Allen County, Indiana — Prosecutors have charged a new sixth suspect in connection with a viral video of a beating in late May at a bar just outside Fort Wayne.
According to Allen Superior Court documents, Vard A. Warnock, 58, is charged with battery resulting in bodily injury, a Level 5 felony and a Class B misdemeanor. Warnock is one of six people charged with the beating at Pikes Pub, which sparked public outrage and responses from city, county, and federal officials.
Investigators described Warnock as having a handlebar mustache, and court documents show him wearing “Outlaw” attire in the video, a reference to the Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
On June 13 and 16, police received calls from two witnesses identifying Warnock as one of the men seen on video punching and kicking the victim, James Simmons III.
The other five men accused of the attack are Jerrad Impton, Ryan Minick, Justin Wert, Christopher Yoho, and Douglas Zuber.
Aside from Warnock, who had not been booked into the Allen County Jail as of Wednesday afternoon, the other suspects had their initial hearings in the case.
On June 12, prosecutors charged another man as the sixth suspect, but the charges were dropped the next day, and the Allen County Sheriff’s Department no longer considers him a suspect in the investigation.
The Allen County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI are investigating the incident.
