Under an arcane provision of Alabama law, former federal law-enforcement agent David A. Evans Sr. was set to be appointed a special coroner of Mobile County on Friday, April 14, enabling him to assume the duties of sheriff — a post vacated by former Sheriff Jack S. Tillman in the wake of his guilty plea to misdemeanors connected to his operation of the department, sources reported.
An Unusual Path to the Office
Evans, 68, had served six and a half years with the U.S. Customs Service and 15 years with the U.S. Secret Service, switching to Customs in order to remain in Mobile after Secret Service superiors directed his transfer to Washington. Mobile County Probate Judge Don Davis was to make the appointment, much as he had earlier named Mobile attorney Chuck Miller a special coroner to serve Tillman with his indictment. The mechanism was necessary because Mobile had abolished the office of coroner nearly two decades earlier in favor of a more highly qualified medical examiner.
Evans was expected to serve until the Republican nominee for sheriff was determined in that year’s elections; the GOP primary was set for June 6, with five Republicans and five Democrats seeking the office. Evans said he was neutral in the contest and that any pay tied to the appointment had not been discussed. He asked that fuller comment wait until the appointment became official, though he generally confirmed the report.
A Life of Service
Evans and his wife, Elizabeth, lived near Fowl River in south Mobile County and held leadership positions at Westminster Presbyterian Church. A former chairman of the Mobile County Republican Executive Committee, Evans remained active with the Fowl River Volunteer Fire District, still responding to calls — “too many brush fires recently,” he noted. A native of Baltimore raised in Atlanta, he had a son, David “Skip” Evans Jr., a detective sergeant with the Mobile Police Department.
How Tillman’s Tenure Ended
Tillman had stepped down earlier that week, short of completing his third term, as the result of a plea bargain. A Mobile County grand jury had indicted him the previous April on two counts of perjury, one count of using his office for personal gain and two counts of theft, following a bitter dispute with District Attorney John Tyson Jr. over the jail food fund and a law-enforcement seminar managed by his sister-in-law, Brenda Pate. A former professional boxer, Tillman had been elected sheriff in 1994 after 16 years as a school resource officer, and his decision not to seek a fourth term had drawn 10 candidates into the race.
Also Noted
Experienced criminal defense attorney Neil Hanley joined the team defending Gordon Waller, who had resigned as executive director of the Alabama Safety Institute amid charges that he extorted sex from a young man by using his influence to keep the man out of jail. Hanley would assist attorney Claude Boone in the case.