RALEIGH, N.C.  – Gov. Beverly Perdue has appointed a District Court judge to serve out the term of retiring District Attorney Howard Boney for three eastern North Carolina counties.

Perdue said Wednesday that Judge Robert Evans will become the top prosecutor for Nash, Wilson and Edgecombe counties starting Friday. Boney has held the job for more than 30 years.

Evans will serve-out Boney’s four-year term and could seek re-election next year.

The NAACP praised his appointment, noting that Evans will become one of only two blacks serving as district attorneys in the state.

Evans practiced law for 22 years in Rocky Mount before he was appointed to the bench in 1999. He attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a law degree at the University of Pennsylvania.