5 People, Including Michigan Health Chief, Charged With Manslaughter In Flint Water Crisis

You can only get away with so much for so long. 

Five people, including the Michigan health chief, were charged with involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday during an investigation of Flint's lead-contaminated water which allegedly lead to the death of an 85-year-old man who had Legionnaires' disease.

Nick Lyon, the director of the Health and Human Services department, is being charged for failing to alert the public about an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Flint. While it might seem innocent at first, experts linked the disease to Flint's poor water quality. If Lyon is convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.

According to court documents, Lyon "exhibited gross negligence when he failed to alert the public about the deadly outbreak and by taking steps to suppress information illustrating obvious and apparent harms that were likely to result in serious injury."

Lyon, however, isn't buying it. According to charging documents, he "willfully disregarded the deadly nature of the Legionnaires' disease outbreak," eventually saying he "can't save everyone," and "everyone has to die of something."

But that's not all. Just when you thought Lyon couldn't get any more suspicious, he's also being charged with misconduct for allegedly obstructing university researchers who are trying to find the link between Legionnaires' disease and Flint's water quality. 

The other four being charged are Howard Croft, who was in charge of Flint's public works department; Darnell Earley, Flint's emergency manager; and Liane Shekter Smith and Stephen Busch, who were both state environmental regulators.

Let's hope justice gets served.