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Flint Water Investigator Resigns After Drunken Driving Arrest

A key member of the Michigan Attorney General's team that has been tasked with investigating the Flint water crisis has resigned from his role after he was arrested Saturday night in Wayne County on suspicion of drunken driving, according to a news release from the Attorney General's Office.

By Daniel Bethencourt

A key member of the Michigan Attorney General's team that has been tasked with investigating the Flint water crisis has resigned from his role after he was arrested Saturday night in Wayne County on suspicion of drunken driving, according to a news release from the Attorney General's Office.

In a Sunday night statement, Attorney General Bill Schuette said the team member is Ellis Stafford, but did not provide details of his arrest -- though spokeswoman Andrea Bitely later said in an email that the arrest was made in Canton. Canton Police declined to comment Sunday.

"I thank Stafford for his efforts on the Flint Water Investigation," Schuette said in the release. "Ellis and his family are in my thoughts and prayers in this challenging time."

Stafford could not be immediately reached Sunday night for comment.

Stafford was the Deputy Chief Investigator on the Flint Water Investigative Team, as well as a Flint native and former Michigan State Police inspector. He is also a member of the Detroit Crime Commission, a nonprofit agency that works on dismantling criminal enterprises in the Detroit area.

In January he was tapped to join the Attorney General's team investigating what went wrong in the Flint water crisis, along with another member of the Detroit Crime Commission --  Andrew Arena, the former director of the Detroit FBI office. Stafford served as Arena's deputy.

According to the Detroit Crime Commission's website, Stafford graduated the FBI National Academy and Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command.

Flint's water became contaminated with lead when the city, under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager, switched its drinking water source from Lake Huron water treated by the Detroit water system to Flint River water treated at the Flint Water Treatment Plant.

Kathleen Gray contributed to this report. 

(c)2016 the Detroit Free Press

Caroline Cournoyer is GOVERNING's senior web editor.
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