Jury convicts man in Lake Tobesofkee boat crash that left one person dead
A Bibb County jury convicted Eric Head, who was part of a deadly boating crash in Lake Tobesofkee in 2021, on all of his charges, Susan Ryan, spokesperson for the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday evening.
Head was found guilty of all charges that stemmed from a boating crash on Lake Tobesofkee on July 23, 2021. Head had been drinking prior to operating his cigarette boat, drove recklessly and collided with a pontoon boat that had seven passengers on it. One of the passengers, William Childs, 22, died as a result of the crash.
The jury convicted Head of two counts of homicide by vessel in the first degree, two counts of serious injury by vessel, one count of reckless operation of a vessel and one count of operation of a watercraft under the influence of alcohol and drugs, prosecutors said. He faces up to 15 years in prison, as well as community service time, and could be ordered to complete a DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program.
“Will was killed because Eric Head drove too fast, he drank too much and changed too many lives,” Assistant District Attorney Kyle Owenby said during the trial.
What jurors heard in the trial
Employees of the lakeside restaurant Fish N Pig, including Childs, had finished their shift and decided to board one of the coworkers’ pontoon boats. They were drinking alcohol, according to Owenby, when they spotted Head’s cigarette boat approaching them.
The boat carrying Fish N Pig employees was not being driven at the time. Though Childs attempted to go to the console and move the boat out of the way, Head’s boat hit the center of the driver’s console, Owenby said. It resulted in Childs’ death and caused the other passengers to suffer severe injuries.
Owenby told jurors that Head had bought a couple of beers and Red Bull from a convenience store nearby prior to the crash. After the crash, in a panic, Head called friends to bring another boat, with one of the calls going to voicemail, where he admitted he was drunk, according to Owenby.
Robert Cabe and John Fox, attorneys for Head, attempted to argue that the initial investigations conducted by the Department of Natural Resources left out key details because “no one told the DNR that the operator of the other boat was also (under the) influence of alcohol,” Cabe said in his opening statement. during the trial.
“No one told the DNR that the other operator was also (under the) influence of marijuana,” Cabe said.
They also told the jurors that there was no speed limit at the lake, nor restrictions about what types of boats can be at the lake. Further, they debunked rumors that Head and others had fled the scene after the crash.
Cabe and Fox ultimately urged the jurors to consider all the evidence and uncover the truth behind the crash.
Head’s sentencing is expected to be Thursday morning.