Owner Surrenders to Face 25 Charges in Chicken Plant Fire

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — The owner of a chicken processing plant where 25 people died last year in a fire surrendered Thursday to face charges of involuntary manslaughter.

Emmett J. Roe, owner of Imperial Food Products Inc., and his son, Brad, operations manager for Imperial, arrived at Richmond County Courthouse accompanied by their lawyers. Plant manager James N. Hair also surrendered, and all three were later released on bond.

The Roes and Hair were indicted Monday on 25 counts each of involuntary manslaughter. The maximum sentence for each charge is 10 years in prison.

The charges stemmed from the Sept. 3, 1991, fire that swept through the one-story plant in Hamlet, trapping some workers in the building that had unmarked or locked exits. Twenty-five people died in the fire and 56 others were injured.

Investigators also said that the building had no fire alarm or sprinkler system.

North Carolina Labor Commissioner John Brooks has fined Imperial $808,150, but Roe said in a letter he could not pay. State lawyers have filed court papers in North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania to collect the fines.