Ex-mine security chief gets 3 years in W.Va. blast (AP) - A former security chief convicted of lying to investigators about the April 2010 explosion that killed 29 men at a southern West Virginia coal mine was sentenced to three years in prison Wednesday. Hughie Elbert Stover was convicted of lying to investigators and ordering a subordinate to destroy thousands of security-related documents at the Upper Big Branch mine following the worst U.S. coal mine disaster in four decades. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin had sought a 25-year sentence, hoping to send a resounding message about Stover's crimes following the April 2010 explosion. Federal sentencing guidelines called for a total sentence of about three years for both crimes. Judges do not have to follow the guidelines. Witnesses testified that Stover instructed mine guards to send out radio alerts whenever inspectors entered the property, which is illegal. Stover denied the claims in a November 2010 interview with investigators. The second count alleged Stover sought to destroy documents in January 2011 by ordering a subordinate to bag them and then throw them into an on-site trash compactor, which is also illegal. Massey Energy, which owned the mine at the time, repeatedly warned employees to keep all records while the disaster remained under investigation. Defense attorney Bill Wilmoth said Stover's actions were innocent mistakes and he deserved no jail time. A former mine superintendent was charged last week with conspiracy to defraud the government. Gary May is accused among other things of disabling a methane gas monitor, falsifying safety records and using code words to tip off miners underground about surprise inspections.