New Flint Official Charged In Deadly Water Crisis

The special prosecutor investigating the Flint water crisis filed two news charges—including involuntary manslaughter—against Michigan’s top medical official for her role in the water crisis, which was linked to a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, the Detroit News reports.

In addition to manslaughter, prosecutor Todd Flood said on Monday that he filed a misconduct in office charge against Dr. Eden Wells. These two new allegations add to obstruction of justice and making a false statement charges against Wells.

Wells is among six current and former state and Flint, Michigan officials charged in connection to at least 12 deaths and 79 illness from the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak.

Flood said the new charges against Wells stem from testimony during a preliminary exam hearing last week against state Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon. He declined, however, to identify the specific testimony.

“I really can’t get into the details of it but I think we’d be derelict if we didn’t charge her,” Flood said, according to the news outlet. “Based on a new review of other documents and testimony that came out last week, we believe that discovery put us in this place.”

The prosecutor said he gave Wells’ attorneys notice of the new charges. Her lawyer, Jerold Lax, spoke with reporters.

One of the attorneys representing Dr. Eden Wells spoke to reporters outside the courtroom today pic.twitter.com/nnxFFBb15r

— Elisha Anderson (@elishaanderson) October 9, 2017

Lax said his team was prepared to defend Wells on the prior charges, adding that “under the circumstances, we reluctantly agreed to an adjournment so as to be able to prepare to deal with the new charges that have been filed.”

According to the news outlet, Wells faces up to 15 year in prison and a $7,5000 fine for the manslaughter charge.

SOURCE: Detroit News

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