The sealed indictment was handed down on Sept. 10 and charges Rodney Evans with DUI, a misdemeanor. The charge stems from an off-duty wreck in which Evans, 35, was injured on May 20, 2008.
According to reports from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Evans was driving west Tuesday on state Highway 63 in Claiborne County around 7 p.m. when he topped a hill and apparently lost control of his 1999 Dodge 2500 pickup, which was hauling a trailer and a boat.
The truck veered to the right and swiped a guardrail, then crossed the road, hit a guardrail and rolled over, according to the THP.
Evans was transported via medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he went through surgery for both legs.
Evans has worked for THP since July 2000, according to state Department of Safety spokesman Mike Browning. His most recent patrol assignment was in Campbell County, part of the Knoxville district.
“Trooper Evans was recommended for termination July 23, 2008, by Colonel Mike Walker for “conduct unbecoming”,” said Browning, adding, “On August 20th, 2008, a minimum due process hearing upheld that termination.”
Evans is still appealing to the Fourth Level Hearing, which is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 25.
According to Jared Effler with the District Attorney General’s office for the 8th Judicial District, the indictment was sealed until Evans was served. Evans’ attorney, T. Scott Jones of Knoxville, represented Evans in court at his arraignment on Sept. 15.
“This is a tragic situation for everyone involved,” Jones said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “We think the proof will bear out a different result than what he’s been indicted for.”
Another hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 3.
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