CONWAY -- A judge has rescheduled the misdemeanor battery trial of a former Faulkner County sheriff's deputy who was fired for his actions during the arrest of a Conway man last year.
Eugene Watlington, 43, of Vilonia will go on trial in Faulkner County District Court at 1 p.m. Sept. 16.
White County District Judge Mark Derrick is presiding over the case. Faulkner County's two district judges recused.
The trial previously was set for Aug. 26.
Watlington has pleaded innocent to the charge. It relates to the May 4, 2015, arrest of Harvey Martin III, 46, of Conway after a high-speed car chase between Mayflower and Conway. Video footage from a body camera worn by a Mayflower police officer at the scene showed Watlington kicking Martin even though Watlington didn't appear to be helping with the arrest.
Andy Shock, the Faulkner County sheriff at the time, later fired Watlington for using "excessive force." Shock has since left the sheriff's office to take a position on the Arkansas Board of Parole.
Martin was treated for minor injuries and released from a Conway hospital's emergency room.
State Desk on 08/04/2016