Trevor Allen Stockton
Introduction
Trevor Allen Stockton, 26, of Yakima, Washington, a volunteer firefighter with the West Valley Fire Department, was arrested at the scene of a head-on collision in Yakima on the evening of Sunday, November 8, 2026, and booked into the Yakima County jail on suspicion of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault while under the influence of intoxicants . The other vehicle carried Dave Edler, 70 β a former Seattle Mariners infielder and former mayor of Yakima β and his wife, Susie Edler, 67, who died of her injuries . At a preliminary court appearance on Monday, Yakima County Superior Court Judge Shane Silverthorn set bail at $75,000; court records showed Stockton posted it and was released that evening, and he is scheduled to return for arraignment on November 18 . The allegations against him are unadjudicated: no plea has been entered, and his defense argues the cause of the crash remains a contested question .
Background Information
Stockton has served as a volunteer firefighter with the West Valley Fire Department since February 2025, according to Fire Chief Nathan Craig, who said Stockton is currently on administrative leave . A witness to the crash told police he recognized Stockton as a farmhand for a local farm, per the affidavit cited in court . His public defender said Stockton’s only criminal conviction is a 2021 Oregon gross misdemeanor eluding charge, pleaded down from felony eluding and first-degree criminal trespass .
The victims had deep roots in Yakima: Dave Edler played third base for the Seattle Mariners from 1980 to 1983, served on the Yakima City Council from 2003 to 2006, and was the city’s mayor from 2006 to 2010, and he and Susie Edler led the Yakima Foursquare Church as senior pastors for 30 years .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide and DUI; bail posted, released pending arraignment. Stockton, 26, is accused of driving his Dodge Ram pickup the wrong way down Coolidge Road at high speed and hitting Dave and Susie Edler’s Ford Bronco Sport head-on, killing Susie, 67, and critically injuring Dave, 70. Police say alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor; a prosecutor told the court Stockton had been drinking all day and left the bar six minutes before the crash, and that he blamed the victims and chuckled when told of their injuries. The defense contests the cause of the crash and invokes the presumption of innocence. The charges are unadjudicated.
Per the Yakima Police Department, officers and fire personnel responded to the 7600 block of Coolidge Road, near South 76th Avenue, around 4:30 p.m. on November 8 and found two occupants trapped inside one of the vehicles; fire crews extricated both, and the preliminary investigation indicated the 26-year-old driver was traveling westbound on Coolidge Road in the eastbound lane at a high rate of speed when he hit the other vehicle head-on . Susie Edler was pronounced dead at MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital; Dave Edler, who suffered two broken arms and facial injuries, was transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was in critical condition on Monday .
The affidavit and court filings sketch a drinking timeline: Stockton’s cousin β called to the scene by Stockton β told officers she saw him drinking alcohol at breakfast around 9 a.m., and that he and his girlfriend later went to the West Valley Bar, where security video and a bar tab police obtained showed nine drinks purchased for the two of them over nearly four hours . A drug recognition officer reported smelling alcohol on Stockton from five feet away and noting red, watery eyes and slurred speech; Stockton declined voluntary field sobriety tests, and a blood sample was taken after police obtained a search warrant . Judge Silverthorn said the record showed Stockton had been drinking throughout the day and got into the crash within six minutes of leaving the bar .
The crash’s cause is contested on the record: Dave Edler told police the truck came into his lane, while Stockton claimed the Edlers were in his β a claim the investigation determined was contradicted by physical evidence placing Stockton’s truck in the wrong lane, and by damage photographs showing the Dodge on the Ford’s hood with the impact concentrated on the passenger side . Deputy Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney Jaye Sleeman told the court that Stockton was argumentative with officers, blamed the victims, and insulted the drug recognition officer with a slur; she said he “chuckled in response to being told that he seriously injured the victims,” and that upon hearing he had killed the passenger, “his response was, ‘okay,’ seeming not to care about the devastating impact he had caused” .
Public Reaction and Consequences
The on-record reaction comes from the courtroom and the institutions around the case. Sleeman asked for bail of at least $500,000, calling Stockton’s drinking throughout the day and his post-crash behavior aggravating factors; Judge Silverthorn β describing vehicular homicide and vehicular assault as serious, violent offenses whose long potential sentences raise flight risk β set bail at $75,000 instead, ordered an ignition interlock in any vehicle Stockton might drive and enrollment in a full-time sobriety program if he is released, and barred contact with Dave Edler . Public defender Konrad Beattie objected to the characterization of Stockton, acknowledged the tragedy and offered condolences, told the court Stockton is entitled to a presumption of innocence, and argued that both drivers blaming each other raises a question about the crash’s cause; he asked for bail no higher than $50,000 . The Yakima Foursquare Church the Edlers led opened its doors for a community prayer gathering, and a GoFundMe for the family had raised over $12,000 by Tuesday morning .
Current Status
Stockton posted the $75,000 bail and was released from custody just before 6:00 p.m. on Monday, November 9, per court records, and is scheduled to return for arraignment on November 18 . He faces potential charges of vehicular assault and vehicular homicide with an under-the-influence prong, as well as a DUI charge, per the court record cited by NBC Right Now; no plea has been entered, and the case remains unadjudicated . The Yakima Police Department’s Traffic Unit continues to investigate the collision, and the department has asked witnesses to contact its investigators . Stockton has not made any public statement, and no attorney statement beyond the bail hearing arguments appears in the coverage .
Impact on Their Career/Life
Stockton’s volunteer service with the West Valley Fire Department β which he joined in February 2025 β is paused on administrative leave while the case pends, per Fire Chief Nathan Craig, and his name is now attached to a fatal-crash prosecution in his hometown . For the Edler family, the consequences are the case’s substance: Susie Edler is dead at 67, and Dave Edler is sedated and receiving treatment at Harborview Medical Center for two broken arms and significant facial injuries, with a family GoFundMe covering funeral and medical costs . The New York Post’s account of the case β built on the police release, the Herald-Republic’s court reporting and NBC’s interviews β introduced both the crash and Stockton’s alleged conduct to a national audience the morning after his release .
Sources
- New York Post, “Former Mariners infielder Dave Edler seriously injured, wife killed in DUI crash,” November 10, 2026 β source
- Yakima Herald-Republic, “Former Yakima mayor Dave Edler injured, wife killed in DUI crash: Driver appears in court,” November 2026 β source
- NBC Right Now (KNDO/KNDU), “Former Yakima mayor, Seattle Mariner seriously injured in DUI crash; wife killed,” November 2026 β source
- NBC Right Now (KNDO/KNDU), “Former Yakima mayor in hospital, wife dies after Sunday crash,” November 2026 β source
- Yakima Police Department, “Fatality Collision β 7600 Block of Coolidge Rd” (news release), November 8, 2026 β source
- Tri-Cities KEYN (TriYak News), “UPDATE: Former Yakima Mayor Dave Edler critically injured, wife killed in fatal head-on crash,” November 2026 β source
- @nypost on X, “Former Mariners infielder seriously injured, wife killed in crash - alleged drunk driver ‘chuckled’ when he found out,” November 10, 2026 β source