Massey official Stover arrested; allegedly lied in disaster inquiry

[PA Democrat]

Source: PittsburghPost Gazette

WASHINGTON -- Criminal investigators sent an unmistakably aggressive signal in probing the fatal Upper Big Branch mine explosion Monday with the arrest of a top security official on a pair of felony charges.

As part of a continuing grand jury investigation, Hughie Elbert Stover, 60, the head of security for Massey Energy subsidiary Performance Coal Co., was arrested at his home in Raleigh County, W.Va., and charged with making false statements to federal agents and obstructing a federal investigation. The grand jury, which has been meeting for months in Charleston, W.Va., indicted him last week.

The April 5, 2010, explosion killed 29 men, the deadliest mine disaster in four decades. Mr. Stover is the first person to be charged in the criminal probe, and the grand jury's work appears to be far from finished.

"The conduct charged by the grand jury -- obstruction of justice and false statements to federal investigators -- threatens our effort to find out what happened at Upper Big Branch," U.S. Attorney R. Booth Goodwin II said in a news release.





Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11060/1128775-455.stm#ixzz1FM0e294q

[Hotler]

1. Good! n/t

[barbtries]

2. they need to go higher up than the head of security.

but this is encouraging.

[PA Democrat]

3. I think they are hoping to get this guy to cooperate

in order to move up the corporate ladder to get info on the biggest criminals.

[rbixby]

4. Agreed

And I'm sure these people are way less loyal than anyone in the mafia.

[blueknight]

5. i hope

they can get him to flip on the no good bastards that are really responsible, the CEO and his cronies

[PA Democrat]

6. I'd like to see Don Blankenship get convicted.

[blondeatlast]

17. My guess is this one will sing like a bird--or could the Massey scum be THAT powerful? nt

[yellowcanine]

14. The question is of course whether he was instructed to give false statements.

Which would make it a conspiracy. The way to ferret out a conspiracy is to start with the small fish.

[Steerpike]

7. Yes!

Of course he will flip on the boss...It really will feel good when the big boys finally get some jail time somewhere!

[defendandprotect]

8. kr

[Omaha Steve]

9. This would not have happened on W's watch

K&R!

[blondeatlast]

18. +1. nt

[Kingofalldems]

10. Yeah!

DU is a great forum for Democrats.

[groundloop]

11. GOOD !!!! They definitely would have all walked under the W Regime

Very good news. I'd bet all the higher ups in that company are definitely getting worried. This will definitely send a strong signal to the entire mining industry that safety procedures are to be taken seriously.

[Doctor_J]

12. Fall guy for Blankenship

I am sure Big Don will use his bought-and-paid-for courts to keep Stover out of prison.

[yellowcanine]

15. Maybe not if the feds can put the screws to him and make him sing like a canary.

This is just beginning. Exposing big conspiracies starts with the little fish.

[SpartanDem]

13. Hopefully the first of many

from Massey to be carted off to jail

[PA Democrat]

16. Massey Energy's Blankenship, 'Union terrorism'

'Not Conducive To Good Business Climate'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMS_6DJQgJY

Union busters don't care about miners' safety. They only care about profits.

[blondeatlast]

19. Justice for Blankenship would be for him to work in his own mines.

I was quite young, but I remember the demise of the mining unions in Arizona. I had lots of childhood friends whose dads were miners. Those mines were as safe as could be because the owners respected the unions.

I'm very happy to see this development.

[ThomCat]

20. When do they arrest the people above him?

The people higher are nervous? Good! I think we all want to see them in handcuffs walking into prison to start their sentences!

Mass Murder should not go unpunished, especially when it was done for profit.

[PA Democrat]

21. I want to see this guy:

trade in his faux-patriot stars and stripes for prison stripes.

[ThomCat]

22. Oh Hell Yes!

:)