2 Miners Plead Not Guilty in Fatal Accident

A pair of Sierra County gold miners pleaded not guilty to charges connected to a fatal mining accident two years ago.

Michael Miller, 60, owner of the Original Sixteen to One Mine in Alleghany, and mine manager Jonathan Farrell, 32, are charged with involuntary manslaughter and willful violation of safety regulations.

The charges stem from the accidental death in 2000 of miner Mark Fussell, whose head was crushed between a protruding chute and the battery box of a small locomotive, safety inspectors concluded.