Two of the highest ranking officials involved with the Flint Water Crisis have been charged.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Shuette brought felony charges against Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose, who both served as emergency managers for the city’s former treasurer Andy Dillion at the height of the crisis, according to the Detroit Free Press. Shuette also charged two former public workers.
Each of the four men will face felony charges of false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses for collectively conspiring to continue operating the Flint Water Plant under unsafe conditions. Ambrose and Early will also face charges of misconduct in office and willful neglect of duty. Shuette alleges that the actions of those involved ultimately led to the Flint River being used as a main source for Flint drinking water.
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The vigilant state Attorney General vowed to continue seeking justice for the people of Flint.
“We’re back in Flint — the city where so many things went terribly wrong, but where those who broke the law will be held accountable, and justice will be delivered to the families of Flint,” he said at a news conference on Tuesday morning.
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver credited the resilience of those who worked to spread awareness about the crisis for the progress, noting that the latest round of charges against those responsible furthers the conversation about a larger issues within the city’s emergency management system.
“It’s taken the voice of the people and taken our democracy,” Weaver told reporters.
Early and Ambrose are the highest-ranking officials to be held accountable for the devastating water crisis to date, with the total number of individuals charged so far now at 13.