A West Virginia chemical company and four of its former owners were charged Wednesday in connection to a chemical leak that contaminated drinking water for 300,000 residents in the state's capital city and nearby communities. Federal prosecutors indicted Freedom Industries, its ex-presidents Gary L. Southern and Dennis P. Farrell as well as William E. Tis and Charles E. Herzing on three counts including negligences and violating the Clean Water Act. Southern is also facing federal charges relating to the company's bankruptcy case, which Freedom filed for just eight days after the Jan. 9 leak into the Elk River near Charleston.
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