Trigger Warning: This story contains mentions of domestic violence and abuse.
David Eason better get his court jeans pressed and ready to go— because a date has been set for him to stand trial on the multiple criminal charges pending against him!
The Ashley can exclusively reveal that a trial date is scheduled for next year for the fired Teen Mom 2 dad’s Assault by Strangulation/Child Abuse case, which stems from an incident in September 2023 involving Jenelle Evans’ eldest son, Jace, who was 14 at the time. (As The Ashley reported at the time, Jace told authorities that he was allegedly assaulted by David. The fired ‘Teen Mom 2’ dad received the child abuse charge first and had the “Assault by Strangulation” charge added a few months later, due to physical injuries allegedly being present on Jace following the alleged assault.)
The Ashley previously told you that it appeared that David’s case was being prepped to go to trial, and that’s exactly what’s happened. After a series of Administrative Hearings were held over the course of this year (where plea deals are sometimes discussed and/or worked out), a Superior Court judge has set an official date for David’s trial. On Monday, the judge settled on January 26, 2026 for the trial to begin.
While the trial has been scheduled, there’s still a chance that the case will be settled before the trial begins. On Monday, one more administrative hearing was set for October. During those type of hearings, the attorneys for both sides meet– usually in a court conference room— and discuss options. (David currently has a public defender, after declaring himself Indigency in May 2024.)
Anyway, in June, some major headway was made in David’s case when a Superior Court judge reviewed confidential Department of Social Services (DSS) records pertaining to an undisclosed minor and other matters. The judge ruled that some of the DSS records may be disclosed to David & Co. for purposes of his criminal trial only. Some of the records, however, will not be handed over to David, his attorney or experts.
The Superior Court judge also conducted what is called an “in-camera review” of the DSS records. In an in-camera review, the judge reviews confidential/sensitive records alone, often in their private chambers, to determine what information can be revealed publicly and who– if anyone– can use the information from those documents in their case.
The judge ruled that some of the DSS records can be given to David’s legal team to help them prep their case. However, the remainder of the records involving the minor (whom we can assume is Jace) and other people are not allowed to be released to David’s attorney, their experts or the public.
As ‘Teen Mom’ fans know, David received the serious charges in 2023 and 2024 after Jace told police in October 2023 that he ran away from Jenelle and David’s home on The Land because David allegedly assaulted him. He was first charged with Child Abuse, but then had the felony “Assault by Strangulation” charge added in 2024 after it was revealed that physical marks were present on Jace after the alleged attack.
“[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 released in January 2024 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.”
David has long denied that he physically hurt Jace. In March, David gave his version of events regarding the incident in his response to Jenelle’s February 2024 divorce complaint. (This response was for David’s civil case— the divorce— and not his criminal case for the incident with Jace, just to clarify.)
“It is admitted that the minor child [Jace] has behavioral issues and mental instabilities and has threatened to harm himself and others and runs away from [Jenelle’s] home on a frequent basis,” David response reads. “It is further admitted that [David] has had to constrain [Jace] from time to time in the past due to the minor child carrying around weapons in his pockets and continuously attempting to run away from the care of [Jenelle].”
David admitted in his court documents that the Department of Social Services (DSS) did open a case with the Easons after the incident with Jace. (The Ashley reported this at the time, despite Jenelle denying her report.)
“DSS got involved due to [Jace’s] allegations against [David] but DSS has since closed and dismissed the case,” David wrote.
At this time, it is unknown how many days David’s trial will last. The Ashley will continue to update this story. Stay tuned…
