CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The three people missing in a Raleigh County mine since Saturday were brought out alive Wednesday evening and said afterward they had learned a big lesson.
Erica Treadway, 31, of Pax, Kayla Williams, 25, of Artie, and Cody Beverly, 21, of Dorothy, went into the Rock House Powellton mine near Clear Creek on Saturday to apparently steal copper. Another individual, Eddie Williams, 43, of Artie, exited the mine on Monday.
Their family members rejoiced when they were reunited Wednesday night in Whitesville. Some said they would worry about possible criminal charges at a later date. No charges were filed Wednesday night.
Treadway, Williams and Beverly were taken to Charleston Area Medical Center as a precaution. They all appeared to be fine. They said they drank mine water and hoped it wasn’t contaminated.
Beverly and Williams both said they were thankful to be alive.
“The biggest lesson I’ve ever learned in my life. This is a life-changing experience for me,” Beverly said.
“Definitely,” Williams agreed.
“We panicked sometimes and prayed a lot,” Williams added.
Earlier in the day Wednesday, Gov. Justice said the mine safety teams were doing a great job.
“They are real superstars at what they do and their courage in unquestionable,” he said.
After the rescue, Justice said the state responded in the right way.
“There was no way in the world that I was giving up. There was no way any of the first responders were giving up,” Justice said. “There was no way we were giving up and then come down and tell these families there was nothing we can do but there was something we could do. At the end of the day, look what happened.”
Beverly and Williams thanked the first responders.
“We appreciate everyone of you guys,” Williams said.
Justice said earlier Wednesday he may ask the legislature to take action that would discourage residents from entering abandoned mines. Although he said you can’t make the mines “Fort Knox,” he did said there may be some steps possible with mine-grade copper.
“We’ve got to look at making that illegal to purchase,” he said. “Everyone knows the difference between common everyday copper and this grade of copper. So if we just took this off the market where people couldn’t buy that, that could be a real incentive as well.”
