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Under state-appointed managers, the government of Flint, a
majority-Black city, switched its water supply from Lake Huron
to the Flint River to cut costs in 2014. Corrosive river water
caused lead to leach from the pipes, exposing thousands of
children to lead poisoning and leading to an outbreak of
Legionnaires' disease.
Former state health director Nick Lyon, former state medical
executive Eden Wells, former Governor Rick Snyder staffers
Richard Baird and Jarrod Agen, former state health department
employee Nancy Peeler and former Flint emergency managers Gerald
Ambrose and Darnell Earley were relieved of their charges.
The decision stems from a June ruling by the Michigan Supreme
Court that so-called "one-person grand juries" do not have
authority to bring indictments, Judge Elizabeth Kelly of the 7th
Judicial Circuit Court said in dismissing the charges, though
they have power to subpoena witnesses and issue warrants.
The state's top court that month tossed out charges against
Snyder and eight others.
Individuals charged by a one-judge jury have a right to
preliminary examination, Kelly said. However, she dismissed the
case without prejudice, which leaves a window for state
prosecutors to file charges again.
"If the People seek future charges against Defendants, they must
follow one of the proper charging procedures outlined by the
Supreme Court," Kelly said in her ruling.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office did not
immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
State prosecutors decided to employ a rarely used method of
obtaining the indictments, presenting evidence in secret before
Genesee County Circuit Court Judge David Newblatt in what is
known as a "one-man grand jury."
The water crisis in the city of approximately 100,000 was widely
viewed as an example of how U.S. environmental problems have
disproportionately affected communities of color.
In November, a federal judge signed off on a $626 million
partial settlement for victims of the contamination, with most
of the money earmarked for children.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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