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Loudoun County prosecutors told jurors that former propane technician Roger Bentley may not have intended for a Sterling, Virginia, home to explode in February 2024, killing volunteer firefighter Trevor Brown, “but that doesn’t mean he’s not responsible.”
Bentley’s attorney called the explosion a tragedy, but said Bentley was “the fall guy,” and his actions were “not a criminal offense.”
During opening statements Tuesday, senior assistant commonwealth’s attorney Brian Boyle said Bentley, who was working for Southern States Cooperative, failed to take steps to deal with 125 gallons of propane that was leaking from an underground tank used to heat a swimming pool. Hours after assuring homeowner Kelley Woods that the propane would dissipate, in part because of an upcoming snowfall, her home on Silver Ridge Drive exploded, killing Brown and injuring 11 others.
Bentley was indicted for involuntary manslaughter, a felony, and three misdemeanor violations of the fire prevention code, in the blast that killed Brown, a member of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company. Bentley was released on bond before trial.
‘It was not Roger Bentley’s fault’
During the defense’s opening statement, cocounsel John Boneta told jurors, “This was a tragedy, but Roger Bentley’s the fall guy.”
Boneta said several other Southern State employees had worked on the leaking propane tank over the years, and that Woods, the homeowner, had instructed the company to disconnect the propane, rather than repair it once the leak was discovered.
On the day of the explosion, Boneta said, “the person who had information about the leak didn’t tell the fire department,” when she called 911 after Bentley’s visit to report the ongoing smell of propane.
Boneta said that when speaking with a representative of the Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s office, which responded to the 911 call, Woods didn’t mention the leak.
Boneta reminded jurors a few times that, “Roger Bentley isn’t Southern State — he’s a blue-collar working guy. He’s been with the company 39 years,” and that in his honest opinion, based upon what he knew and observed, it would be safe for the tank to be removed from the ground the following week.
“It was not Roger Bentley’s fault,” Boneta said. “Roger Bentley did not commit a crime. Roger Bentley did not know there was a gas leak. Roger Bentley never went into the house. The person who had knowledge (about the tank leak) didn’t convey that knowledge.”
“This was a tragedy, but it was not a criminal offense,” Boneta said, in wrapping up his opening statement.
The smell of propane in the air
On Feb. 16, 2024, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue responded to a 911 call about a gas leak in a Sterling home at 7:38 p.m. According to prosecutors, firefighters smelled propane in the air and evacuated residents.
Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney prosecutors said earlier that day, Bentley suggested a homeowner let a leaking propane tank continue to release the hazardous material before the explosion in the Sugarland Run neighborhood of Sterling.
When Bentley arrived on Silver Ridge Drive to inspect a leaking 500-pound underground propane tank, he told the homeowner to allow the hazardous material to “seep out of the ground and be on their merry way,” according to an affidavit from a Loudoun County fire marshal investigator.
Homeowner Woods was the first witness for the prosecution. Jurors watched the doorbell video of the exchange between Woods and Bentley.
Woods told jurors she still smelled propane when she went back inside her home, but trusted Bentley’s judgment that the situation wasn’t an emergency.
Woods testified Bentley never entered her home, or asked whether she had a basement. Prosecutors told jurors since propane is heavier than air, it tends to pool in lower-lying areas.
The affidavit by fire and explosion investigator Ryan Boehret said the homeowner asked Southern States Cooperative to repair the underground propane tank that fueled a backyard pool heater since she planned to put the house on the market the following month.
According to investigators, another employee had filled the tank earlier in the day, and both he and the homeowner noticed a strong gas odor. The employee had contacted three supervisors and said propane was escaping from one of the welds, “due to the age of the tank,” and it would have to be dug up on another day to pump off the remaining propane in the tank.
If convicted, Bentley could face up to 10 years in prison on the involuntary manslaughter charge.
In a separate court action, which was not mentioned during opening statements, in May 2025, Brown’s widow, firefighters injured in the blast and nearby property owners filed a multimillion dollar negligence lawsuit against Southern States, Bentley and another employee. The suit is filed in Richmond Circuit Court, where the company’s corporate headquarters is based.
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