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VOL. 10, NO. 35
7 | n NONPROFITS
14 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
Community-Supported News. Free to all.
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JULY 10, 2025
Trial Opens for Man Charged in Fatal Home Explosion BY HANNA PAMPALONI
hpampaloni@loudounnow.org
The jury trial for a former Southern States employee charged in the February 2024 home explosion that killed one firefighter and injured 13 other people began this week. Roger Bentley faces a felony charge of involuntary manslaughter and three other misdemeanors related to the unlawful transfer, release, maintenance and control of liquefied petroleum gas. On Feb. 16, 2024, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue units responded to a 911 call about a gas leak in a Sterling home at 7:38 p.m. According to court documents, when they arrived, firefighters smelled propane in the air and evacuated residents from the home. Fifty minutes later, the home exploded, trapping several firefighters in the debris. Volunteer firefighter Trevor Brown died at the scene. It was determined that a leak in an underground 500-gallon propane tank was ignited by an unknown source. Bentley had assessed the tank earlier that day. Attorneys spent Monday choosing a jury and began with opening remarks Tuesday morning. Circuit Court Judge James E. Plowman HOME EXPLOSION TRIAL continues on page 35
Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now
Residents of the Leesburg Mobile Park gather at the community’s playground Monday night to share information on plans to move them out by the end of the year.
Eviction Concerns Return to Leesburg Mobile Home Park
BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.org
In February 2022, David Gregory stepped in to purchase the Leesburg Mobile Park when the community’s 75 families faced displacement from a planned development. Now, it is Gregory who is
pushing them to move off the property. Residents this week began receiving letters saying they must vacate the property by the end of the year. Gregory is offering cash incentives of up to $6,000 to encourage early movers as well as $10,000 in relocation assistance. After staving off evictions—and devel-
opment—for more than two years, it is not the outcome he envisioned. “The town and the county do not want them to be there,” Gregory said about the inability to find local government MOBILE HOME PARK continues on page 34
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