Oilfield company, executive indicted in gas deaths of couple

MIDLAND, Texas (AP) — A West Texas oilfield company and a company executive have been indicted in the 2019 poisonous gas deaths of a worker and his wife. Odessa-based Aghorn Operating Inc. and Aghorn Vice President Trent Day are charged with violating federal clean air and water laws and obstructing a federal job safety investigation. They’re also accused of making false statements on forms documenting the mechanical integrity of Aghorn’s injection wells. Aghorn also is charged with three job safety crimes causing the deaths. Jacob and Natalee Dean died Oct. 26, 2019, after inhaling hydrogen sulfide gas at an Aghorn pump house in Odessa.