FLINT, MI (AP)-- A former Michigan health official says he started asking questions about bacteria in Flint's water supply a year before the state publicly acknowledged an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.
Tim Becker is the first witness Thursday at a hearing that will determine whether Nick Lyon goes to trial on two charges, including involuntary manslaughter.
Lyon is head of the Department of Health and Human Services. He's accused of failing to alert the public in a timely manner about a Legionnaires' outbreak in the Flint area in 2014-15.
Some experts have blamed the outbreak on Flint's failure to treat its water to reduce corrosion.
Becker was the department's deputy director. He says he started inquiring about legionella bacteria in January 2015. The outbreak was publicly announced a year later.
