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| The damage to the Flint's water pipes may be long-lasting, if not permanent, causing residents to use filters to make their water drinkable (AFP Photo/ Brett Carlsen) |
Chicago
(AFP) - Authorities in the US state of Michigan filed criminal charges Friday
against six current and former state officials over lead water contamination in
the city of Flint, signaling that their probe is expanding.
"Many
things went tragically wrong in Flint. Some failed to act," Michigan State
Attorney General Bill Schuette told a news conference as he announced the new
charges.
"Some
intentionally altered figures, and covered up."
More than
8,000 children are believed to have consumed lead-tainted water in the
hardscrabble northern city, which has become a focus of the 2016 White House
race.
Until now,
three state workers had been criminally charged over the health crisis, which
occurred in the aftermath of government officials' cost-saving effort in 2014
to switch the city's source of drinking water.
One took a
plea agreement to cooperate in the probe.
Chief
investigator Andrew Arena said his team was "starting to work our way
up" in the areas of state government they were investigating, and
expanding the probe "into other departments."
"This
at the end will be the largest criminal investigation in the history of the
state of Michigan," he said.
On Friday
authorities charged another six current and former state employees for covering
up evidence of water contamination. They face various felony and misdemeanor
counts, including conspiracy, misconduct in office and tampering with evidence.
Experts say the new source of water proved more corrosive on aging pipes and caused lead contamination that exposed thousands of children to the toxin.
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Flint
residents Gladyes Williamson (C) holds a bottle full of contaminated water,
and a clump
of her hair, alongside Jessica Owens (R), holding a baby bottle full
of
contaminated water (AFP Photo/Mark Wilson)
|
Experts say the new source of water proved more corrosive on aging pipes and caused lead contamination that exposed thousands of children to the toxin.
"In
essence, these individuals concealed the truth. They were criminally wrong to
do so," Schuette said.
The highest
ranked official charged is Liane Shekter Smith, who was fired in February from
her post as chief of Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality.
"Shekter
Smith ignored reports that the (water treatment) plant was out of compliance,
lied that the water plant was certified, and deliberately misled her superiors,"
Schuette said.
She faces a
felony charge of misconduct in office and a misdemeanor charge of willful
neglect of duty.
The others
charged are: Nancy Peeler and Robert Scott, who are current employees in the
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; Corrine Miller, a former
MDHHS employee; and Patrick Cook and Adam Rosenthal, current employees of the
state's Department of Environmental Quality.
Todd Flood,
special counsel for the Flint probe, said he was in talks with Michigan
Governor Rick Snyder's office in connection with the investigation and that
talks had been "constructive."
The damage
to the city's water pipes may be long-lasting, if not permanent. Residents
must use filters to make their water drinkable.
Last month
officials also filed a lawsuit accusing a French company and a Texas firm of
negligence and fraud, for their roles in the Flint water crisis.
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