3 employees charged in Flint water crisis

The Flint water crisis became a criminal case Wednesday when two state regulators and a city employee were charged with official misconduct, evidence-tampering and other offenses over the lead contamination that alarmed the country and brought cries of racism.

“This is a road back to restoring faith and confidence in all Michigan families in their government,” Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said in announcing the charges, months after officials conceded a series of bad decisions caused the disaster.

For nearly 18 months, the poor, mostly black city of 100,000 used the Flint River for tap water as a way to save money — a decision made by a state-appointed emergency manager — while a new pipeline was under construction.

Michael Prysby, a former district engineer with the state Department of Environmental Quality, and Stephen Busch, a supervisor in the department’s drinking-water office, were charged with misconduct, conspiracy, tampering with test results, and misdemeanor violations of clean-water law.