Stafford man indicted in fatal accident

By Amanda Stewart

Published: April 17, 2008

STAFFORD — A Stafford man was indicted this week on charges stemming from a November fatal car accident in Manassas.

On Monday, a Prince William County grand jury handed up a direct indictment of Scott Richard Edgell, 47, of 71 Cliff Circle in Stafford on charges of involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor reckless driving.

In a direct indictment, prosecutors present evidence directly to the grand jury, without first holding a preliminary hearing in General District Court.
A grand jury indictment means that prosecutors have sufficient evidence to take a case to trial; it is not a finding of guilt or innocence.

Edgell is being charged in a Nov. 10 three-car collision in the 8200 block of Sudley Road in Manassas that killed 52-year-old Dennis W. Webb.
Webb, a Manassas resident, was the chief deputy sheriff of Arlington County at the time of his death. Before that he served as director of administration at the Prince William-Manassas regional jail.

According to police reports at the time, Edgell was driving a 2005 Jeep Liberty south on Sudley Road around 2:10 p.m. on Nov. 10 when his vehicle ran off the road and sideswiped a 2005 Pathfinder in the right lane. Edgell’s car then went off the road and struck a 2007 Toyota highlander, driven by Webb, police said at the time

Edgell and the driver of the Pathfinder were not injured in the accident, but Webb died at the scene.

Edgell was originally charged with just reckless driving.

Speed was believed to be a factor in the crash, police said at the time.

Edgell’s trial date has not yet been set.

Amanda Stewart is a staff writer at the Potomac News & Manassas Journal Messenger.