Jury finds Eric Head guilty in 2021 Lake Tobesofkee crash that killed Will Childs

Prosecutors say Head was operating a boat under the influence when it collided with a pontoon, killing 22-year-old Will Childs and injuring six others.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Bibb County jury has found Eric Head guilty on all charges, including homicide by vessel in the first degree, in connection with a 2021 deadly boating crash on Lake Tobesofkee.

According to the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, sentencing is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m.

Head was arrested in December 2021 following a Georgia Department of Natural Resources investigation into the July 24, 2021, crash that killed 22-year-old Will Childs and injured six others.

At the time, investigators said Head was operating a 32-foot fountain boat that collided with a 24-foot pontoon boat around 2:30 a.m. near Sandy Beach Park. The impact threw passengers from the pontoon and left one woman in critical condition.

According to DNR, Head was charged with boating under the influence, reckless operation and two counts of homicide by vessel.

Two other men, Stephen Harper and Nathan Hodgson, were also arrested in 2021 for hindering apprehension and making false statements to law enforcement. The district attorney’s office has not provided an update on the cases of Harper or Hodgson.

Childs, who worked as an assistant manager at Fish N Pig restaurant on Lake Tobesofkee, was remembered by colleagues and friends in social media tributes following his death.