Massey security chief indicted in Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine probe

[Lasher]

February 28, 2011 by Ken Ward Jr.

U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin here in Southern West Virginia just announced:

Hughie Elbert Stover, 60, of Clear Fork, Raleigh County, West Virginia, has been charged with two felonies in connection with the federal investigation of events at Massey Energy Company’s Upper Big Branch Mine (UBB). Stover is Chief of Security at UBB and at least two other Massey operations. A federal grand jury indicted Stover last week on charges of making false statements to federal agents and obstructing a federal investigation. The indictment was unsealed today after Stover was arrested at his home.

I’ve posted a copy of the unsealed indictment here, and we’ve got a quick news story on the Gazette Web site here.

UPDATED

The indictment charges Stover with two criminal counts:

- False statements to federal agents -

Stover is accused of falsely telling federal agents in January 2011 that Massey’s Performance Coal Co. had a policy dating back to 1999 that forbade security guards from giving advance notice of inspections. The indictment alleges that Stover “had himself directed and trained security guards … to give advance notice by announcing the presence of an MSHA inspector over” the mine radio.

- Concealment of documents in federal investigations -

Stover is accused of instructing an individual — whose identify was not revealed in the public filing — to dispose of mine security documents by placing them in a trash compactor near the main Upper Big Branch security gate. Federal officials have apparently recovered the documents as part of their investigation into the mine disaster, including an investigation of advance notices of MSHA inspections.

http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2011/02/28/massey-security-chief-indicated-in-ubb-probe/

[Kurmudgeon]

1. Don Blankenship sure knew when to retire.

[Lasher]

2. That thought occurred to me.

He could still be implicated though.