Federal Judge Sentences Lexington Man To 15 Years For Engaging In Sexual Contact With A Minor In Indian Country

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Rogelia Vega Evans, 26, of Lexington, N.C. was sentenced today to 180 months in prison for engaging in sexual contact with a minor by force in Indian Country, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Upon his release from prison, Evans will be subject to a lifetime of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in North Carolina, and Chief Carla Neadeau of the Cherokee Indian Police Department join U.S. Attorney King in making today's announcement.

According to filed court documents and court proceedings, on or about June 18, 2022, Evans sexually abused a child under the age of 12. The minor victim is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band Cherokee Indians (EBCI), and the crime occurred in Indian country, within the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

On December 18, 2023, Evans pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual contact with a minor under the age of 12 by force.

Evans remains in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making today's announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI and the Cherokee Indian Police Department for their investigation of the case, and the High Point Police Department for its assistance with Evans's arrest.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.