Deputy accused of driving boat under influence in deadly Mother’s Day crash in Georgia
A deadly boat wreck on Mother’s Day left one person injured and one person dead, Georgia officials say. Now, news outlets say a sheriff’s deputy is charged.
Game wardens responded to a boating incident on Lake Jackson around 10 p.m. on Sunday, May 14, according to a news release from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. At the scene, wardens determined that two people had been thrown from the boat.
Brandon Mitchell McGaha was driving the boat at the time of the wreck, according to the DNR. The 38-year-old was able to swim to shore after the crash.
The second person on the boat, 56-year-old Joseph Howard Upchurch, was missing when officials arrived, wardens said. After hours of searching, Upchurch’s body was recovered just after 2 p.m. on Monday, May 15, in about 50 feet of water.
McGaha was arrested and charged with operating a vessel under the influence, DNR officials said.
Butts County Sheriff Gary Long identified McGaha as one of his deputies to 11 Alive, the outlet reported.
“A Butts County Deputy was involved in the accident and is currently in ICU with major injuries,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a May 15 Facebook post. “I would ask for continued prayers for the families of both involved and pray God will bring them peace and comfort during this most difficult time.”
McGaha’s injuries included a ruptured spleen, lacerated liver, concussion and broken ribs, Long told 11 Alive.
McGaha has served as a Butts County deputy for the past 10 years, according to records kept by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Lake Jackson is about 40 miles southeast of Atlanta.
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