A judge has dismissed charges against seven people in the Flint water scandal, including two former state health officials blamed for deaths from Legionnaires’ disease
The attorney general's office lashed out at the courts after its latest defeat, declaring that “well-connected, wealthy individuals with political power and influence” had prevailed over Flint residents.
Besides lead contamination, the Flint River water was blamed for an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, which typically spreads through cooling systems. “This misuse of the criminal justice system has to stop,” Chip Chamberlain and Ron DeWaard said. “Misleading statements about what Director Lyon did or didn’t do contribute nothing to a constructive public dialogue and do not represent justice for anyone.”
Prosecutors in Michigan typically file felony charges in District Court after a police investigation. A one-judge grand jury was extremely rare and had mostly been used in Detroit and Flint to protect witnesses, especially in violent crimes, who could testify in private. Chief Justice Bridget McCormack called it a “Star Chamber comeback,” a pejorative reference to an oppressive, closed-door style of justice in England in the 17th century.
After Dana Nessel, a Democrat, was elected, she got rid of special counsel Todd Flood and put Hammoud, the state's solicitor general, and Worthy, the respected Wayne County prosecutor, in charge.“This team of people who promised justice for Flint didn't file the right paperwork,” she said. “It's not like they went to trial and lost; we never even had a chance to get that far. ...
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