October 20, 2000|By Andrea F. Siegel | Andrea F. Siegel,SUN STAFF
An Odenton man was sentenced yesterday to six years in prison for causing an accident on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway that claimed the life of a New York child returning from a Walt Disney World vacation last winter.
Robert A. Powell, 47, of the 1300 block of Del Ray Court, pleaded guilty yesterday in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court to automobile manslaughter, causing a life-threatening injury while intoxicated and eluding police, said Shelley Stickell, assistant state's attorney. Judge Eugene M. Lerner sentenced him to 10 years in prison, suspending all but six. Powell also must serve five years of supervised probation, Stickell said. The sentence fell within the state guidelines of three to eight years.
A 12-year-old boy, Christopher Scavarda, returning from a family trip to Florida, was killed in the crash at 3:30 a.m. Feb. 27. Another northbound motorist told police that her car shook as Powell's van raced by before it crashed into the rear of the Scavarda family van, ejecting two of the Scavarda children, Stickell said. Police indicated that the children were not wearing seat belts. Powell was found by police and arrested four hours later, and tests showed a blood alcohol level of .10 percent, the state's minimum for legal intoxication.
Christopher, who was ejected, died a few hours later at Maryland Shock Trauma Center. His parents, two sisters and a brother were injured. The crash occurred near the interchange with Interstate 695.
Powell, who has a robbery conviction, apologized in court yesterday to the family.
The Yorktown Heights, N.Y., family returned to Anne Arundel County yesterday wearing pins that said "I miss Chris" around a photo of him smiling.
"You see a Boy Scout walking down the street, you think of your son. You see kids playing soccer, you think of your son," said John Scavarda, the father. "It's probably going to be a life punishment."
Thoughts of the all-New York World Series bring an emptiness as well. Chris was a Yankees fan, his elder sister a Mets booster, said Carol Scavarda, their mother, and the rivalry would have made for an unusually lively household during the series.
Powell's attorney could not be reached yesterday.
