Mich. AG vows to appeal order dropping charges against ex-Gov. Snyder

Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Michigan prosecutors say they will appeal a court decision dismissing charges against former Gov. Rick Synder for his actions during the Flint water crisis.

Genesee County Judge F. Kay Behm on Wednesday dismissed charges of misdemeanor willful neglect of public duty brought against Snyder by current state officials, prompting the Michigan Attorney General's office to vow it will appeal.

"This decision is not surprising, and he prosecution will appeal," members of the AG's Flint Prosecution Team said in a statement issued Friday.

"We anticipated that this ruling would be similar to other outcomes that only considered process. Our team has been preparing for this and looks forward to addressing these issues in court. We are confident that the evidence clearly supports criminal charges against Rick Snyder."

In her ruling, Behm said Genesee County Circuit Judge David Newblatt had acted as a "one-person grand jury" in bringing charges against Snyder and others involved in the Flint water crisis.

The decision was another setback for prosecutors seeking to hold state government officials to account for the crisis. In October, seven others accused in the case also had the charges against them dismissed by different Genesee County judge.

Snyder, 62, was governor of Michigan in 2014 when the city of Flint switched sources from Detroit's supply of treated Lake Huron water to water from the Flint River treated at the Flint Water Treatment Plant.

Officials failed to apply corrosion inhibitors in the process leading to aging pipes leaching lead into the water supply, exposing residents to toxic contamination, scientific studies showed.

Snyder pleaded not guilty to two counts of willful neglect of public duty in Jan. 2021, but the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in June that a judge who issued indictments against them lacked the authority to do so.