Robert Reynolds, the former environmental consultant for Freedom Industries, was sentenced on Monday for his involvement in the chemical spill that contaminated the drinking water supply of West Virginia residents in 2014. Aside from the consultant, other high-ranking ex-officials of the company are also scheduled for hearings this month.
According to ABC News, Reynolds was sentenced to three years of probation and is also facing a fine of $10,000. The site noted that during his time with the company, he was responsible for Freedom Industries' environmental compliance.
Aside from Reynolds, Michael Burdette, the company's former plant manager, is also expected to be sentenced on Wednesday. Like the ex-consultant, Burdette will most likely get jail time and be required to settle a fine due to the incident that occurred two years ago. Other officials that are scheduled for sentencing hearings for January include Charles Herzing, Gary Southern, William Tis and Dennis Farrell, The Register-Herald reported.
The chemical spill in West Virginia's Elk River happened in January of 2014. According to reports, the officials of the company were already aware that chemicals have already been seeping out from a crack in the facility's containment wall for more than 10 years before the major spill happened.
Then, on Jan. 9, thousands of gallons of crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol, which is a cleaning agent used on coal, spilled onto the Elk River. Traces of the chemical then traveled upstream and entered the intake of the West Virginia American Water company.
This forced the water company to issue an advisory to inform the state's over 300,000 residents to refrain from using the tap water for 10 days. Due to the incident, government officials of West Virginia declared a state of emergency.
Two years after the incident, residents of West Virginia are still seeking for reassurance from state officials regarding the safety of their drinking supply. But according to authorities, proper programs and projects have already been implemented to ensure that a similar event will not happen again in the future, Water Online reported.
