3 charged with assault in ‘absolutely meaningless’ Rock the South attack
A trio of men are facing assault charges in the wake of a vicious attack Saturday at Cullman’s annual Rock the South country music event.
Cullman Police Chief David Nassetta said Wednesday that all three are charged with second degree assault, which is a Class-C felony. If found guilty, that charge can lead to a prison sentence between one and 10 years.
Arrested are:
- William Joseph Vincent Jr., 20, of Harvest
- Zachary Scott Taylor, 21, of Athens
- Chance Marcus Allen Starling, 20, of Toney
Nassetta said the public’s help was instrumental in finding those responsible for the attack, which was captured on video and widely shared on social media.
“We had the video, which was a great help, and the people who looked at the video and gave us an idea of the people involved,” Nassetta said.
The victim and suspects did not know one other.
“This was a frivolous, meaningless thing,” Nassetta said, and nothing can really justify such an attack.
Now it’s up to a grand jury to reduce or upgrade the charges, said Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker.
“I can’t prosecute any felony in this county unless a grand jury gives me permission to do so,” Crocker said. “These cases will be presented to a grand jury, and they can stay the charges we currently have or they can amend the charges. We’re very early in this process but will continue to work diligently along with law enforcement.”
Rock the South owner and producer Nathan Ball said this year’s Rock the South event welcomed nearly 105,000 people to Cullman, and hundreds of law enforcement and first responders were on site for the entire event. This year’s event was the largest ever, and also saw the fewest arrests.
That’s why this announcement is so important, Ball said.
“Moving forward, we hope this sad and disappointing incident is a reminder that this time of behavior will never happen again at Rock the South,” Ball said.
The event will be returning next year, no question, Ball said.
