South Carolina Chamber of Commerce official arrested on sex charge

A Lowcountry antiques dealer arrested late last week over allegations of sexual misconduct with a young employee has resigned as chairman of the Walterboro-Colleton County Chamber of Commerce, his attorney said Monday.

David Alan Evans, 55, of Savage Street in Walterboro was jailed Friday on a charge of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

The accusation stemmed from a complaint by a juvenile who worked at Bachelor Hill Antiques, a shop Evans operates in Walterboro, according to an incident report. The alleged victim told Walterboro Public Safety officers that Evans forced oral sex on the juvenile after being told several times to stop, the report stated.

The attorney said the accuser had been fired before reporting the alleged incident to the police. Matthews would not say why the alleged victim was fired, but the attorney and her client planned to provide the authorities with documentation of the reasons, she said.

"This is a young man who (Evans) was trying to help and trying to work with," Matthews said. "We have no idea why this young man would come forward with these baseless accusations. ... All we can think of is retaliation."