A man from Belleville, Illinois, has been charged with assaulting a woman on the grounds of Gateway Arch National Park. Darrion Lamont Evans, 20, was indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on one count of assault by strangulation and two counts of interstate domestic violence. The charges include allegations that he assaulted the victim after causing her to travel across state lines.
Evans appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charges. The indictment claims that he strangled the victim, whom he had been dating, on April 28, 2025.
A motion filed in court requests that Evans be held in jail until trial. It alleges that he took the victim from Belleville to the Arch grounds without her knowledge or consent and then assaulted her. According to the motion, National Park Rangers discovered the victim in a vehicle parked on a service road following the incident.
The charges presented are accusations and do not serve as proof of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Each charge carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.
The investigation was conducted by the National Park Service, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag handling prosecution duties.
