Missouri mine owner used ‘equipment filled with rocks’ to deter inspectors, feds say
A Missouri mine owner accused of harassing inspectors and using “loading equipment filled with rocks and dirt” to force them away agreed to never interfere with another federal inspection, officials say.
This action was taken after a hindered inspection by Westley Partridge, owner of Partridge Sand & Gravel in Stone County, according to a March 4 news release from the U.S. Department of Labor and Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
The incident took place on Aug. 17, officials say, when a federal inspector went to the mine for “a regular congressionally mandated semi-annual inspection.” But when the inspector met with Partridge, he began “cussing, screaming, and spitting” at him, officials say.
As Partridge verbally abused the MSHA inspector, officials say he told him to “get off his property (and) he didn’t have any employees.” The owner and operator then got into his front-end loader, dumped the load, drove back to the inspector and “stopped extremely close while continuing to harass and abuse him verbally,” according to court records.
Partridge and Partridge Sand & Gravel could not be reached for comment by McClatchy News on March 7.
The inspector left to contact his supervisor, records say, and he and his boss returned that same day for a second attempt at an inspection.
“While driving down the main entry gravel road, the inspectors pulled onto the shoulder, because Partridge was again driving the front-end loader toward the two inspectors,” court records say. “This time, Partridge drove at a high rate of speed in a threatening manner, again with a raised bucket full of dirt and gravel.
“Partridge slammed his brakes and stopped immediately next to (the inspector’s) truck with some gravel and dirt flying out of the scoop,” officials said. The supervisor says he feared the mine owner was going to hit the inspector, but no contact was made.
After coming to a stop, Partridge again screamed and yelled at them, saying he was “not talking to nobody” and they needed to get off his property, officials say.
The inspectors left as they feared for their safety, according to court records.
Later that day, the inspectors made one more attempt by calling the owner to discuss conducting the inspection, officials said. They say “Partridge continued his tirade” and said they should never go down his road again.
“Partridge shouted ‘You go and get your lawyers and come on out tomorrow. I’ll be waiting for you and you’ll see what happens,’” according to court records.
In response to the threats, officials filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri on Sept. 28, records show. The U.S. Marshals Service served the complaint on Dec. 14, and on Jan. 12, Partridge allowed inspectors to complete their inspection.
Partridge Sand & Gravel Inc. “agreed to a consent judgment barring them from interfering with, delaying or impeding a mine inspection” and signed the stipulation on Feb. 2. And on March 3, a federal judge ordered the consent that says Partridge cannot stop federal inspections under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 now and into the future.
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 11:14 AM with the headline "Missouri mine owner used ‘equipment filled with rocks’ to deter inspectors, feds say."