Woman charged in fatal wreck deemed competent by judge

An Orange County woman charged with involuntary manslaughter has been deemed competent to stand trial following months of inpatient treatment.

Mildred Ferguson, 58, is charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a fatal wreck that occurred during the summer of 2010 on Route 20, along with a host of other unrelated charges.

According to Virginia State Police, on July 31, 2010 Ferguson was traveling northbound on Route 20 approximately one-tenth of a mile north of Scuffletown Road when her Jeep Cherokee crossed the centerline and sideswiped a Ford Explorer driven by Dale R. Parrott, 64. The collision caused Parrott’s vehicle to spin into the path of a southbound Land Rover before continuing off the road. Parrott and his passenger, Shirley A. Parrott, 58, died as a result.

In November, Ferguson was deemed not competent to stand trial, per the recommendation of a mental health evaluator. She was ordered to receive inpatient treatment and continued evaluation in order to restore her ability to stand trial. She was sent to Western State Hospital and, according to attorney Gil Berger, and was released back to the Central Virginia Regional Jail Friday.

Ferguson appeared in Orange County Circuit Court Monday morning for the court to review her progress. According to judge Daniel Bouton, the doctors at Western State Hospital concluded that Ferguson is now competent to stand trial and is able to understand the proceedings against her.

Berger said while he won’t dispute the findings in the report, he does have ongoing concerns based on what is in the report. He declined proceeding with an arraignment, instead asking for time to review the report with his client. He also indicated, that based on what is contained in the report, he may file a motion relating to his status as council, along with a motion regarding bail, which he said his client has been wanting for some time.

In addition to the two counts of involuntary manslaughter, Ferguson is also facing multiple unrelated charges including welfare fraud, criminal solicitation, conspiring to commit a felony, attempting to obtain money under false pretenses and selling or distributing a schedule four drug.

Orange Commonwealth’s Attorney Diana Wheeler said based on the report, she does not plan to try all the offenses facing Ferguson at once, but rather serially, handling them in bits and pieces.

Arraignment was set for Feb. 24 at 9:30 a.m. pending any motions filed by Berger.