Georgia Rep. Devan Seabaugh denies using drugs after arrest in Atlanta
State lawmaker charged with DUI after hitting cyclist
A state lawmaker lands in jail after he’s accused of driving drunk and hitting a cyclist. It happened along Memorial Drive, near Park Avenue in southeast Atlanta. Georgia State Patrol says state Rep. Devan Seabaugh struck the cyclist in the bike lane in Grant Park.
ATLANTA - A Georgia state lawmaker accused of driving under the influence after he allegedly struck a bicyclist in the bike lane of an Atlanta street says he was not drunk.
Rep. Devan Seabaugh was arrested Thursday night in Atlanta's Grant Park neighborhood by the NightHawks, a Georgia State Patrol unit that targets drunken drivers. The state patrol has not detailed the circumstances of the crash, but Seabaugh said there were no serious injuries.
The Cobb County Republican faces seven charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of drugs and failing to follow traffic control devices, Atlanta Municipal Court records show.
In a statement on social media over the weekend, Seabaugh said he was not intoxicated, and that there were no drugs involved.
"I have never used drugs in my life. I did not use or possess drugs on Thursday evening," Seabaugh said on Facebook. "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."
Seabaugh also said the bike lane wasn’t adequately marked, saying "there was not proper signage to let me know it had recently converted into a bike lane."
Seabaugh was elected to the Georgia House during a special election in July 2021. He serves House District 34, which includes parts of West Cobb County and portions of both Marietta and Kennesaw.
Seabaugh, who is a Republican, is up for reelection this year against Democrat Karl Gallegos. Their race will be on District 34 ballots in the Nov. 5 General Election.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.