Workers charged in Flint water crisis suspended

Schuette said Shekter Smith supervised Rosenthal and Cook at the Department of Environmental Quality.

All six people are current or former state employees in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services or the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

An investigator from Schuette’s office said in court Friday morning that Scott and Peeler, who work in the state health department’s program to prevent lead poisoning in children, conspired with others “to effectively bury” a report from an epidemiologist that warranted more investigation, according to the Detroit News.

“Based upon the filing of the charges, the DEQ and MDHHS will each be suspending two current employees without pay until further review of the charges can be conducted”, the statement said.

Shekter Smith is the only state employee who has been fired for her role in Flint’s water crisis. She hadn’t yet been charged, but was reassigned after the water crisis came to light and her firing was announced in February. The 18 charges total include felonies in all six cases, all potentially carrying jail times and fines.

Michigan’s attorney general has charged six more state employees with crimes related to the lead-contaminated water crisis in Flint.

They “botched the job”, Schuette said. Schuette was scheduled to hold a news conference on Friday about the charges. That will not happen.

“The problems in Flint are not over”, she said. “In Michigan we have one system of justice which means there are rules for all”. And in MI, the justice system is not rigged. It applies to everybody, equally, no matter who you are.

“I have been involved in thousands of cases”, the attorney said. “The children of Flint will not go without justice”.

“I don’t get it. I don’t understand the lack of compassion”.

Steve Branch, Mayor Karen Weaver’s chief of staff, sat in on the press conference. But he said, “We’re not done”. “So we will just sit back and wait to see what comes next”.

Flint utilities administrator Mike Glasgow struck a deal with prosecutors in May, pledging cooperation in exchange for reduced charges as authorities continue investigating lead contamination of the city’s drinking water supply. Rosenthal is charged with misconduct office, conspiracy to tamper with evidence or engage in misconduct in office, and tampering with evidence as a public officer engaged in a willful neglect of his duty.

“It’s part arrogance, it’s part viewing people in Flint as expendable”, Schuette said when asked why the officials allegedly covered up the water problems.

Three public workers previously were charged.

Cook has been charged with misconduct in office, willful neglect of duty and conspiracy.

Federal regulators say that filtered tap water is now safe to drink, but they still recommend bottled water for young children and pregnant women. Schuette also claims he mislead the EPA regarding the necessity of using corrosion control in Flint after the switch when he allegedly forwarded information he knew to be false to the EPA.

The Health and Human Services employees-Nancy Peeler, Robert Scott and Corrine Miller-all face charges of misconduct in office, consprinig to commit misconduct in office and willful neglect of duty, according to Schuette.

Scott: 1 count, misconduct in office (felony, 5 years and/or $10,000); 1 county, conspiracy (felony, 5 years and/or $10,000); 1 count, willful neglect of duty (misdemeanor, 1 year and/or $1,000).

She is charged with misconduct in office and willful neglect of duty. That report allegedly showed no significant rise in the blood levels of Flint’s children during the summer of 2014. Miller is also accused of instructing another MDHHS employee to delete emails concerning the original blood lead data report from July 28, 2015.

Shekter Smith was sacked from the environmental department.