Former chemical executive pleads guilty in West Virginia spill
(Reuters) - A former chemical company executive charged over a spill that fouled the drinking water of about 300,000 West Virginians pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors on Tuesday, according to federal court documents. Dennis Farrell, a former executive with bankrupt Freedom Industries Inc, was among four company officials charged in the January 2014 leak of a coal-washing chemical into the Elk River near Charleston. Farrell pleaded guilty to causing unlawful discharge of refuse matter and negligent violation of a permit in federal court in Charleston, the court records showed. A charge of negligent discharge of a pollutant is expected to be dismissed when Farrell is sentenced on Dec. 14, his lawyer Mike Carey said. Former company executives William Tis and Charles Herzing also have pleaded guilty to unlawful discharge. Former company president Gary Southern faces felony charges over the spill. Southern is scheduled to enter a plea on Wednesday, the court employee said. (Reporting by Elizabeth Daley in Pittsburgh; Editing by Ian Simpson and Sandra Maler)
