Two weeks ago we reported that multiple charges were forthcoming in the case of Heidi Todd, the curly-headed four-year-old girl who was kidnapped from her family’s Johns Island, South Carolina residence during a brutal home invasion last month.
Today those charges were filed …
Ex-convict Thomas Lawton Evans stands accused of attacking Todd’s mother at random on the morning of February 13 – savagely beating the woman to within an inch of her life. In addition to a litany of state charges, he is also facing federal kidnapping charges for abducting Todd in the aftermath of the assault.
Todd’s disappearance prompted a statewide search. Miraculously, the little girl was found alive two states away in Riverside, Alabama – a town of roughly 2,200 people located in St. Clair County.
Local police were notified by railway workers of a “suspicious vehicle near a wooded area.” They found Todd inside the car – a stolen Chevrolet Impala – and were able to retrieve her from the vehicle. Evans escaped, however, leading police on a high speed chase that ended in Lauderdale, Mississippi – where the stolen vehicle he was driving collided with a tree.
News of Todd’s recovery was exclusively reported by this news site.
Evans was released from the custody of the S.C. Department of Corrections (SCDC) on February 1 – three-and-a-half weeks before his scheduled release date of February 26.
In other words, he should have still been behind bars for his previous crime.
During his period of incarceration, Evans racked up numerous disciplinary offenses – including possession of a weapon. Two months ago, he was involved in a violent incident in which he held his cellmate hostage.
Our guess? He’ll be behind bars for the rest of his life when S.C. ninth circuit solicitor Scarlett Wilson is finished with him.
According to a news release from the city of Charleston, Evans has been charged with attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping, criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, armed robbery, burglary in the first degree and possession of a deadly weapon during a violent crime.
He is currently being held at the Al Cannon detention center … where he awaits a hearing on these charges.
It’s obviously too early to speculate on how these charges relate to the narrative of this crime – or whether Evans will face additional charges as we learn more about that narrative. Again, at this point we’re focused less on that and more on keeping Todd and her family in our thoughts and prayers as they recover from this traumatic ordeal.
Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have been leading the investigation into this case with assistance from Charleston police officers and investigators with the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
We will obviously keep our readers in the loop as more information becomes available …
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