District Attorney Vern Pierson
announces the conviction of Matthew Gray Evans for Assault with a Deadly Weapon
and Petty Theft after he was found guilty by a South Lake Tahoe jury on Tuesday
October 4, 2016. The jury comprised of
eight men and four women, heard evidence and argument over the course of four
days.
On May 24, 2016 the defendant entered
the Safeway gas station on Lake Tahoe Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe and physically
confronted the clerk before leaving with a few stolen items. An hour later, the
defendant was found at a local community college yelling profanities and was confronted
by campus security. The defendant continued
to shout profanities and threats, threw rocks, and eventually pulled out a
knife with an eight inch blade, threatening the campus security officers.
The defendant now faces up to four years
in state prison. He will be sentenced on November 11, 2016. District Attorney Vern Pierson stated, “Criminals
who use deadly weapons while committing their crimes are among the most
dangerous to the citizens of El Dorado County and to the law enforcement and
security officials who must confront them. We are committed to insuring the aggressive investigation and prosecution
of weapons cases and to holding all perpetrators of these crimes
accountable."