WVOW News

CHARLESTON Two men were sentenced to prison Tuesday for aiding and abetting the destruction of an energy facility located across Boone and Lincoln counties.

According to federal court documents 44-year-old Christopher Priestley, of Seth in Boone County, was sentenced to one year in prison while 56-year-old Earnest Wriston, of Sidney, Ohio, was sentenced to two years in prison.

Each man admitted to working with others to steal multiple pieces of specialized mining equipment from the known mine site in 2019. The thefts forced the mine to shut down for a period of two weeks as the mine was unable to function without the stolen equipment. The thefts also resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to the mine.

Both face three years of supervised release after their prison terms.