Ex-exec sentenced to 1 month for chemical spill

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A former Freedom Industries executive was sentenced Thursday to one month in federal prison for a chemical spill that fouled the drinking-water supply of 300,000 West Virginians. Dennis Farrell also was fined $20,000 in U.S. District Court.

The January 2014 spill of a coal-cleaning agent into the Elk River in Charleston got into a water company's intake and prompted a tap-water ban in nine counties for up to 10 days. Residents immediately cleared store shelves of bottled water, and many restaurants were forced to close or cut back services temporarily.

Judge Thomas Johnston noted after environmental regulators intervened and plans were put in place for spill-prevention controls at a facility owned by Freedom in Nitro, about 14 miles west of Charleston, Farrell could have acted to ensure similar precautions were taken at the Charleston facility.

But Johnston also noted the misdemeanors Farrell admitted to were "those of careless omission."

Farrell was a former owner of Freedom and served as its president from October 2001 through December 2013, after which it was sold and he continued to work for the company in a management role.