Charges Brought Up After Flint Water Crisis
Responsibility for the Flint water crisis that sent poisoned water through the pipelines of tens of thousands of residents has been passed back and forth between local and state governments for months now. But, after investigation, criminal charges have been brought up against three men tied to the decisions that led to the tragedy.
Mike Glasgow, Stephen Busch and Mike Prysby could all face time in prison, if convicted of their charged crimes, according to CNN. Busch and Prysby have already pleaded not guilty, while Glasgow hasn’t set foot in court yet.
The three men face multiple felony charges of misconduct in office, tampering with evidence and conspiracy to do so. There are also misdemeanor charges of neglect of office and various treatment and monitoring violations.
Some feel that these charges don’t go high enough, and feel that Gov. Rick Snyder should be added to the list of those going to trial.
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“What I’ve said consistently from the beginning is this tragic situation was the result of bad decisions by bureaucrats. Again, I always described it as people lacking common sense. This puts it in the context of criminal behavior,” Snyder said, while maintaining his own innocence. “Was it actually criminal? Or was it poor decision-making? And again, I’m not looking for vindication. This is about getting to the truth, getting to accountability.”
The maximum penalties for the felonies Glasgow, Busch and Prysby face are five years in federal prison and fines varying from $5,000 to $10,000, according to Colorlines.
“I won’t rest until the governor is charged. It was his person who pushed the change of water supply through and he knew there were problems, but did nothing,” Nakiya Wakes told CNN. “We are still suffering here. And his higher-ups in this mess need to be held responsible, too.”
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