Five Months After The Fact David Eason Finally Confirmed He Killed Nugget
Jenelle Evans and David Eason might be moving on with their lives, but everyone is still talking about Nugget. Nugget, the family’s dog, was killed after an alleged attack on the couple’s 2-year-old child. In the days and weeks that followed, Evans’ life completely crumbled around her. Initially supportive, fans turned on Evans when she made the decision to return to Eason and remain married, even after the authorities removed her children from the home. Now Eason is speaking out about the incident, and he’s still trying to justify the death of the family pet.
David Eason tried to justify his actions
Sitting down with People for an interview, Eason confirmed that he did, in fact, kill Nugget. In the weeks following the dog’s death, there was some uncertainty around whether Nugget was dead or just missing. Police even went so far as to claim Evans had staged the entire incident for publicity.
Eason has since confirmed the dog’s death but went on to attempt to justify his actions. He told People, “This was something that nobody wants to ever have to do. The dog was aggressive. Yes, she might not be huge or whatever, but you know when a dog bites a child on the face more than one time, then it should never be around the child again,”
The 31-year-old father of three also claims he didn’t give the dog away because he feared the animal would once again be around children. Teen Mom 2 fans, however, aren’t buying his story.
Does the law state that a dog must be euthanized after a bite?
Eason attempted to further justify his actions by suggesting the dog would have been euthanized by authorities, anyway. Is he correct? Not exactly. North Carolina, the state in which Evans and Eason reside, is known as a “one free bite” state. In short, an animal gets a “free pass” for their first bite. This means that a dog will not be taken or euthanized for their first attack.
According to Brent Adams and Associates, an owner is also not liable for the first attack in many cases. If the dog is labeled as a dangerous dog or of a breed trained explicitly for fighting, the rules are different. Since Nugget, a 12-pound French bulldog, had no history of dangerous behavior, at least as far as the law is concerned, the authorities were unlikely to remove the dog from the property. Animal control most assuredly would not have chosen to euthanize the pet.
Eason has caught even more backlash from fans after his statements, because of the video he originally shared about the incident. In the video, Ensley can be seen crowding the animal. She is also shown virtually crawling on top of the dog. The picture of Ensley’s face that Eason shared showed no damaged skin nor teeth marks, indicating that the dog didn’t bite the child at all. The posts have since been removed.
What backlash did the couple receive?
Eason’s actions cost his family big. Not only was Evans unceremoniously ousted from her high-paying reality TV gig, but she was all but blacklisted from the entertainment industry. The couple also lost custody of their three children for several months. The three children were in the home at the time of the incident.
Kaiser Griffin, Evan’s son from a previous relationship, was removed from the home first. He was placed with his paternal grandmother. Shortly thereafter, Maryssa Eason, David’s 11-year-old daughter from a prior marriage, was removed and placed with her maternal grandmother. Ensley Eason, the only child the couple shares, was placed in the care of Barbara Evans. The children were returned to Evans and Eason on July 3, in a shocking decision by a newly appointed judge.
The couple has also weathered severe social media backlash, and several of their budding businesses have been thwarted. Evans’ makeup launch party was canceled by the venue she had booked when they learned of her connection to Eason. Her website was also commandeered by an animal rights group after fans noticed the lease had expired.
