Former Governor Rick Snyder and 8 others were formally charged today [Thursday] with crimes related to the Flint Water Crisis.
It was an extraordinary moment in a Genesee County courtroom.
“This is case number 21G00046SM...people of the state of Michigan versus Richard Dale Snyder.”
The former governor was arraigned on misdemeanor Willful Neglect of Duty charges.
But Rick Snyder’s court case overshadowed more serious charges against more than a half dozen former state officials, including nine involuntary manslaughter charges against two former state health department officials.
Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud says the Flint water crisis “is not a relic of the past”.
“At this very moment, the people of Flint continue to suffer from the categorical failure of public officials at all levels of government," said Hammoud.
If convicted, former governor Rick Snyder could face a year in jail, while some of his former staffers could be facing decades in prison if convicted of the most serious charges.