CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A federal judge drafted a questionnaire in court Wednesday to determine whether prosecutors have a conflict of interest in the Freedom Industries spill criminal case.
Judge Thomas Johnston said Wednesday in Charleston federal court that he is finalizing a 19 question survey. Federal Prosecutor Booth Goodwin and two staff members lived in the area where the spill caused a drinking water ban for 300,000 residents Jan. 2014.
Former Freedom officials Gary Southern and Dennis Farrell have pleaded not guilty to pollution charges. They said Goodwin’s office should not be allowed to prosecute because its members were affected by the spill.
The trials are scheduled to begin Oct. 6.