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Three people — two officials with the state Department of Environmental Quality and a water official from Flint — are facing criminal charges as a result of an investigation into the lead-contaminated water case in Flint.

The three men face felony charges including misconduct, neglect of duty and conspiracy to tamper with evidence. They've also been charged with violating Michigan's Safe Drinking Water Act.

The state officials, Stephen Busch and Michael Prysby, work in the department's water quality section; they've been charged with intentional tampering of evidence, among other charges, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

"We allege and we will prove that Mr. Busch and Mr. Prsyby altered test results which endangered the health of citizens and families of Flint," Schuette said.

The city employee, Michael Glasgow, is Flint's water quality supervisor. He's also charged with tampering with evidence.

"I've said this before and it bears repeating: so many things went so terribly wrong, and tragically wrong, in Flint," Schuette said.

Earlier this year, Schuette put an investigative team together to look into the water problem.


Residents of Flint are using filters and bottled water while the city is under a 

In 2014, while the city was under the control of state-appointed emergency managers, Flint officials switched the water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River.

Soon after the change, residents began complaining the water didn't look right and it had an odor.

Then elevated levels of lead were discovered in the water.

 which mostly blamed state officials for the crisis.
On Tuesday, during a visit to Flint, 

announced he would drink Flint's water for the next 30 days.


He said wants to prove that when filtered, the water is safe to drink.


Last week, when Snyder encouraged Flint residents to use more filtered tap water instead of bottled water, he "was told by a state official that Flint residents wanted him to start drinking the tap water first," the 

Crime, Law and Justice

Environmental News

Water

Doreen McCallister

Author

Two Michigan Department of Environmental Quality employees and a Flint water official are being charged with misconduct, neglect of duty and tampering with evidence over the city's contaminated water.

3 face criminal charges over Flint water crisis

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