David Earl Evans

WARSAW — With tremendous family support behind him, David Earl Evans, Warsaw, was sentenced today, Jan. 18, in Kosciusko Superior Court I for a count of child molestation, a class A felony.

Evans had come forward in January 2017, informing officers at the Warsaw Police Department that he wanted to confess to molesting a child.

The affidavit of probable cause states that when officers spoke with Evans he admitted to fondling a juvenile for sexual gratification from 1995 through 1999. When the acts began the victim was under 14 years of age. Evans performed sexual acts on the juvenile and began having sexual intercourse with her when she was in high school.

When officers spoke to the female victim she advised that she was the victim of sexual molestation and sexual misconduct by Evans throughout her life. She provided officers with details about the sex acts Evans performed while she was under 14 years of age.

In November 2017, Evans entered a plea agreement that limited executed time to 20 years. By state statute, the minimum sentence for a class A felony is 20 years.

Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brad Voelz advised the court that, “Mr. Evans has fully taken responsibility,” adding that Evans was “fully contrite.”

Evans’ attorney W. Douglas Lemon advised much of the same, stating that he “knows [Evans] sincerely believes he owes the debt he’s about to pay.”

Judge David Cates accepted Evans’ plea agreement and seemed almost at a loss of words for the case. He noted that between the plea agreement and the state statute he had no choice but to sentence Evans to 20 years.

Cates told Evans, “I believe you are remorseful for what you’ve done.”

Evans was sentenced to 20 years at the Indiana Department of Corrections. As a sexually violent felon, he will be credit limited. Evans was given a no contact order between he and the victim and will have to register as a sex offender for life.