A felony vehicular manslaughter charge has been dismissed against Randy L. Edgar, who had been accused of that crime in the 2006 death of well-known Bellevue businessman Mark Fisher.
Fifth District Court Judge Barry Wood granted a motion to dismiss filed last Friday by the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. The dismissal was granted "without prejudice," which means that new charges can be filed in the case if new evidence is found.
The one-page dismissal motion simply states that "the state is investigating further" and "dismissal would serve the ends of justice and the effective administration of the court's business."
Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney Jim Thomas provided the following written statement to the Idaho Mountain Express on Tuesday afternoon:
"The case is undergoing additional crash reconstruction analysis by an independent expert on behalf of the state, which will take additional time to obtain the results. Due to the length of time that the case has been on Judge Wood's calendar it appeared appropriate to dismiss the case and begin anew with additional analysis if it is deemed advisable to continue prosecution."
Edgar's defense counsel, Hailey attorney Douglas Nelson, could not be reached Tuesday afternoon for comment.
The case against Edgar dates back to June 3, 2006, when he and Fisher were involved in a single-vehicle traffic accident five miles east of Bellevue on Muldoon Canyon Road. Fisher was pinned underneath the vehicle, which was owned by Edgar, and died at the scene of the crash.
Court records state that both men had been drinking alcohol, but Edgar maintained that Fisher was driving at the time of the accident.
The vehicular manslaughter charge was filed against Edgar on Jan. 26, 2007, following an accident reconstruction analysis conducted by Idaho State Police crash expert Cpl. Fred Rice.
Nelson had an independent crash reconstruction analysis conducted by an outside expert who disputed Rice's findings.
Fisher was well known in the Wood River Valley. He was the owner of the now-defunct Mama Inez Mexican restaurant in Bellevue. The establishment was moved to Bellevue in 2005 from its location in Ketchum, where it had been since 1987.
Mark Fisher
