Husband of former ‘Teen Mom 2’ star will not face animal cruelty charges, sheriff’s office says

COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - David Eason, the husband of former Teen Mom 2 star Jenelle Evans, will not face animal cruelty charges for allegedly shooting and killing a family dog, the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.

The sheriff’s office said Evans told investigators she made up a story about her husband shooting their dog, Nugget, for publicity.

Officials say an investigation was launched on May 1 after Jennelle Evans reported that her dog bit her daughter, leaving a scratch on her face. She then told officials David Eason threw the dog outside then later went outside and shot the dog. She said she did not witness the shooting but heard a gunshot.

The sheriff’s office executed a search warrant of the Eason residence on Money Hole Road on May 13. During the search, no weapons were located and investigators found “no blood evidence or any other physical evidence to validate that an animal had been fatally injured on the property.”

On May 14, Jenelle Evans was interviewed by investigators and said she didn’t hear anything that indicated that the dog had been shot. She said she didn’t know the location of the dog.

“Jenelle stated that the reason she filed the animal cruelty report was for the publicity and because she did not know where her dog was,” the news release states. “The evidence collected indicates that the allegations of animal cruelty were fabricated. Therefore, Columbus County Sheriff’s Office is closing this investigation. No charges will be filed in this case.”

The Columbus County Animal Shelter has been bombarded with thousands of calls from “Teen Mom 2” fans about the incident.

TMZ reported in May that MTV was cutting ties with Evans after the dog was allegedly killed.

Here is the release from the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office in full:

On May 1, 2019, Columbus County Sheriff’s Office and Columbus County Animal Control initiated a joint investigation into allegations of animal cruelty that reportedly occurred at a residence on Money Hole Road in Riegelwood. Jenelle Eason contacted Columbus County Sheriff’s Office by public service. Eason advised that on April 29th, at approximately 6:30 pm, her dog bit her daughter, leaving a scratch on her face. Eason advised that her husband, David Eason, threw the dog outside. She then advised that after David realized that the dog scratched their child, he went outside and shot the dog. During this conversation, Jenelle stated that she did hear a gunshot but did not witness the incident.

On May 1, 2019, Columbus County Sheriff’s Office visited David Eason at his residence on Money Hole Road. The responding deputy was following up on a previous welfare check request on a child at that residence. While at the residence, the deputy also communicated with Eason in reference to the animal cruelty allegations. The deputy witnessed a juvenile at the residence that appeared to be in good health. A Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigator attempted to make contact with Jenelle by visiting her at her residence. The investigator was unable to make contact with her in person. A message was left on her voicemail. David reached out to the investigator and advised that he and Jenelle were meeting with their attorney at the end of the week. The investigator attempted to contact Jenelle on the day they reportedly met with their attorney. However, again, she did not answer the phone.

During the evening hours of May 13th, Columbus County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the Eason residence located on Money Hole Road. The Eason’s did not have prior notice of the search. The Columbus County Department of Social Services accompanied the Sheriff’s Office to serve four custody orders. At the initiation of the search, no one was home. Contact was made with David and he advised he would arrive shortly. Upon arrival, David willfully signed a consent to search form. Columbus County Sheriff’s Office conducted a search of the residence and property. No weapons were located inside of the residence or on the property. Investigators processed the residence and the property, locating no blood evidence or any other physical evidence to validate that an animal had been fatally injured on the property. Jenelle was not present during the search. On May 14th, Jenelle and David were at the Columbus County Department of Social Services in reference to their children. Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigators met with Jenelle in reference to the allegations she reported. David was not present during this meeting. Jenelle was questioned concerning the incident she reported to Columbus County Sheriff’s Office. Jenelle’s accounts were inconsistent with her original account of the events that occurred on April 29th. Jenelle advised that she was inside with her children at the time of the alleged event. She advised that she never heard or saw anything to indicate that David shot her dog. Jenelle advised that she did not want the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office or the District Attorney’s Office to continue with the investigation. Jenelle advised that this was her decision that she made on her own free will. She advised that she was not coerced into making this decision. Jenelle advised that “she don’t know where the dog is”. She also advised that “I don’t know if she was shot or killed or not”. Jenelle stated that the reason she filed the animal cruelty report was for the publicity and because she did not know where her dog was. Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigators located no physical evidence to substantiate that the allegations against David Eason are factual. The evidence collected indicates that the allegations of animal cruelty were fabricated. Therefore, Columbus County Sheriff’s Office is closing this investigation. No charges will be filed in this case.

Columbus County Sheriff’s Office has dedicated many hours investigating the reported allegations. Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, along with Columbus Central, the District Attorney’s Office, Columbus County Department of Social Services and Columbus County Animal Control were inundated with phone calls and emails concerning this investigation due to social media posts advising the public to contact the above agencies. The quantity of calls and emails that the Sheriff’s Office and the above agencies received were so abundant that individuals had to be removed from their normal duties to answer thousands of redundant calls. This slowed the progress of the investigation, and delayed normal daily operations. Social media can be a great tool when utilized for positive interactions. In this case, social media posts were utilized to incite follower’s emotions to gain publicity. Sheriff Greene and Columbus County Sheriff’s Office were quoted in numerous social media posts. However, the “quoted” statements were never made by Sheriff Greene or Columbus County Sheriff’s Office. We must remember that reality television and tabloid journalism are for entertainment purposes only.

In a separate incident, on May 15, 2019, Columbus County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the Eason residence. The Eason’s received an envelope in the mail, hand addressed from the Brunswick County Clerk. When David Eason began opening the envelope, a white powder substance fell out of the envelope. The substance was tested and did not test positive for narcotics or other harmful substances. This investigation has been closed. All leads in this case have been exhausted.

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