Michigan Drops All Criminal Charges in Flint Water Crisis, Promises New Investigation

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office dismisses every pending criminal case related to the Flint water crisis, dropping charges against eight people including former state health department director Nick Lyon, former Chief Medical Executive Eden Wells, and former Flint Emergency Manager Darnell Earley. The decision effectively restarts an investigation that began three years earlier, ensuring that no one is held criminally accountable for poisoning thousands of children.

Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, who assumed control of the investigation in January 2019, claim they have “immediate and grave concerns” about the previous prosecutors’ investigation and describe the dismissal as “a necessary corrective to an inquiry they said had been flawed until now.” The charges are dismissed “without prejudice,” meaning they could theoretically be refiled—a promise that would ultimately prove hollow.

Attorney General Nessel states: “I want to remind the people of Flint that justice delayed is not always justice denied and a fearless and dedicated team of career prosecutors and investigators are hard at work to ensure those who harmed you are held accountable.” This assurance would prove false: the “new investigation” would lead to new charges in 2021, but all would be dismissed on procedural technicalities in 2022.

The mass dismissal comes three years after prosecutors began bringing charges, during which time the previous administration had secured plea deals from several lower-level officials. All of that progress is now erased. The decision demoralizes Flint residents who have been demanding accountability for a crisis that poisoned 6,000-14,000 children, killed 12 people in Legionnaires’ outbreaks, and exposed environmental racism at its most brutal.

The pattern that would emerge is clear: when powerful officials poison a predominantly Black, poor community, the justice system finds procedural reasons to avoid accountability. The “restart” allows officials to run out the clock on public attention while appearing to pursue justice.