Six More Charged In Flint Water Crisis Still Excluding Governor Snyder

We Are Change

Six more state employees in two different departments were charged last Friday in the Flint water crisis. For their role in negligence but still Governor Snyder remains free despite emails his aides knowingly gave residents dirty water even going as far as buying clean bottled water for themselves for a year.

“Some people failed to act, others minimized harm done and arrogantly chose to ignore data, some intentionally altered figures … and covered up significant health risks”
~Michigan Attorney General, Bill Schuette said.

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality; Liane Shekter Smith, Adam Rosenthal, and Patrick Cook additionally three others from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; Nancy Peeler, Corinne Miller, Robert Scott were charged.

This brings the total number of people held accountable for Flint, Michigan’s poisoned water to nine. Back in April, three other officials – Flint employee Michael Glasgow and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality employees Steven Busch and Michael Prysby were charged for their negligence failing to protect Flint residents.

When the decision was made to save money to switch to the Flint river water as the source of tap water.
After 50 years of using the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to filter the water. The Flint government knew that the water wasn’t safe for human consumption. Ironically the Flint, Michigan government has created a bigger debt for themselves by this scandal estimating that the cost of the probe investigation into the misconduct by state officials may hit $5 million dollars according to the Detroit Free Press.

AG Bill Schuette, said that Nancy Peeler requested a report on blood level data for children in Flint, but the report was buried. Then Nancy Peeler and Scott allegedly produced a “bogus” report then circulated that report to Corinne Miller who then instructed others not to take action.

“This put children in the cross hairs of drinking poison.”
~Michigan Attorney General, Bill Schuette said.

The water in Flint has been blamed for several deaths from the lead contamination a crisis that swept over Flint and has affected thousands of people. No matter where you are, you deserve the right to clean drinking water. The right to clean drinking water is a human rights issue, we need water to survive it’s required it’s not a privilege it’s a necessity.

Will this investigation probe deeper with these suspects or will they too mysteriously die like The Flint Water Treatment Plant Foreman Matthew McFarland, 43 and the woman leading the Flint lead poisoning lawsuit Sasha Avonna Bell both were found dead in less than a week of each other. Oh but the conspiracy doesn’t end there, Flint City Hall was also broken into and documents were stolen. In what Washington Post called “definitely an inside job.”

“It was somebody that had knowledge of those documents that really wanted to keep them out of the right hands, out of the hands of someone who was going to tell the real story of what’s going on with Flint water.”
~Police chief Tim Johnson, Flint, Michigan PD said.

CHARGES BELOW:

LIANE SHEKTER SMITH

Former chief of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance

Charges: One felony count of misconduct in office, which carries a penalty of five years in prison and/or $10,000 and one misdemeanor count of willful neglect of duty, according to a news release from Attorney General Bill Schuette’s office.

Allegations: It’s alleged that despite notice from citizens about water quality and being aware of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, Shekter Smith “not only allegedly failed to take corrective action or notify public health officials but, in fact took steps to mislead and conceal evidence from health officials in phone calls revealed by the investigation,” the release says.

Work status: Fired
ADAM ROSENTHAL

MDEQ water quality analyst

Charges: Three felony charges — one count of misconduct in office, which carries a penalty of five years in prison and/or $10,000; one count of tampering with evidence, which carries a penalty of four years and/or $5,000; and tampering with evidence, which carries a penalty of four years and/or $10,000. He is also facing a misdemeanor charge of willful neglect of duty.

Allegations: It’s alleged that Rosenthal “was warned by Flint Water Treatment Plant officials that they were not ready for operations and was later warned by the EPA that high levels of lead is usually due to particulate lead, signaling a corrosion problem,” the news release from the Attorney General’s Office says. He is accused of participating in the manipulation of lead testing results.

Work status: Suspended without pay

PATRICK COOK

MDEQ specialist for the Community Drinking Water Unit

Charges: One felony count each of misconduct in office and conspiracy, both of which carry penalties of five years in prison and/or $10,000; and one misdemeanor count of willful neglect of duty.

Allegations: It’s alleged that Cook was aware of water problems in Flint, “but allegedly took no corrective action in his duty to ensure the provision of clean, safe drinking water in Flint” and also is accused of misleading the Environmental Protection Agency about the necessity of using corrosion control treatments, the release from the Attorney General’s Office says.

Work status: Suspended without pay

NANCY PEELER

Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services program for maternal, infant and early childhood home visiting

Charges: One felony count each of misconduct in office and conspiracy, both of which carry penalties of five years in prison and/or $10,000; and one misdemeanor count of willful neglect of duty.

Allegations: It’s alleged that Peeler requested a report on blood lead level data on Flint children, but the report — created in July 2015 and showing a spike in blood lead tests for Flint children — was “buried,” the news release from the Attorney General’s Office says. It’s alleged that Peeler and another health department employee, Robert Scott, created another report that “falsely indicated no statistically significant rise in blood lead levels of children in the summer of 2014,” according to the release.

Work status: Suspended without pay

ROBERT SCOTT

Data manager for the MDHHS Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention program

Charges: One felony count each of misconduct in office and conspiracy, both of which carry penalties of five years in prison and/or $10,000; and one misdemeanor count of willful neglect of duty.

Allegations: It’s alleged that Scott, along with Peeler, created a report that “falsely indicated no statistically significant rise in blood lead levels of children in the summer of 2014,” the Attorney General’s Office news release says.

Work status: Suspended without pay

CORINNE MILLER

Former director of the Bureau of Epidemiology and State Epidemiologist

Charges: One felony count each of misconduct in office and conspiracy, both of which carry penalties of five years in prison and/or $10,000; and one misdemeanor count of willful neglect of duty.

Allegations: It’s alleged that Miller received a first report regarding blood lead levels in Flint children, “but instructed others not to take action, rebuffing other employees who asked about next steps of action,” the news release says. “The charges allege that Miller later instructed another MDHHS employee to delete e-mails concerning the original blood lead data report from July 28, 2015.”

Work status: No longer with MDHSS

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