FAIRMONT — A foreman at Patriot Coal Corp.’s Federal No. 2 Mine in Fairview entered a plea of guilty to falsifying safety records.
The foreman, 40-year-old John Renner of Monongalia County, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Clarksburg. According to a press release, he has been charged with making a false certification on a Mine Safety & Health Administration document that he had examined the No. 27 block seal on Jan. 24.
Right now, Renner is free on bond while awaiting his sentencing. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
“The deliberate attempt to falsify records required to be maintained under the Mine Act endangers, undermines MSHA’s enforcement responsibility, and will be addressed by all available means,” MSHA Assistant Secretary Joseph A. Main said in the press release.

