State lawmaker was ‘unsteady,’ smelled like alcohol when he was arrested for DUI, hitting bicyclist

ATLANTA — A Georgia State Patrol incident report is revealing new details about State Representative Devan Seabaugh’s condition when he was arrested last week.

Seabaugh, 59, is accused of driving his car in a bike lane along Memorial Drive late last Thursday night and crashing into a bicyclist. He was arrested and taken to the Atlanta City Jail where he was released a few hours later on a $4,000 bond.

He faces seven charges, including DUI.

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According to the report, obtained by Channel 2 Action News through an Open Records Request, a GSP trooper said he “smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from [Seabaugh’s] breath.”

The incident report says the bicyclist noticed the car coming and jumped off at the last second. The car ran over the bike and bent, as seen in scene photos shared with Channel 2 Action News. The bicyclist did suffer an injury, but told the trooper he was unsure if Seabaugh’s car hit him.

The trooper goes on to say that the Republican lawmaker from Marietta appeared unsteady on his feet, had bloodshot eyes and was speaking slowly.

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He told the trooper that he had a Pabst Blue Ribbon about two hours before the incident.

Seabaugh released a statement after his arrest saying he was not intoxicated during the incident. He claimed there were not proper signs to denote that he was driving in a bike lane.

“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,” Seabaugh said. “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.”

Authorities say Seabaugh refused field sobriety tests and a chemical blood test on the scene.

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Republican state lawmaker arrested by DUI task force after crashing into bicyclist Witnesses at the scene mentioned the cyclist appeared to be OK.

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