It’s been more than two years since David Eason was charged with felony Assault by Strangulation and child abuse for allegedly assaulting Jenelle Evans‘ eldest son Jace in 2023, and, though things are moving slower than Jenelle trying to walk in “more classier court heels,” The Ashley can confirm that the case is moving forward.
An administrative hearing was held on February 12, but David wasn’t present.
“It was mentioned at the beginning that David was ‘excused’ from being there,” The Ashley’s court source tells her. (The Ashley can confirm that David was on his way to Las Vegas to see Jenelle and their daughter Ensley.)
The Ashley’s court source stated that David’s attorney, as well as the prosecuting attorneys, asked to move to the judge’s chambers. (Attorneys from both sides will meet in the judge’s chambers— or private office— to discuss things they don’t want to talk about in open court. This could be a plea agreement or other topics relating to the case.)
According to The Ashley’s court source, the attorneys emerged from the chambers after about two hours. They did not report anything in open court that was discussed in the private conference.
Another administrative hearing has been set for April 6.
As The Ashley has previously reported, David is currently facing two criminal charges that stem from an incident in September 2023 involving Jace, who was 14 at the time. Jace told authorities that he was allegedly assaulted by David. The fired ‘Teen Mom 2’ dad received the child abuse charge first and had the “Assault by Strangulation” charge added a few months later, due to physical injuries allegedly being present on Jace following the alleged assault.
David’s criminal trial was originally scheduled to start last month but was postponed for unknown reasons.
In June 2025, some major headway was made in David’s case when a Superior Court judge reviewed confidential Department of Social Services (DSS) records pertaining to an undisclosed minor and other matters. The judge ruled that some of the DSS records may be disclosed to David & Co. for purposes of his criminal trial only. Some of the records, however, would not be handed over to David, his attorney or experts.
The Superior Court judge also conducted what is called an “in-camera review” of the DSS records. In an in-camera review, the judge reviews confidential/sensitive records alone, often in their private chambers, to determine what information can be revealed publicly and who– if anyone– can use the information from those documents in their case.
A lot has changed in the two-and-a-half-years since the alleged incident between Jace and David. Jenelle and David split in February 2024 and Jenelle moved with all three of her kids to Las Vegas. Last summer, her divorce from David was finalized; however, last month the swampy soulmates rekindled their romance.
Jace, meanwhile, left Las Vegas and moved back to North Carolina to once again resume living with Jenelle’s mom Barbara. David is still restricted from being near Jace, due to a restraining order that was issued after the charges were filed. (An active restraining order still exists between Jenelle and David as well.)
Jenelle and David are due back in court in North Carolina next month, where permanent custody of their daughter Ensley is scheduled to be decided. However, it is unknown how their rekindling will affect that case.
The Ashley will update this story when more info is available.
RELATED STORY: Jenelle Evans Claims She & Ex-Husband David Eason Were Just “Co-Parenting” After Video of Them Getting Close In Car Is Released
(Photos: Instagram; TikTok)
7 Responses
It’s so weird how people always act like Jenelle can’t choose to be with David. It’s always worded by everyone like “he’s love bombing” and many other ways to say he manipulates her. She chose to be with him for a long time. Then she left and even divorced him. Moved away, dated others, it was done. Then she fought online over him for months. Called him when their daughter was ill, and they’ve been back at it since. She is not so stupid that she can’t decide to be with her ex husband. People always talking like David is so manipulative and so brain washing and Jenelle just walks around with air between her ears, drooling, and following anyone with a cookie is weird. So so weird.
Is it bad that I am sitting here debating whether or not Ensley would be in a better situation if she lived with our favorite “damn good mom,” Amber? I say this only half-kidding. *sigh*
She really is nothing but a piece of trash and she deserves David.
Ew, what?
Are they seriously back together? Does anyone know if she’s admitted to the “rekindling”?
She has not admitted to it, probably because she’s afraid of the backlash and public humiliation, but all the signs are there. David was seen at the Wilmington Airport last Wednesday or Thursday heading for Vegas. Jenelle tried to hide David’s huge dome in her Valentine’s dinner post, but it’s still pretty clear who she’s with.
And really, who’s surprised? This is the same thing she did when she was in Nashville. After dating a few guys & getting dumped, she invited David to TN “to visit Ensley”. Once he was there, he started the love bombing and in a few weeks she announced she was moving back to NC to reconcile with David, supposedly because she couldn’t afford to pay rent in TN and mortgage in NC. This time Jenelle got dumped by August & couldn’t get another guy to give her a second look, so she claimed Ensley was in the hospital & critically ill. She said she “allowed” David to visit his daughter because she was really sick and hospitalized. Funny how E was allegedly on her deathbed, but they were all out at a restaurant later the same day that David arrived, and he was filmed driving Jenelle’s car and holding her hand. My guess is that Jenelle & David had been texting and talking to one another for quite a while before this scheme to take E to the hospital so David had an excuse to visit. They both deserve each other. I feel for the kids and I really feel for the residents in Jenelle’s Vegas neighborhood who have no idea of the chaos they’re about to be thrown into once David & Jenelle start screaming, slamming doors, throwing things, doing burnouts in the street & repeated calling 911.
Nope. Still a lot of, “WE are co-parenting because *I* am a good mommy!!” “You all just don’t know what it is to have a healthy coparenting relationship!” “It’s for MY KIDS!” and… essentially “OUR EXES. IT WAS OUR EXES. Don’t listen to stories, THEY are crazy! you don’t know, only WE know!” (as though she hasn’t detailed it all online in real time the entire time.”
you know… the never-ending record repeats.