Sex offenses dropped, but replaced by firearm counts
Fifteen sex offense counts involving two young girls and lodged against a Charles City County man have been dropped. But Forrest Everett “Skeeter” Evans now faces 10 firearm charges that, if convicted, could place him behind bars for the rest of his life.
A motion filed by Charles City Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Tyler to drop the sex charges — 10 counts of aggravated sexual battery and five counts of forcible sodomy — was granted yesterday (Tuesday) by county circuit court Judge Thomas B. Hoover. Evans, 74, of 5901 Courthouse Road, Providence Forge, had been indicted last November by a grand jury.
Yesterday, another grand jury handed up indictments on 10 counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The offenses date from separate days spanning August 2006 to August 2007. Each carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.
“These are different dates at which I can place him with guns,” Tyler told the court, adding that he has witnesses who can testify as to Evans possessing firearms.
When questioned by Hoover about dropping the sex charges, which were alleged to have occurred in 2006 and 2007 and involved girls ages 7 and 10 at the time, Tyler said, “I don’t want to put the children through the stresses of a jury trial.”
A jury trial on the sex counts had been scheduled for June 5. Now that date is set aside for pretrial motions on the firearm charges. Trial, for now, is set for July 17, most likely before a jury.
After Evans was indicted last November, he disappeared, becoming the object of a manhunt. He resurfaced on Feb. 1 when he surrendered to Charles City authorities. He has been held ever since without bond in Riverside Regional Jail in Prince George County.
Yesterday’s court proceedings also involved a bond hearing on the latest charges. Defense attorney John Schilling argued his client has family ties in Charles City and is being treated for health problems, including bladder cancer and heart disease.
But Hoover again denied bond, citing Evans’ earlier disappearance and after hearing a report from Tyler who summarized close to 30 hours of tape-recorded phone conversations between Evans in jail and the defendant’s wife.
Reading excerpts from the tapes, Tyler said the defendant repeatedly complained he should never have turned himself in, adding he had hidden from police before and could have done it again.
The recordings also have Evans suggesting that a hit man could be hired to target his own daughter, the mother of the two girls, and a Charles City deputy, Tyler told the court. Evans reportedly said a hit man could be hired cheaper than lawyers.
The felony conviction, which serves as basis for the firearm charges, stems from 1977 in Middlesex County where Evans was convicted of taking indecent liberties with his daughter.
The weapons allegedly involved include rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Sheriff’s deputies seized 17 firearms at Evans’ residence, Tyler told the court, adding, “The house was full of guns.”
Schilling countered that Evans’ son also lives at the residence, is an avid hunter, and could own the firearms. But Hoover said Evans, by law, could not be near the weapons.
“Get the guns out of the house,” the judge said. “If not, [Evans] has access to them.”
The sex charges, meanwhile, have not been dismissed, only not prosecuted at this time, and could resurface.
In a separate interview, Tyler said, “If the gun charges don’t pan out, I still have the sex charges to fall back on.”