ATLANTA — Georgia House Rep. Devan Seabaugh was taken into custody Thursday night, Georgia State Patrol said, by DUI Task Force troopers after he struck a cyclist in the bike lane on Memorial Drive in Atlanta.
The incident happened a little after 9 p.m. near Park Avenue, right in front of Oakland Cemetery in the Grant Park neighborhood.
State Rep. Seabaugh, a Republican who represents parts of Cobb County, was taken to Atlanta City Jail and turned over to booking staff, GSP said. Atlanta city records show seven charges against him, including: driving under the influence, DUI/alcohol, DUI/drugs, DUI/alcohol & drugs, DUI/multiple substances, driving under the influence of alcohol and obedience
The condition of the cyclist was not known. GSP did not detail the exact circumstances of how the crash occurred.
A full statement from GSP said:
On Thursday, August 8, 2024, at 9:09 pm, Troopers from the NightHawks North DUI Task Force responded to a crash on Memorial Drive at Park Avenue, in Fulton County. The preliminary investigation determined a vehicle driven by State Representative Devin Seabaugh struck a bicyclist in the bicycle lane. Mr. Seabaugh was taken into custody and transported to the Atlanta City Jail where he was turned over to the booking staff.
Seabaugh, the executive of an Atlanta area ambulance service, has been in office since winning a special election in mid-2021 after former state Rep. Bert Reeves left office to take a position at Georgia Tech.
He posted a statement on Facebook: “Today I’m thankful that no one was hurt in last night’s traffic incident. I appreciate the professionalism of the law enforcement officers on the scene, and we will let the legal process continue to play out. I look forward to the facts coming out and providing clarity to all concerned."
Saturday, Seabaugh sought to "set the record straight" in a statement maintaining that there were no drugs involved in the incident.
The statement read:
“I have never used drugs in my life. I did not use or possess drugs on Thursday evening,” Seabaugh said. “Attorneys have advised me that officers often default to writing all the potential offenses on the citation, which is their right, but that charge is not supported by evidence in this case. I have no doubt that the law enforcement officers followed the proper procedures under the circumstances, but the default charges have created a false impression I must correct.
“I was not intoxicated or speeding. I turned right onto Memorial Drive from Boulevard and attempted remain in the right-most lane as required by Georgia law. Unfortunately, there was not proper signage to let me know it had recently converted into a bike lane. Out of respect to the other people involved in this incident, I do not wish to make further factual statements, but I did want to clarify these important points.”
11Alive obtained a photo taken of Rep. Seabaugh as the arrest was taking place Thursday night.
