A Michigan judge this week dismissed criminal charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder for his handling of the Flint water crisis, a manmade public health emergency that exposed thousands of residents to unsafe lead levels and caused outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease that killed at least 12 people.
The former Republican governor was the first official in Michigan’s history to be charged with crimes related to his duties as governor.
He was slapped with two misdemeanor counts of misconduct in office in 2021. The Flint water crisis began in 2014.
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Flint’s water contained dangerously high levels of lead after Snyder-appointed city managers used untreated water from the Flint River while a pipeline to Lake Huron was being built. Because the river water wasn’t treated to reduce its corrosive qualities, lead from old pipes broke off and contaminated the city’s water supply.
Genesee County Judge Kay Behm signed off on the dismissal order Wednesday. The day before, her nomination to become a federal judge was confirmed by the Senate.
“The charges against [Snyder] were not properly brought and must be dismissed at this time,” she said in her ruling.
Michigan’s attorney general has also filed charges against other state and local officials, including Nick Lyon, the former director for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the state’s chief medical executive Eden Wells. Both were charged with involuntary manslaughter.
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A judge in October threw out the indictments against seven officials due to a procedural error when filing them. That decision stemmed from a ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court in June that said “one-person grand juries” did not have the authority to bring indictments against officials.
