The former superintendent of the Upper Big Branch Mine is training to become a truck driver while awaiting sentencing for his actions at the mine where a 2010 explosion killed 29 men.
U.S. District Judge Irene Berger signed an order Monday allowing Gary May to leave the Southern District for training with the Boone County Schools Truck Driving Academy.
Last week, lawyers filed a motion saying May must travel to other parts of the state, including some counties in West Virginia’s Northern District, to complete the training and get a job.
May is currently unemployed. The mine was operated by Massey Energy, which was bought last year by Virginia-based Alpha Natural Resources Inc.
May has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the federal government for his actions at the mine. He’s cooperating with prosecutors in a continuing investigation and is set to be sentenced in Beckley in January.
