FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ill. (KFVS) - The former manager of a southern Illinois mine pleaded guilty recently to a charge in connection with an underground fire in 2021.

Timothy Brandon Parsons, 38, of Louisa, Kentucky, entered a guilty plea on Thursday, August 28 to conspiring to defraud the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration.

His sentencing is set for December 18.

According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Parsons faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000.

The underground fire was at the MC#1 Mine in Franklin County, Ill. in August 2021.

According to court documents, on Aug. 12, 2021, Parsons was the mine manager at the MC#1 Mine when a cutting torch used to cut collapsed steel beams started an

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