Wyoming Worker Who Took Train for Joyride to be Sentenced

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A federal judge must decide the appropriate punishment for a Wyoming man who pleaded guilty to a federal charge in connection with taking two locomotives from a coal mine and crashing them into another train last fall.

Twenty-two-year-old Derek Skyler Brux pleaded guilty in January to a federal charge of committing violence against railroad carriers. The maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

He told authorities he was angry at a supervisor.

U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl has set sentencing for Brux for Friday morning in Cheyenne.

Authorities say Brux unhooked two locomotives near the North Antelope Rochelle Mine, where he worked. He drove southbound for about 13 miles, sometimes reaching high speeds, before driving into another train at another mine site.