CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Thomas Evans, the man accused of abducting a 4-year-old Charleston County girl and brutally beating her mother, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on sex crime charges.
Federal court documents filed Wednesday outline the new charges, which come in addition to a previously announced charge of kidnapping.
(Read the indictment below, or CLICK HERE if you're having trouble seeing the document on your phone.)
The additional charges of transportation of a minor to engage in sexual activity and aggravated sexual abuse of a minor raise sinister new implications in the case.
Evans, an ex-convict, had been out of the South Carolina prison system less than two weeks when law enforcement officials say he kidnapped the 4-year-old girl from her Johns Island home on Feb. 13.
Investigators also accuse Evans of brutally beating and sexually assaulting the girl's mother. Officials say Evans had no connection to the family.
Evans was arrested Feb.14 in Mississippi. The 4-year-old was rescued hours prior by Rick Oliver, the police chief of Riverside, Alabama. Riverside is a small town about an hour outside Birmingham.
Birmingham is a major hub for the illegal sex trafficking trade in the United States because of its location along the I-20 and I-65 corridors, according to a report by The Birmingham Times.
Evans is in jail at the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center in Charleston County, awaiting upcoming hearings in both state and federal court.
Evans will be arraigned on his federal charges in the U.S. District Court in Charleston on Friday, March 16, at 11 a.m., court records show.
Evans's charges in the state of South Carolina's case against him include two counts of kidnapping, and one count each of attempted murder, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, armed robbery, first-degree burglary, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
-------------------------
(Correction: A prior version of this story said Evans was indicted on sex trafficking charges. The charge in question, transportation of a minor to engage in sexual activity, does not meet the strict legal definition of sex trafficking.)
-------------------------
(Correction: A prior version of this story said Evans was indicted on sex trafficking charges. The charge in question, transportation of a minor to engage in sexual activity, does not meet the strict legal definition of sex trafficking.)
No comments:
Post a Comment