Judge to hear Snyder arguments about indictment next week

FLINT (AP) — Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's bid to have misdemeanor charges dismissed in the Flint water crisis will get a hearing next week, a judge said Tuesday.

Judge William Crawford II last week had expressed uncertainty about whether he could rule on the legitimacy of an indictment against Snyder. But he said he now feels confident and "that's what I plan to do."

"It's clear from the outset this case is not like any other misdemeanor case," said Crawford, a Flint District Court judge, who set a hearing for March 9.

Snyder is charged with two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty. Snyder-appointed emergency managers switched Flint's water supply to the Flint River in 2014, but the water wasn't properly treated to reduce corrosion.

Lead from old pipes contaminated the system while Snyder's environmental agency repeatedly said the water was OK.

Defense lawyers are arguing that the indictment returned by a one-person grand jury was filed in the wrong county because Snyder worked in Ingham County, not Genesee. State prosecutors responded by saying there are no territorial restrictions in the case.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers agree that Crawford can hear the dispute.