UPDATE: Arrest made in connection with December I-16 crash that killed Soperton man

A man is now in custody in connection with a deadly crash on I-16 West last month.

UPDATE (1/16/25):  A man is now in custody in connection with a deadly crash on I-16 West last month.

According to a Bibb County Sheriff’s Office news release, Paul James Evans turned himself in at the Bibb County Jail Thursday around 11 a.m. Deputies say he was wanted in connection with the death of John Patrick Pace on December 21.

Evans is charged with homicide by vehicle in the second degree and failure to maintain lane. He’s being held without bond.

Deputies did not provide additional information.

ORIGINAL STORY (12/23/24):

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal traffic collision that happened early Saturday morning on Interstate 16 West, east of Exit 6 near Ocmulgee East Boulevard.

The crash was reported to the Macon-Bibb E-911 Center at 1:49 a.m. Deputies arriving on the scene discovered a man unresponsive inside a Ford F-150 pickup truck parked in the emergency lane.

According to a new release from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, a 22-year-old driver from Senoia was traveling west on I-16 in a Chevrolet Silverado utility truck when he lost control of his vehicle and veered off the roadway. The Silverado collided with the parked Ford F-150.

The driver of the Ford F-150, identified as 37-year-old John Patrick Pace of Soperton, was pronounced dead at the scene by Deputy Coroner Ronnie Miley. The victim’s next of kin has been notified.

The victim’s body will be taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for an autopsy.

This crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information is should call the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at (478) 751-7500 and ask to speak with a fatality investigator.