A man is facing charges of simple assault in connection with the death of a 25-year-old who was struck and killed by a vehicle in late December.
Garrett Pitts tragically lost his life after sustaining fatal injuries outside of John’s Bar and Grill in Forrest County.
John Folks, the owner of the bar and grill, was taken into custody on Friday morning just before lunch.
Folks faced charges of simple assault and was subsequently taken into custody at the Forrest County Jail.
According to witnesses at the bar on December 29th, law enforcement was informed that Folks had sprayed some sort of substance on a group of friends outside the bar.
Pitts was one of the individuals in the group.
Two criminal affidavits were signed by two of Pitts’ friends through the Forrest County Justice Court.
The affidavits provide a singular perspective, recounting their own versions of the events that transpired that night.
Both friends claimed that they had been subjected to a “pepper spray” attack outside the bar.
One affidavit stated, “Garrett backed up into the intersection with oncoming traffic, unable to see.”
Pitts lost his life in a tragic accident when a vehicle collided with him on U.S. 49.
Folks’ simple assault charge is connected to Pitts’ death, but it is specifically related to the incident that witnesses claim occurred before the accident.
