A top state official will face new charges in the Flint water crisis.
Dr. Eden Wells is Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive. She was already charged with obstruction of justice and lying to a police office.
Special Counsel Todd Flood announced in court this morning that he plans to file involuntary manslaughter and misconduct in office charges against Wells.
“Based on new review of other documents and testimony that came out last week, we believe that discovery put us in this place,” says Flood.
The new charges stem from testimony during state health director Nick Lyon’s preliminary hearing last week.
Defense Attorney Jerold Lax declined to comment directly on the new charges, except to say they weren’t a surprise.
“We had some indication that he might consider the filing additional charges. But the specifics and details were made known to us only this morning,” says Lax.
Five other defendants are charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection to the Flint water crisis.
In all, 15 current and former government officials have been charged as part of a criminal investigation into Flint’s water crisis. Two defendants have reached plea deals, under which they agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for lesser sentences.
