Windsor

Michigan health chief back in court in Legionnaires' case

Nick Lyon is charged with involuntary manslaughter and misconduct in office. A judge must decide whether there is enough evidence to send him to trial.

Nick Lyon is charged with involuntary manslaughter and misconduct in office

In this June 5, 2017 photo, Nick Lyon, Michigan Health and Human Services Director, speaks in support of the state's Medicaid expansion program in Lansing, Mich. Lyon is charged with involuntary manslaughter in a criminal investigation of Flint's lead-contaminated water. (David Eggert/Associated Press)

Testimony is resuming in a criminal case against Michigan's health director, who is accused of keeping the public in the dark about Legionnaires' disease during the Flint water disaster.

Nick Lyon is charged with involuntary manslaughter and misconduct in office. A judge must decide whether there is enough evidence to send him to trial. The case picks up again Wednesday.

Judge David Goggins hasn't heard testimony since Oct. 6. That's when urban affairs adviser Harvey Hollins said he told Gov. Rick Snyder about a Legionnaires' outbreak a few weeks before the governor made it public in January 2016.

Hollins' testimony contradicts what Snyder has said publicly. Nonetheless, the governor is sticking to his timeline.

Lawyers for Lyons say it's all irrelevant in the case against him.