Federal grand jury indicts Carmichaels man over damage to well pad
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PITTSBURGH – A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh has indicted a Greene County man on a charge of damaging an energy facility, U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton announced Tuesday.
The one-count indictment, returned on Jan. 27, named Heath A. Rankin, 33, of Carmichaels, as a defendant.
According to the information presented to the court, on or about March 26 Rankin damaged the Burchianti Pad, a pad of five natural gas wells operated in Monongahela Township by Chevron North America Exploitation and Production Company, a division of Chevron USA, Inc.
Rankin initially appeared in federal court last Thursday. An arraignment and detention hearing are set for next week before Magistrate Judge Maureen P. Kelly. Rankin was ordered detained pending those proceedings.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the federal sentencing guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The FBI and state police conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.