Two arrests made in connection to Hatfield murder

LIMA, Ohio – Two arrests have been made Tuesday in connection with the murder of former ICG and Patriot Coal CEO Ben Hatfield.

MetroNews has confirmed Allen County, Ohio authorities arrested Anthony Arriaga, 20, on charges of murder in connection with Hatfield’s death. Arriaga was found at a home in Delphos, Ohio by the Allen County, Ohio Sheriff’s Department just after 3 a.m. Tuesday. Ohio County deputies were alerted he may be at that home, it was unclear if lived at the residence or how he wound up at that location.

Arriaga was arrested without incident and was not armed when he was taken into custody. He was booked into the Allen County, Ohio jail. He waived his extradition Tuesday afternoon. Bond was set at $1 million.

Later in the day, police arrested Ricky Peterson and placed him in the Western Regional Jail. He was charged with accessory, obstructing and false information.

The Mingo County Sheriff’s Department launched an investigating the death of longtime coal company executive after he was found dead of a gunshot wound in a cemetery Monday.

Ben Hatfield
Ben Hatfield

Hatfield’s body was found about 6:30 Monday morning at Mountain View Memory Gardens outside Williamson. Authorities confirm Hatfield was was shot and killed.

“Just there, decorating the grave and paying respects to his loved ones. It’s sad,” Mingo County Sheriff James Smith told WSAZ-TV. “You’re looking at broad daylight this happened; probably from anywhere between 12 o’clock to 1:30.”

The news drew stunned reaction among West Virginia’s coal industry leaders.

Hatfield was the CEO of International Coal Group at the time of the company’s 2006 Sago Mine Disaster, which killed 12 miners. Paul Hardesty, a former lobbyist for ICG, said he was devastated by the news on Monday.

“I was driving to Charleston today for the legislative session, I received a call from Mingo County of Ben’s passing, and I had to pull off the road. Just total shock,” Hardesty said.

West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney shared similar feelings Monday night.

“Terrific disappointment. Just absolute shock,” Raney said. “The industry and the state of West Virginia have lost a great man. No question about it.”

Hardesty said that Hatfield handled the Sago disaster about as well as someone could under the tragic circumstances.

“Ben handled tragedy the best way he knew how. He came up and engaged the families, they tried to do the right thing,” he said. “You could look on the TV screen and see the devastation on his face. Very compassionate man; very caring.”

Raney said Hatfield was a leader during troubled times for the coal industry, and couldn’t imagine why anyone would carry out such violence.

“If I made a list of people that I thought something like this would ever happen to, Ben Hatfield would have never been on it. It’s unbelievable. It’s unfathomable,” he said on WSAZ-TV Tuesday.

Hatfield also served as the CEO of Patriot Coal. His twin brother, Dennis Hatfield, is also a longtime coal official.

Hatfield’s wife, Debbie, is buried at the graveyard where Ben was found. She died several years ago from cancer.

The Sheriff’s Department requested that the State Police Crime Scene Team respond and assist with the investigation.





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