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Former Flint emergency managers, city employees charged in Flint water crisis

Former Flint EMs to be charged in water crisis
Posted at 9:36 AM, Dec 20, 2016
and last updated 2021-01-14 15:59:15-05

Two former Emergency Managers for the city of Flint and two city employees are the latest people to face charges in the Flint water crisis, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced Monday.

Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose are the two emergency managers facing charges, while Howard Croft and Daugherty Johnson are the city employees.

Earley was in charge of the city when they made the switch to use Flint River water while crews prepared the Karegnondi Water Authority. 

Ambrose was named as Flint's emergency manager after Earley was chosen to be the emergency manager for Detroit Public Schools in January 2015.

According to Schuette, Earley and Ambrose are charged with felony false pretenses for allegedly participating in a process that allowed the use of bonds to fund the KWA pipeline despite the city's debut problem. They are also charged with conspiracy to commit false pretenses, misconduct in office and willful neglect of duty in office.

Though attempts to get funds for the KWA pipeline in January and February of 2014 were rejected, Earley allegedly used the Home Rule City Act emergency bond cause to borrow tens of millions to pay for Flint's portion of the KWA, Schuette announced.

Croft served as Flint's Director of the Department of Public Works from December 2011 until November 2015, while Johnson served as Flint's utilities director for the Department of Public Works.

They are both charged with felony false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses.

According to Schuette, Croft and Johnson allegedly helped Ambrose and Earley in the process that used bonds to fund the KWA pipeline construction.

In August, six state current and former employees were charged in connection to the Flint water crisis.

In all, 13 people are facing 43 different charges in connection with the Flint water crisis.