Trial for Georgia couple shown in viral Qwik Chik assault video moved to new county

The couple accused of assaulting a restaurant owner and her 15-year-old daughter at Qwik Chik in Baxley, Ga., will now be tried in Camden County, Ga., according to WTOC.

After surveillance video of the June 22 incident went viral, Eric and LaTasha Smith asked the judge to move the trial out of Appling County, WTOC reports. The couple said they feared they would not find an unbiased jury there due to “media coverage and social media posts.”

Restaurant owner Jeanette Norris told the news station she “had no idea when they asked if they could put the video out that we would have any kind of response like this.”

Baxley Police released the video when they were searching for the suspects. In a news release, the police said the Smiths became “unhappy about an order,” and then the incident quickly escalated from “verbal abuse” to assault.

Both the owner and her daughter received medical treatment at the scene, the release said.

The Smiths have been charged with aggravated battery and cruelty to children, WSAV reports.

A date has not been set for the trial, according to WSAV.

This story was originally published October 20, 2017 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Trial for Georgia couple shown in viral Qwik Chik assault video moved to new county."