Court kills Flint water charges against ex-governor, others

By ED WHITE
Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court has thrown out charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in the Flint water scandal. The court says a judge sitting as a one-person grand jury had no power to issue indictments. It’s an extraordinary defeat for Attorney General Dana Nessel, but her office says the cases aren’t over. Nessel got rid of a special prosecutor and put together a new team to investigate how Flint’s water system was contaminated with lead in 2014. Snyder was charged with misdemeanors. His lawyers say the case was fueled by politics. The Supreme Court decision also benefits former health chief Nick Lyon and seven others. Lyon was charged with involuntary manslaughter tied to deaths from Legionnaires’ disease. An outbreak was blamed on bad water.