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Former Aracoma Coal Company Mine Foreman Pleads Guilty
CHARLESTON, WV—DAVID R. RUNYON, 34, of Logan, WV, pled guilty today to violating the Mine Safety Health Act. A Federal grand jury sitting in Charleston, WV returned a five-count indictment against Runyon in January 2009, charging him with three counts of making a false statement and two counts of violating mandatory safety standards. Runyon, while working as a foreman for Aracoma Coal Company, a subsidiary of Massey Coal, was responsible for conducting escapeway drills on the longwall of the Alma No. 1 Mine in Logan County, WV. At his hearing, Runyon admitted to the charges stating, "I failed to conduct a complete escapeway drill between October (2005) and January (2006)." Runyon acknowledged he knew it was his responsibility as a foreman to ensure that the drills were conducted at least once every 90 days for himself and the seven miners under his supervision. Runyon stated that his crew never traveled the entire escapeway drill from the longwall mine section to outside. Instead, the miners traveled only part of the escapeway route which overlapped with the entrance and exit route to and from the mine.
At the plea hearing, the United States advised the Court that Runyon's conduct was not related to and did not cause the January 19, 2006, fire at the mine.
Runyon, who is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, 2009, faces up to one year in prison, a $100,000 fine, and one year supervised release. The Mine Safety and Health Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Hunter P. Smith Jr. And Susan M. Robinson are handling the prosecution.
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