Bond was denied a defendant facing charges for an April assault after allegedly setting the victim on fire following an argument.
Roger Cecil Evans, 51, was in Jones County Superior Court Sept. 10 in an action listed as a criminal motion for a bond hearing. Evans was represented in the motion by Defense Attorney Hoganne A. Harrison-Walton, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Cara Fiore. Superior Court Judge Stephen Bradley heard the motion. Evans was arrested and charged with aggravated assault April 30 and was indicted by a Jones County Grand Jury June 5 on charges of aggravated assault family violence and aggravated battery family violence.
Evans has been held without bond since his arrest.
Fiore styled the case for the court, stating that Evans took the victim to the hospital for treatment of her burns after he set her on fire. The prosecutor said there was a witness to the events prior to the assault.
“The victim has been able to confirm Mr. Evans set her on fire,” Fiore added.
Harrison-Walton said she was announcing ready for trial, but another Jones County case had priority for the next trial term.
Fiore said she spoke to law enforcement, and the case should be tried at the September or October trial weeks.
After hearing the arguments of both attorneys, Brady denied the motion for bond.
An article about the assault in The Jones County News stated that the report of the April 24 assault was not received by the Jones County Sheriff’s Office until days after the victim was taken for treatment at the burn center in Augusta.
In his report about Evan’s arrest, JCSO Investigator John Simmons stated he received information regarding the April 24 incident from a caller who advised him Evans had set the victim on fire before taking her to the emergency room.
Simmons said he received multiple other calls from people connecting Evans to the crime but did not locate a witness to the event until April 29.
The witness said she was at the Fox Road residence when Evans asked her to take him to get some gas for a generator that was powering the house. The witness complied. While they were at the store, she said Evans withdrew $100 from the victim’s bank account. The victim received an alert on her phone and immediately called Evans.
The witness said the victim and Evans started arguing as soon as they arrived back at the residence. She said Evans had the gas can in his hand and threw gas all over the front of the victim and started threatening her with a lighter. The witness was outside the house when she heard the victim screaming for help. When she got inside the house, Evans had put the fire out with a blanket. They put the victim in the witness’ truck and took her to the hospital.
The witness said she heard Evans call 911 to report he would be speeding to the hospital but declined an ambulance.
Simmons said the victim reportedly has third-degree burns from her neck to her knees.
