A former BP engineer has become the first person to face criminal charges in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago.
Kurt Mix of Katy, Texas, has been arrested on charges of intentionally destroying evidence and faces two counts of obstruction of justice.
He is alleged to have intentionally deleted 300 text messages, including some containing sensitive information, despite having received several legal notices to preserve such data.
During his first court appearance in Houston yesterday, Mr Mix told US Magistrate Stephen Smith in a firm voice that he understood the charges against him.
He was released on a $100,000 bond.
His next court appearance was scheduled for 3 May in New Orleans, where the case is filed.
He surrendered his passport, and his travel was restricted to Texas and Louisiana.
The spill was found after BP's troublesome Macondo deepwater well blew out, causing deadly explosions aboard Transocean's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that killed 11 men and sank the rig.
The biggest offshore oil spill in US history spewed more than 4 million barrels of oil into the basin before BP capped it in mid-July of 2010.
The company killed the well two months later.
