Evans named new district attorney

NAACP leaders praise Perdue's choice

Area NAACP leaders are lauding Gov. Bev Perdue for her appointment of N.C. District Court Judge Robert A. Evans to replace retiring District Attorney Howard Boney.

Perdue said Wednesday that Evans will take over operation of the Seventh Prosecutorial District beginning Friday.

Evans will be the first black district attorney ever sworn into office in Eastern North Carolina and just the second currently serving in the state.

Evans, appointed in 1999 as a district court judge in the Seventh Judicial District, could not be reached for comment. He takes over an office in which less than 0.5 percent of employees, including assistant prosecutors, are racial minorities.

“Beverly Perdue promised us change if we gave her a chance to serve the state as governor,” said Rocky Mount National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Andre Knight, who last week led the charge in calling Perdue to consider a black person for the appointment. “This is a good first step toward addressing historical inequities and making the best of every opportunity to move North Carolina toward a progressive future.”

Assistant District Attorney Keith Werner was thought to be a frontrunner for the appointment. He said he was disappointed he wasn’t selected to replace his boss, but he said Evans will make “a fine district attorney.”

Rocky Mount defense attorney Antonio Lawrence, who also interviewed with Perdue for the appointment, said he was glad when he heard Evans would be named to the position.

“Robert Evans (will) make an excellent district attorney,” Lawrence said. “He has excellent legal skills and is a former law partner of mine. He (will) serve with dignity and honor and (will) do an excellent job.”

The appointment of Evans came as a surprise to a few local legal officials, some of whom consider a judgeship a more prestigious office than district attorney. Regardless, the decision means Perdue will need to appoint a replacement for Evans on the bench in coming weeks. The process of replacing a district court judge is more complicated and requires the local bar association to name three candidates for the governor to choose from.

Evans is the area’s only black district court judge.

Rocky Mount Councilman Reuben Blackwell said he spoke in person with Perdue last week during a civil rights roundtable, at which time he urged her to consider diversity as an important qualification in her district attorney appointment. He said he hopes Perdue will continue her pledge to seek diversity as work begins to replace Evans.

“The numbers haven’t changed,” Blackwell said. “It’s my hope that this won’t be a one-for-one exchange. It should be our goal to seek diversity in every aspect of our judicial system.”

Evans, a Rocky Mount native, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and law degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. He practiced law in Rocky Mount from 1977 to 1999.

Evans is former president of the Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce and serves on numerous boards, including the Board of Trustees at N.C. Wesleyan College.

Boney announced earlier this month he would retire at the end of April, leaving the office open until the term expires in 2010, thus requiring Perdue to name a replacement.

“Judge Evans has the respect and confidence of the public, law enforcement and attorneys in the seventh district,” Perdue said in a written statement. “The citizens of Edgecombe, Nash and Wilson counties will be well-served and should have every confidence that justice will be administered fairly by District Attorney Evans.”