WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th January, 2021) Former Michigan Health Director Nicolas Lyon and former Michigan Chief Medical Executive Eden Wells have been charged with nine counts of manslaughter in Flint water crisis, Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud announced on Thursday.
"Nicolas Lyon, former Director of MDHHS (Michigan Department of Health and Human Services) is charged with nine counts of involuntary manslaughter for each a 15 year felony and one count of willful neglect of duty, a one year misdemeanor, for his failures and grossly negligent performance of his legal duties while Director of MDHHS to protect the health of citizens of Michigan in accordance with the Public Health Code," Hammoud said.
Former Chief Medical Executive Eden Wells has also been charged with nine counts of involuntary manslaughter, each a 15 year felony and one count of willful neglect of duty, a one year misdemeanor, Hammond said.
In addition, Wells is charged with two separate counts of misconduct in office, each a five year felony for two separate instances of preventing or attempting to prevent the distribution of public health information about Legionnaires' disease in Genesee County, she added.
Hammoud went on to say that Nancy Peeler, former manager of the early childhood house section at MDHHS, is charged with two counts of misconduct in office, each a five year felony for concealing and later misrepresenting related to elevated blood lead levels of children in the city of Flint, as well as one count of willful neglect of duty, a one year misdemeanor for her failure to act upon information of those elevated blood lead levels.
Charges have also been announced against former emergency managers Gerald Ambrose, Darnell Earley, former Flint Department of Public Works Director Howard Croft and former Governor Rick Snyder.
Moreover, charges have been unveiled against Jarrod Agen, Snyder's former chief of staff, and Richard Baird who served as transformation manager in Snyder's executive office.
Hammoud pointed out that all defendants turned themselves in and have been processed.
The Flint water crisis began in 2014 when the city's drinking water source got contaminated with lead. The water supply source change was believed to have possibly caused an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that killed 12 people.
