Three Men Arrested Following Rock the South Assault
Authorities arrested three men involved in an assault incident that took place at Rock the South in Cullman last weekend.
The Cullman Police Department announced on Sunday via a Facebook post that they were investigating the incident and called for help from the public. "We are relying on the public's assistance in identifying those involved," the post said.
Previous reporting on the incident said that 18-year-old Reid Watts was left hospitalized after experiencing attacks from multiple other concertgoers.
A video from the event was captured. The following video is graphic, viewer discretion is advised.
On Wednesday morning, the Cullman County Police Department held a press conference announcing that three individuals had been arrested in connection to the assault.
Police Chief David Nassetta explained that identifying the three men was a joint effort. "A good deal of the investigation involved help from the public via social media in naming the individuals who [the public] recognized on video," Nassetta said.
Nassetta explained that after getting a rough idea of who the men were, they "took a couple days to confirm" this information. Then on Tuesday, Nassetta reported that warrants were obtained by lunchtime and around 5:30 p.m. all three individuals were placed under arrest.
Nassetta revealed that the men were charged with assault in the second degree, which is a class C felony. He also reported that all three had posted bond.
The Cullman Police Department identified the three men as William Vinson Jr, 20, Zachary Taylor, 21 and Chance Starling, 20.
The Rock the South organization expressed their gratitude to the public on Facebook after the suspects were arrested.
District Attorney Champ Crocker, who also spoke at the press conference, emphasized the fact that the prosecution is in the early stages. "At some point in the future these cases will be presented to a grand jury," said Crocker.
Crocker explained that the grand jury would then decide whether to sustain the chargers or amend them.
"We will continue to work diligently along with our law enforcement," Crocker said.