Boone County Man Admits To Falsifying Mine Safety Documents

Charleston, W.Va. – A Boone County man who falsified mandatory mine safety reports, pleaded guilty today to a federal charge announced United States Attorney Booth Goodwin.  Shawn Glenn Stover, 29, of Whitesville, West Virginia admitted to falsifying a Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) document while working at a Boone County mine.

In April of 2013, Stover was hired to work at Newtown Mining Company’s Peerless Rachel mine located in Boone County.  In May and June of 2013, Stover acted as a foreman at the mine, despite not being qualified to do so.  Stover signed pre-shift and on-shift reports that indicated he had properly examined particular sections of the mine.  Stover was not certified as a foreman when he completed the mine reports.  Stover also falsified the reports by using multiple foreman’s numbers that did not belong to him.

Stover faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on December 12, 2014 by United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.

The investigation was conducted by MSHA.  Assistant United States Attorney Blaire L. Malkin is in charge of the prosecution.