Charges dismissed against ex-public works official in Flint, Michigan, water scandal

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Charges have been dismissed against a former official in Flint, Michigan, in connection with the city’s lead-in-water scandal. Howard Croft on Monday became the last of nine people to benefit from a Michigan Supreme Court decision striking down indictments arising from the scandal. Croft was public works director when state-appointed managers in 2014 switched Flint’s water source to the Flint River. The water wasn’t treated to reduce corrosion on old pipes, a disastrous decision that caused lead to contaminate the system for months. Croft had been charged with two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty. The court said in 2022 that a one-judge grand jury can’t issue indictments.