Who is Reid Watts? 3 men arrested for horrific assault on Alabama teenager at Rock the South music festival
CULLMAN, ALABAMA: An Alabama youngster was viciously attacked by a group of men on Saturday night at a country music festival, leaving him unconscious with a fractured nose. Reid Watts, 18, was at the Rock the South music festival with some pals when a concertgoer accused him of spilling a drink on them. This led to the youngster being attacked by a gang of "30- to 40-year-old" men, who then beat him up.
Three adult men have been detained for the assault, as reported by Daily Mail. On Wednesday, July 26, Cullman police announced that William Joseph Vinson Jr, 20, Zachary Scott Taylor, 21, and Chance Marcus Alan Starling, 20, had been detained on Tuesday night in connection with the weekend assault of 18-year-old Watts. A group of men was seen repeatedly hitting Watts on the event's video.
The three men are currently charged with second-degree assault, a crime that carries a possible 10-year prison term. Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker indicated that their cases will be brought before the grand jury of Cullman County at a later time. By Wednesday morning, Vinson, Starling, and Taylor had all bonded out.
Who is Reid Watts?
Reid Watts was left unconscious by the attack at the music festival in Alabama. Watts also sustained a broken nose and had to be taken urgently to a nearby hospital. His mother posted a picture of her son with swollen eyes and a neck brace, saying that her son was sent to the hospital right away to be treated for several wounds, including a fractured nose, a concussion, and "knots the size of softballs on the back of his head." Following the news release, Watts' mother, Kaci Howard, used social media to brand the attackers as "cowards."
Watts attended the music concert along with some of his friends and his girlfriend Katie Hudgins on Saturday, July 22. He has been recovering at home after being discharged from the hospital. Watts stated, "I’m all right, and it could’ve been a lot worse." The festival's organizers referred to the offenders as "gutless cowards," but they also thanked everyone for sharing their stories and images.
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What happened to Reid Watts?
As mentioned, Watts was at Rock the South with a group of pals when a concertgoer accused him of spilling a drink on them, which ultimately led to the youngster being beaten up. Watts claimed he tried to diffuse the tension and the two apparently shook hands, but a short time later, as some of his friends were leaving to use the restroom, he was struck from behind.
Watts recalled to WBMA, "Some dude said I was spilling beer on him or something along those things, and then I talked to him because I didn’t have a drink on me at the time, like I didn’t have anything, I talked to him and shook his hand because I thought everything was okay because I explained to him it wasn’t me. Then a few minutes later, I was walking back and got hit in the back of the head, then I hit the ground and tried to cover my face, then I got knocked out and that was really all I remember."
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Katie Hudgins, Watts' girlfriend, claimed that witnessing the men beat up her boyfriend in front of her and even rob the helpless teenager left her frightened. When Watts' mother pleaded for assistance in identifying her son's attackers, she said that the fight wasn't broken up until festival security grabbed the teenager and hurried him outside. "It was horrible, I’m traumatized, I felt so helpless because I couldn’t get in there and get to him and I had to sit there and watch him get beat up while he’s unconscious, it’s horrible," Hudgins said.