Judge William Crawford of the 67th District Court pondered Tuesday whether a higher court should rule on the proper place to bring charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder for his role in the Flint water crisis.
During a brief virtual hearing, Crawford asked Snyder s attorneys and lawyers working for the Michigan Attorney General s Office to consider whether he was the appropriate judge to decide
the fight over the venue for two misdemeanor charges against the former Republican governor.
Crawford noted that it was Genesee County Circuit Judge David Newblatt who acted as a one-judge grand jury and authorized the charges against Snyder.
FLINT — A former aide to then-Gov. Rick Snyder asked a judge Friday to dismiss a perjury charge in the Flint water investigation, saying he was indicted in the wrong county.Attorneys for Jarrod Agen said the allegation is related to an interview he gave to investigators in 2017 in Ingham…
Attorney for ex-Gov. Snyder’s chief of staff files to dismiss Flint water crisis perjury indictment
Updated Jan 29, 2021;
Posted Jan 29, 2021
Jarrod Agen, back left, is the former director of communications and former chief of staff for former Gov. Rick Snyder, seen here after a video arraignment on charges related to the Flint water crisis on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 at the Genesee County Jail in downtown Flint. Agen faces one count of perjury, which is a 15-year felony. (Jake May | MLive.com)
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FLINT, MI Attorneys for Gov. Rick Snyder’s former communications director and chief of staff have joined his former boss in asking a Genesee County judge to dismiss the Flint water crisis indictment against him.
Ex-Gov. Snyder, chief of staff ask courts to dismiss charges
Lawyers for two of the biggest names charged in the Flint water crisis investigation, former Gov. Rick Snyder and former Chief of Staff Jarrod Agen, have asked judges this week to dismiss the cases against their clients.
In court filings, attorneys for Snyder and Agen contended that prosecutors brought the criminal cases in the incorrect county. The alleged wrongdoing took place in Ingham County, but the charges were brought in Genesee County, where Flint is located, they said. The remedy for an indictment charging offenses outside the grand jury’s jurisdiction is axiomatic: A trial court must quash an indictment returned by a grand jury that lacked jurisdiction, Snyder s attorneys, Brian Lennon, Charles Ash Jr. and Judith Gracey, wrote in a Monday motion in 67th District Court.
A spokeswoman for prosecutors said they’ll respond in court.
Snyder, Agen and seven more people were charged two weeks ago after a new investigation of the Flint water scandal.
The city, under Snyder-appointed emergency managers, used the Flint River for drinking water in 2014-15 without properly treating it to reduce corrosion. Lead from old pipes contaminated the system. Regulators in the Snyder administration repeatedly told the public that the water was fine.
“Mr. Agen made no false statements during his February 11, 2017 testimony,” Dolan said. “This baseless, politically motivated prosecution is entirely designed to wrongfully smear an upstanding member of the community and dedicated public servant.”