It’s been over a year since David Eason was charged with felony “Assault by Strangulation” for allegedly assaulting Jenelle Evans’ son, Jace, but the case is trudging along in court.
The Ashley can exclusively reveal that the fired Teen Mom 2 dad’s criminal case— which also includes a misdemeanor charge of child abuse— was discussed in court today. However, the case was quickly moved from the courtroom into a conference room, according to The Ashley’s court source.
“David was not present today, and neither were Jenelle or Jace,” the source told The Ashley. “David was represented by his attorney, and the attorneys for the state were present. The attorneys met in a courthouse conference room today to discuss the future of the case.”
A legal source for The Ashley— who is not involved in David’s case– weighed in on this.
“Generally, this type of administrative hearing happening means that the attorneys for both sides are likely discussing plea deals or potential negotiations, depending on how strong of a case the [District Attorney] feels they may have against David,” the source said.
As of press time, no plea deal has been confirmed, and a trial date has not been set. The Ashley’s source stated that David is due back in court for the case this summer. (Obviously, if a plea deal is reached, no trial will take place.)
As The Ashley previously reported, David was assigned a public defender for this case, after he filed an Affidavit of Indigency in May 2024. In those court documents, David declared the sad state of his finances, revealing he only has $106 total in all his bank accounts. He also claimed to be nearly $49,000 in debt.
(He has retained a private attorney to represent him in his divorce case with Jenelle. According to David’s girlfriend Kenleigh Heatwole, that attorney has agreed to work on contingency— i.e. the attorney is paid via a portion of whatever David receives, and does not get paid if David does not win anything.)
After David was charged with child abuse in October 2023, Jenelle— who was still with him at the time— hired (and paid for) attorneys William and Tara Gore to defend her then-soulmate in his criminal court case. In January 2024, the fired Teen Mom 2 dad was hit with an additional felony charge of “assault by strangulation,” but he still had the support of Jenelle– and her criminal defense team.
After Jenelle and David split in February 2024, though, David had to go to the court to let them know he could no longer afford the private attorneys. William and Tara Gore were removed from the case in May, and David was forced to declare himself indigent (aka living in poverty and unable to afford basic life necessities).
If David’s case goes to trial, there’s a chance he could end up behind bars. In North Carolina, a victim must have sustained physical injury in order for the alleged assaulter to be charged with ‘Assault by Strangulation,’ as David was. It is a Class H felony and carries a maximum of 39 months in prison.
The official court summons issued in October 2023 claims that David “willingly” harmed Jace during the September 2023 incident.
“[David] unlawfully and willingly did, being the parents of Jace V Evans, who was a child, less than 16 years of age, inflict physical injury on that child,” the court document states. “The physical injury inflicted caused marks on [Jace’s] right arm, and left and right side of the neck, and was inflicted by other than accidental means.”
Jenelle and David are due back in court next month for their divorce case.
The Ashley will continue to update this story. Stay tuned…
