Stewardson Man Found Guilty of Attempted Murder

Chance Evans, age 23, of Stewardson was found guilty of several charges on Monday, November 7th following a bench trial. Evans was found guilty of  Attempted Murder with a Firearm, a Class X Felony with a sentencing range of 26 to 50 years in prison; Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, a Class 1 Felony with a sentencing range of 4 to 15 years in prison; and Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon, a Class 4 Felony with a sentencing range of 1 to 3 years in prison. The Attempted Murder with a Firearm charge is a Truth-in-Sentencing offense that must be served at 85%. Day for day credit does not apply.

Evans will be sentenced on January 5, 2023 at 1:15 pm. The case was prosecuted by Shelby County State’s Attorney Nichole Kroncke with Brad Rau, Sr. defending. Judge Amanda Ade-Harlow presided over the trial and rendered the guilty verdicts.

The offenses go back to an April 12, 2022, incident when Evans was traveling in the passenger seat of his girlfriend’s SUV as she drove to Phillips 66 on Route 32 in Stewardson. There, he encountered an Effingham man with whom he had a long-time dispute with. The Effingham man was driving a 2009 Saturn and was traveling with his girlfriend and two children, ages 6 and 7, to Shelbyville to fish for the afternoon. Evans’ girlfriend testified that he directed her to follow the victim’s vehicle after the two exchanged hostile words in the parking lot. Evans’ girlfriend followed the vehicle north onto Route 32 and west onto Mode Road. While traveling on Mode Road, Evans’ girlfriend pulled up alongside the victim’s vehicle and Evans and the victim began yelling at one another. After the victim threw a beverage at the Evans’ vehicle, striking it, Evans retrieved a 38 caliber revolver from the center console of the SUV and fired one round at the victim. The bullet lodged inside of the A-Pillar of the vehicle, shattering part of the windshield and missing the driver by inches. Evans and his girlfriend then fled the scene. They were apprehended later that night by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office who also located a box of 38 caliber unspent ammunition in their vehicle. The firearm was never recovered.

The incident was witnessed by a driver traveling west on Mode Road, who observed the vehicles in her rearview mirror. The witness testified that she observed the cars traveling next to one another at a high rate of speed, saw a liquid beverage explode, and observed an outstretched arm from the passenger’s window of Evans’ vehicle. She did not know that a firearm was discharged until a later date when a family member heard about the occurrence on the news. The witness then called the police and reported her observations. The witness’ version of events at trial corroborated the testimony of the victim, his girlfriend, and the defendant’s girlfriend.

Evans testified at trial that the firearm was accidentally discharged during a physical struggle with his girlfriend, wherein he attempted to remove the firearm from her grasp. When questioned why he gave a different version of events to law enforcement on the night of his arrest, he claimed that he was threatened into falsely stating that he fired the handgun to protect his girlfriend. When asked how the officers allegedly threatened him, Evans responded that the officers coerced him by offering him multiple cans of Dr. Pepper to drink. During the course of the trial, Evans requested that corrections officers handcuff him while the victim testified. He stated that the victim was making obscene gestures while testifying, by rubbing his middle finger on his face, causing Evans to react with anger. Once the victim’s testimony was concluded, he requested the removal of his handcuffs.