3/26/13 - Michigan's attorney general says he wants to uncover the truth and provide justice for residents of Livingston County and others across the state. Schutte is seeking a criminal investigation into the deaths of 17 residents, several of them from Livingston County, from contaminated steroids supplied by a Massachusetts pharmaceutical company. Schuette announced today that he asked the state Court of Appeals to order a multi-county grand jury probe of the New England Compounding Center. A grand jury can compel testimony under oath, while state investigators don't have that power. Three residents died after being treated in Indiana but Schutte told WHMI during an interview today that Michigan leads the country in patients affected by the fungal meningitis outbreak, with 259 infections and 14 deaths. He says Michigan is the epicenter of this storm and itâs a tragic situation, which is why heâs calling for the formation of a grand jury. Schuette says there is probable cause to believe crimes were committed that caused tainted fungus-filled medicine to later be injected into patients, leading to deaths and illnesses. He says a grand jury will be able to investigate fully and aggressively, including compelling witnesses to testify and issue subpoenas. Genesee, Grand Traverse, Livingston and Macomb counties all have private clinics that administered the steroids. The Livingston County location was identified as Michigan Pain Specialists in Brighton. Four of the stateâs deaths were Livingston County residents, all of them women ranging in age from 50 to 79. (JK/JM)
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