Bond reduced, charges updated for Rawlings Jr.

Eric Rawlings, Jr., charged with the alleged kidnapping of two children from Vicksburg, was granted a bond reduction on Wednesday. The bond, originally set at $400,000, has been decreased to $20,000.

Rawlings’ bond was reduced when attorney Jerry Campbell went before Judge James Chaney. Rawlings was previosuly charged with kidnapping under MS Code § 97-3-53. His charges have been changed under statute MS Code § 97-3-51, Interstate removal of child under age 14 by noncustodial parent or relative. The new bond reflects $10,000 for each charge.

Eric Eugene Rawlings Jr.

In a court appearance on Sep. 28, Judge Angela Carpenter initially set Rawlings’ bond at $400,000, with each kidnapping charge accounting for $200,000. In a separate hearing, Ronneisha Evans faced charges before Vicksburg Municipal Court Judge Penny Lawson. She too had her bond set at $400,000, dividing equally between the two kidnapping charges. Evans is scheduled to appear before the next session of the grand jury.

Jerry Campbell, representing Evans, highlighted to the court that Evans is the mother of the two children. He argued that her actions shouldn’t be classified as kidnapping. Instead, he suggests that she may have merely failed to adhere to a court order.

Backing the charges against Evans, the prosecution emphasized to the court that the children were under the protective jurisdiction of the Youth Court. Evans is suspected to have taken the children to a different jurisdiction, where they were believed to meet Rawlings.

Rawlings is expected to bond out once paperwork is complete.