Mine foreman pleads guilty over fake safety data as federal prosecutors investigate W.Va. mine

Mine foreman pleads guilty in record-faking case

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — A foreman accused of forging safety inspection reports at a West Virginia mine has pleaded guilty to violating federal mine safety laws.

Forty-year-old John Renner of Granville pleaded to one count of making false statements, representations and certifications Wednesday in Clarksburg. It happened Jan. 24 when Renner claimed to have inspected the No. 27 block seal at Patriot Coal Corp.’s Federal No. 2 mine near Fairview but did not.

He told state investigators his boss ordered him not to stop production or evacuate the mine unless a federal inspector was watching.

Renner was released on a personal recognizance bond and ordered to try to find employment.

Renner, to be sentenced later, faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.