According to the Associated Press, Donald Hagy, Terry Shadd, Edward Ellis and Michael Plumley pleaded guilty in July to not leading crews on the required mine evacuation drills at various times in 2005 and 2006. They were sentenced Thursday by US District Judge John Copenhaver Jr to the probation plus a total of $US7000 in fines.

The charges stem from the investigation of the conveyor belt fire that killed two workers, Don Bragg and Ellery Hatfield, on January 19, 2006, at the Logan County operation. Both men were separated from the rest of their crew in their attempt to escape the mine but became lost in the smoke.

The federal investigation of the incident found 25 violations, many major, which contributed to the fire, including the “prolonged operation” of a misaligned conveyor belt as well as large build-ups of combustible material along the beltline.

The AP quoted US Attorney Booth Goodwin as saying he hoped the case convinced other mining operations to remain in compliance with safety regulations and to maintain safety as top priority.

"These convictions evidence our commitment to ensuring that workplace safety violations are investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted," he said.

Aracoma previously paid $4.2 million in criminal fines and civil penalties related to the fire.

Check out the August 2010 issue of Coal USA Magazine for a full mine profile of Aracoma, including some of the safety improvements put into place since the 2006 incident.