FLINT, MI -- Former emergency manager Gerald Ambrose's decision to waive a preliminary examination in Genesee District Court is a strong indicator that a plea deal with prosecutors in the works, two experts say.

Ambrose, 68, agreed to forgo his initial exam Thursday, Jan. 25, in an unscheduled appearance before Genesee District Court Judge Nathaniel Perry, declining to comment on the reason why.

He is charged with false pretenses, conspiracy to commit false pretenses, willful neglect of duty and misconduct in office -- all crimes related to the Flint water crisis.

"I would anticipate the next time he's in court, the plea will be taken on that date," said Erika Britfeld, associate professor and auxiliary dean at Western Michigan University's Cooley Law School. "That is what's most common (when this occurs). There's an agreement or discussions (on an agreement) going on."

Curt Benson, distinguished professor emeritus at Cooley, also said a plea deal is typically the reason that a defendant like Ambrose would give up his preliminary exam, passing up the opportunity to hear the outline of the case against him.

In Michigan, unless a person accused of a felony waives the right to the exam, prosecutors must convince a district court judge that there is probable cause to believe a crime has been committed and that the defendant committed it before the case can be bound over to a circuit court for trial.

An attorney for Ambrose and special prosecutor Todd Flood declined to comment on a reason for Thursday's waiver, but Benson said he "can't think of any other good reason" for it -- aside from a deal.

"You don't waive preliminaries unless there's an offer," he said of the development.

Four current and former city and state employees have accepted plea agreements after having been charged with criminal wrongdoing in relation to the water crisis.

Each has agreed to testify in other prosecutions in exchange for no-contest pleas on misdemeanor charges.

Ambrose, who served as the emergency manager in Flint during part of 2015, dealt with water issues in that position and as the city's financial adviser, a job he worked at since 2011.

The charges against Ambrose allege he was involved in a scheme to enter into a contract based on false pretenses and was aware that Flint's treatment plant was not able to produce safe water.

Flint changed its water source to the Flint River in April 2014, a change designed to provide the city with a short-term financial boost during construction of the new Karegnondi Water Authority pipeline to Lake Huron.

Instead of saving money, the decision led to a series of steps that cost state and federal taxpayers tens of millions of dollars after the city's water supply was contaminated by lead.

Ambrose has testified to a congressional committee that he took direction in Flint primarily from employees in the Michigan Department of Treasury, the same office that a state task force on Flint water singled out for making decisions in the best interest of the city's budget rather than residents.

MLive-The Flint Journal obtained permission from the House Committee on Oversight and Government to publish select remarks in Ambrose's testimony previously.

In his brief time as emergency manager, Ambrose shot down an attempt by the Flint City Council to have the city disconnected from Flint River water.

In March 2015, he issued a statement, calling the council's vote to "do all things necessary" to return to purchasing water from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department "incomprehensible" and said Flint water was "safe by all standards."

Records obtained by The Journal through the Freedom of Information Act in February 2016, showed that Ambrose made the comments two weeks after having been told of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the area that health officials suspected was triggered by Flint water.