Stover Sentenced To Three Years

{Beckley, West Virginia}...In Beckley Federal Court Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Irene Berger sentenced Hughie Elbert Stover, a former Upper Big Branch Mine security chief, to three years in prison, two years supervised release and a fine of $20,000. Stover was convicted of lying to investigators and ordering a subordinate to destroy thousands of security-related documents at the Upper Big Branch mine following the explosion. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin wanted Stover to spend 25 years in prison for his actions that he says contributed to the April 2010 explosion that killed 29 coal miners at UBB. But federal sentencing guidelines called for a total sentence of about three years for both crimes. Stover's attorney claims Stover has been unfairly blamed for the UBB disaster.