Former Ringgold High School football standout Martez Eastland was acquitted of eight felony charges on Friday afternoon, Sept. 28, in Catoosa County Superior Court following a two-day trial in which he was accused of allegedly assaulting four men with his vehicle during the summer of 2011.

Superior Court judge Ralph Van Pelt presided over the trial.

After a day and a half of testimony regarding 10 total charges, the case was turned over to a jury, which returned a verdict following a deliberation of approximately an hour and a half.

Eastland, 20, was found not guilty on four counts of aggravated assault and on four counts of aggressive driving. He was found guilty on charges of violating a limited driving permit and of interfering with government property.

The two guilty verdicts on the misdemeanor charges came as no surprise, as Eastland openly admitted guilt to both crimes during the trial.

The two-day trial stemmed from an incident that took place on Tuesday, July 12, 2011, in which the state alleged that Eastland aggressively pursued four men and intentionally rammed into the truck they were traveling in with his 1996 Jeep Cherokee following a shouting match and confrontation at a gas station, which saw both sides engage in profanity and racial slurs against each other.

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