As the Flint water criminal probe continues, many of the Michigan's highest ranking officials have been exposed as playing a part in the nation's worst environmental crisis.

According to a June 14 Associated Press report, the head of the Michigan health department Nick Lyon was charged with involuntary manslaughter for not alerting the public to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease. Experts who have studied the environmental ramifications of the corroded pipes responsible for the lead-contaminated water supply believe the outbreak is a direct result.   

Lyon's charges were read in a Michigan court yesterday but the accused state official was not present. Since 2014, the residents of Flint have had to use bottled waters to do everyday tasks like cook, bathe and clean. When the city began to utilize water from the Flint River, there was a reported 100 cases of pneumonia -like lung infection Legionnaires' disease in the Flint area.

There have been 12 deaths recorded between 2014 and 2015.