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Derrick Evans (politician)

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Derrick Evans
File:Derrick Evans (West Virginia politician).jpg
Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
from the 19th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 1, 2020
Preceded byRobert Thompson, Kenneth Hicks
Personal details
Born1986 (age 37–38)
Political partyRepublican (2016–present)
Other political
affiliations
Alma materWest Liberty University

Derrick Evans (born 1986) is a Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates for the 19th District, which encompasses part of Wayne County.[1] He had previously stood for the same seat in 2016, placing sixth out of seven in the Democratic primary before running in the general election as a Libertarian. He was elected as a Republican to represent the two-member House District 19 in 2020, alongside Democratic candidate Ric Griffith.

Biography

Derrick Evans represents the 19th district from his hometown of Prichard, West Virginia.[2] He assumed office on December 1, 2020. His current term ends on November 30, 2022.

Before attaining elected office, he was known as a local anti-abortion protester. Evans' harassment led a woman to file for and receive a restraining order over "alleged stalking and repeated threats of bodily injury," an order which Evans subsequently violated.[3]

Evans was embroiled in controversy during his campaign stemming from his membership in a Facebook group chat in which homophobic and Islamophobic language was used. Fellow Delegate John Mandt, an alleged participant in the group chat, claimed that the messages attributed to him were fabricated but nonetheless announced his resignation. Evans not only confirmed his own participation in the group chat, but said that he stood by his comments calling Nihad Awad a "terrorist."[4]

On January 6, 2021, during the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, Evans filmed himself among the rioters who breached the U.S. Capitol.[5][6][7] Social media posts by Evans depict him traveling to Washington, D.C. with a busload of fellow Trump supporters, none of whom were wearing face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] During part of a video that he uploaded to the internet and then deleted, Evans can be heard shouting "We're in! We're in! Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!"[7] Evans subsequently denied involvement in any destruction of property which took place during the riot, claiming that he was "simply there as an independent member of the media to film history."[9] His actions were condemned by West Virginia House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, West Virginia House Minority Leader Doug Skaff, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, and West Virginia Governor Jim Justice.[7][9]

References

  1. ^ "West Virginia House of Delegates". West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved January 7, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "W.Va. House 19 candidate: Derrick Evans (R)". The Herald-Dispatch. October 2, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Carballo, Rebecca (June 4, 2019). "Document: Anti-abortion protester violates restraining order from Charleston clinic worker". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  4. ^ Stuck, Taylor; Pierson, Lacie (October 3, 2020). "Mandt resigns, says homophobic social media messages were fabricated". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  5. ^ "West Virginia lawmaker among rioters in Capitol". Politico. Associated Press. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Robertson, Campbell (January 6, 2021). "West Virginia Lawmaker Among Those Who Stormed U.S. Capitol". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 7, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ a b c McElhinny, Brad (January 6, 2021). "W.Va. delegate, just sworn in, was among the mob storming U.S. Capitol". West Virginia MetroNews. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  8. ^ Dill, Cuneyt (January 7, 2021). "West Virginia delegate records himself storming U.S. Capitol". Associated Press. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Stowers, Shannon; Urbanski, Rachel (January 6, 2021). "W.Va. delegate issues statement after protest videos; state leaders react". WCHS-TV. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
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