9 Flint arrests part of new water probe

The Flint Water Plant tower is shown in Flint, Mich., Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021.  Some Flint residents impacted by months of lead-tainted water are looking past expected charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in his administration to healing physical and emotional damages left by the crisis.   (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
The Flint Water Plant tower is shown in Flint, Mich., Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Some Flint residents impacted by months of lead-tainted water are looking past expected charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in his administration to healing physical and emotional damages left by the crisis. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

FLINT, Mich. -- A new investigation of the Flint water disaster led to charges against nine people, including former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and key members of his administration, who are accused of various crimes in a calamitous plan that contaminated the community with lead and contributed to a fatal outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, authorities said Thursday.

Nearly seven years after the decision to use the Flint River, pipes in more than 9,700 Flint homes have been replaced and water quality has greatly improved. But prosecutors said it's not too late to pursue people responsible for one of the worst human-made environmental disasters in U.S. history.

It's the second time that six of the nine people have faced charges; their previous cases were dropped in 2019 when a new prosecution team took over. Snyder is the biggest new name in the bunch, though his alleged crimes are not as serious as others: two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty.

Snyder's former health director, Nick Lyon, and ex-chief medical executive, Dr. Eden Wells, were charged with involuntary manslaughter in the 2015 deaths of nine people with Legionnaires' disease. Authorities said they failed to alert the public about a regional spike in Legionnaires' when the water system might have lacked enough chlorine to combat bacteria in the river water.

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"The Flint water crisis is not some relic of the past," Fadwa Hammoud of the state attorney general's office said. "At this very moment, the people of Flint continue to suffer from the categorical failure of public officials at all levels of government who trampled upon their trust and evaded accountability for far too long."

The charges stemmed from evidence presented to Judge David Newblatt, who served as a secret one-person grand jury. All nine defendants pleaded innocent during a series of brief court appearances.

The indictment alleges that Snyder failed to check the "performance, condition and administration" of his appointees and protect Flint's nearly 100,000 residents when he knew the threat. The Republican served as governor from 2011 through 2018.

Snyder, 62, said little during his hearing, which was conducted by video. He replied, "Yes, your honor," when asked if he was living in Michigan. A conviction carries up to a year in jail.

Snyder has acknowledged that his administration failed in Flint. But his attorney, Brian Lennon, said a criminal case against him was a "travesty."

"These unjustified allegations do nothing to resolve a painful chapter in the history of our state," Lennon said. "Today's actions merely perpetrate an outrageous political persecution."

In 2014, a Snyder-appointed emergency manager, Darnell Earley, who was running the financially struggling, majority Black city, carried out a money-saving decision to use the Flint River for water while a pipeline from Lake Huron was under construction.

The corrosive water, however, was not treated properly, a misstep that freed lead from old plumbing which conveyed it into homes. Despite desperate pleas from residents holding jugs of discolored, skunky water, the Snyder administration, especially drinking water regulators, took no significant action until a doctor publicly reported elevated lead levels in children about 18 months later.

Lead can damage the brain and nervous system and cause learning and behavior problems. Flint's woes were highlighted as an example of environmental injustice and racism. The city resumed getting water from a Detroit regional system in October 2015, though bottled water and filters were distributed for months.

Authorities counted at least 90 cases of Legionnaires' disease in Genesee County during the 2014-15 water switch, including 12 deaths. Legionella bacteria can trigger a severe form of pneumonia when spread through misting and cooling systems.

Defense attorney Chip Chamberlain said Lyon, the former health director, relied on the advice of experts when following the Legionnaires' spike and forming policy as head of a sprawling agency.

"This is a dangerous day for state employees," Chamberlain said of the charges.

Prosecutors charged Earley and another former Flint manager, Gerald Ambrose, with misconduct. Rich Baird, a friend and close adviser to Snyder, was charged with extortion, perjury and obstruction of justice. Jarrod Agen, who was Snyder's chief of staff, was charged with perjury.

This combo of images provided by the Genesee County, Mich., Sheriff's Office, shows the nine former state-appointed and local officials charged, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in connection with the Flint, Mich., water crisis. Top row from left: Jarrod Agen, former chief of staff to Gov. Snyder; Gerald Ambrose, former state-appointed emergency manager; Richard Baird, former Michigan Transformation manager; Howard Croft, former Flint Director of Public Works; Darnell Earley, former state-appointed emergency manager. Bottom row from left: Nicolas Lyon, former Health and Human Services Director; Nancy Peeler, former early childhood health section manager in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder; and Eden Wells, former Michigan Chief Medical Officer. (Genesee County Sheriff's Office via AP)
This combo of images provided by the Genesee County, Mich., Sheriff's Office, shows the nine former state-appointed and local officials charged, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in connection with the Flint, Mich., water crisis. Top row from left: Jarrod Agen, former chief of staff to Gov. Snyder; Gerald Ambrose, former state-appointed emergency manager; Richard Baird, former Michigan Transformation manager; Howard Croft, former Flint Director of Public Works; Darnell Earley, former state-appointed emergency manager. Bottom row from left: Nicolas Lyon, former Health and Human Services Director; Nancy Peeler, former early childhood health section manager in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder; and Eden Wells, former Michigan Chief Medical Officer. (Genesee County Sheriff's Office via AP)
Former Gov. Rick Snyder walks past the media after his video arraignment on charges related to the Flint water crisis on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 outside the Genesee County Jail in downtown Flint.  Snyder pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of willful neglect of duty in Flint.  (Cody Scanlan/The Flint Journal via AP)
Former Gov. Rick Snyder walks past the media after his video arraignment on charges related to the Flint water crisis on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 outside the Genesee County Jail in downtown Flint. Snyder pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of willful neglect of duty in Flint. (Cody Scanlan/The Flint Journal via AP)
Vehicles drive through downtown Flint, Mich., Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Some Flint residents impacted by months of lead-tainted water are looking past expected charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in his administration to healing physical and emotional damages left by the crisis.   (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Vehicles drive through downtown Flint, Mich., Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Some Flint residents impacted by months of lead-tainted water are looking past expected charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in his administration to healing physical and emotional damages left by the crisis. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2018 file photo, former Michigan state medical executive Dr. Eden Wells appears in Flint, Mich. Wells, was charged during a video appearance before a Genesee County court Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 in Flint, Mich., with involuntary manslaughter in deaths linked to the Flint water crisis. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)
FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2018 file photo, former Michigan state medical executive Dr. Eden Wells appears in Flint, Mich. Wells, was charged during a video appearance before a Genesee County court Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 in Flint, Mich., with involuntary manslaughter in deaths linked to the Flint water crisis. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)
FILE - In this Aug. 20, 2018, file photo, Nick Lyon, former director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, is seen in Flint, Mich. Lyon was charged Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of nine people who got Legionnaires’ disease in the Flint water crisis. Nick Lyon pleaded not guilty during a video appearance before a Genesee County court. Lyon also was charged with a count of willful neglect of duty. He worked for then-Gov. Rick Snyder (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 20, 2018, file photo, Nick Lyon, former director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, is seen in Flint, Mich. Lyon was charged Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of nine people who got Legionnaires’ disease in the Flint water crisis. Nick Lyon pleaded not guilty during a video appearance before a Genesee County court. Lyon also was charged with a count of willful neglect of duty. He worked for then-Gov. Rick Snyder (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP, File)
A section of the Flint River is shown in Flint, Mich., Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021.   Some Flint residents impacted by months of lead-tainted water are looking past expected charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in his administration to healing physical and emotional damages left by the crisis.    (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A section of the Flint River is shown in Flint, Mich., Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Some Flint residents impacted by months of lead-tainted water are looking past expected charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in his administration to healing physical and emotional damages left by the crisis. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
In this image taken from video, former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, right, with his lawyer, Brian Lennon, make an initial court appearance at Genesee County court in Flint, Mich., on two counts of willful neglect of duty in the Flint water crisis. (Genesee County court via AP)
In this image taken from video, former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, right, with his lawyer, Brian Lennon, make an initial court appearance at Genesee County court in Flint, Mich., on two counts of willful neglect of duty in the Flint water crisis. (Genesee County court via AP)
In this image taken from video, former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, left, with his lawyer, Brian Lennon, leave Genesee County Court in Flint, Mich., Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, after a Zoom initial court appearance on two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty in connection to the Flint water crisis. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)
In this image taken from video, former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, left, with his lawyer, Brian Lennon, leave Genesee County Court in Flint, Mich., Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, after a Zoom initial court appearance on two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty in connection to the Flint water crisis. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)

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