Update: West Virginia Man Gets up to 5 Years in Tire Storage Case

A man convicted of illegally storing thousands of tires in a Nitro warehouse that caught fire has been sentenced to up to five years in prison.

Kanawha County Circuit Judge Tod Kaufman also fined Ricky Handley $10,000 on Sept. 17.

Kaufman ignored recommendations by the prosecution and Handley’s attorney for probation.

Handley pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to commit a felony. He admitted to conspiring in November 2005 with two U.S. Tire Recovery executives to accumulate the tires at the warehouse, even though they didn’t have a permit.

The warehouse caught fire in May 2006. Authorities estimate that more than 40,000 tires burned.

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Information from: WCHS-TV, http://www.wchstv.com