Stemming From Flint Water Crisis)
Involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and a $7,500 fine, the Associated Press reports.
During the crisis, Genesee County had at least 90 cases of Legionnaires’ disease, which led to 12 deaths. Experts found that there was not enough chlorine in Flint’s water-treatment system to kill the legionella bacteria that causes the disease, according to the Associated Press. Experts found that the water was also causing increased levels of lead in the blood of local children. At the same time, Flint and Michigan officials claimed the water was safe.
Ex-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has arrived at court for arraignment. He faces two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty in the Flint Water Crisis and faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.pic.twitter.com/u8QwbYbKfY
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 14, 2021
Other officials have also been charged in relation to the crisis, many of them pleading not guilty in Genesee County courts.
Among those charged is former Republican Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, who prosecutors say failed to properly monitor the “performance, condition and administration” of appointees involved in handling the crisis.