Opening statements due in manslaughter trial over 2024 deadly Sterling house explosion
Opening statements are expected Tuesday in the jury trial of a former propane employee charged in the February 2024 home explosion in Sterling, Virginia, that killed a volunteer firefighter and injured 11 others.
Roger Bentley, who was an employee for Southern States at the time of the explosion, was indicted for involuntary manslaughter, a felony, and three misdemeanor violations of the fire prevention code, in the blast that killed firefighter Trevor Brown, a member of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company. Bentley has been released on bond before trial.
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.
The affidavit by 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.
In court documents obtained by WTOP News partner 7News, Bentley and the other employee’s conversations with the homeowner were recorded on a doorbell camera.
If convicted, Bentley could face up to 10 years in prison on the involuntary manslaughter charge.
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.