Kevan James Evans

On Monday afternoon, Derek Bos, sheriff’s office patrol commander, responded to a report of an armed man threatening people on the golf course west of Buena Vista.  Arriving in the area near the eighth green, Bos was confronted by a man who appeared intoxicated, yelling and swearing.  On a porch near where the man was standing was a rifle fitted with a large telescope.  Bos, fearing the man could be armed with a handgun, ordered him several times to show his hands.  The man refused to comply until finally, with the assistance of Buena Vista police officer Claudette Hysjulien, the man was forcibly restrained and taken into custody.  He was identified as Kevan James Evans, 40, who resides at the house on Fairway Drive where the incident occurred adjacent to the golf course.

Witnesses reported hearing Evans earlier swearing and gesturing, apparently having been in a domestic argument with someone who had left the area before the arrival of authorities.  One man, who had been golfing alone near the eighth green, reported that just before Bos’s arrival, Evans had picked up the rifle and aimed it directly at him, forcing the witness to retreat behind a tree in fear of his life.

After undergoing a medical clearance at Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, Evans was lodged in the Chaffee County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond.  He is charged with prohibited use of a weapon while intoxicated, possession of a weapon by a previous offender (Evans is on probation for a felony conviction in Summit County), felony menacing, and resisting arrest.                       

Evans’ rifle is a professional grade compressed air rifle that propels a .25 caliber lead pellet at a velocity of 900 feet per second, about the same as a .45 caliber handgun round.  The weapon was seized as evidence.