The Flint, Mich., water crisis resulted in charges Wednesday against former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, who is now facing two counts of willful neglect of duty.
The misdemeanor charges carry a punishment of up to $1,000 and up to one year in prison. They come almost seven years after the city of Flint began taking in water from the Flint River in an attempt to save money. The water wasn’t properly treated, and it corroded the city’s aging pipes, causing lead to leach into the drinking water. More than 100,000 Flint residents were exposed to unsafe levels of lead.
During an arraignment Thursday, Snyder pleaded not guilty to the charges. Several additional officials are also facing charges over their alleged roles in the crisis, including the state’s former health director and Flint’s former director of public works.
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