New details emerge in July boat crash that killed one, hurt six on Lake Tobesofkee
The driver of a 32-foot-long Fountain powerboat that in late July collided with a pontoon boat on Lake Tobesfokee and killed a young man was traveling “at an excessive speed” and under the influence of alcohol, investigators say.
The driver, Eric Delma Head, 57, was arrested Wednesday on charges that included first-degree homicide by vessel and reckless operation of a vessel.
Arrest warrants obtained by The Telegraph allege that Head, an aircraft mechanic who lives at an apartment complex on the lake, was at the helm of a boat that was being driven “in a reckless manner at an excessive speed” when it struck a 24-foot Bentley pontoon boat with six people aboard.
One of the pontoon boat’s seven passengers, 22-year-old William Childs, died of injuries he suffered in the wreck, officials have said.
Another passenger on the pontoon boat with Childs was said to have suffered a broken shoulder blade in the July 24 crash, which happened shortly after 1:30 a.m.
Two other Macon men were arrested Monday, accused of giving false statements to investigators and hindering Head’s arrest.
The arrests were the first publicly shared developments in the case in months. The charges appear to be the culmination of what officers for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, who probed the wreck, described as “a lengthy and thorough investigation.”
Head was ordered held without bond at the Bibb County jail on Thursday after a first-appearance hearing before a magistrate.
In an emailed statement later Thursday, Head’s attorney, Robert E. Cabe, said that Head, who had been out of state prior to his arrest, “planned his return to Georgia immediately upon learning about these charges.”
Head was arrested at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Wednesday.
“I thank the DNR’s professionalism in that regard,” Cabe said in his statement, “and look forward to addressing the merits of this case in court.”
This story was originally published December 2, 2021 at 1:44 PM.