LUMPKIN COUNTY — Funeral services are scheduled Monday for a 16-year-old White County boy killed in a head-on collision Tuesday west of Cleveland. Meanwhile, an arrest has been made in the crash that claimed Jonah Lee Seabolt’s life.
Driver faces multiple charges
The Georgia State Patrol charged 34-year-old Joshua Tyler Webb in connection with the deadly wreck. It happened on October 28 near the intersection of Town Creek Church Road and Carriage Court in Lumpkin County. Investigators allege Webb was under the influence and distracted by his cellphone when his Chevrolet Tahoe crossed the centerline and struck Seabolt’s Ford Ranger head-on.
Both drivers were unrestrained. Seabolt died at the scene. Webb was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville before being booked into the Lumpkin County Detention Center on October 30.
The Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office charged Webb with first-degree vehicular homicide, DUI-drugs (less safe), violating Georgia’s hands-free law, failure to maintain lane, failure to wear a seatbelt, and failure to carry and exhibit a license on demand.
Seabolt remembered
Seabolt, an 11th-grade student at White County High School, is remembered by loved ones as a cheerful teen who loved fishing, football, music, and spending time with his family — especially his nephews. His family says he had “an unwavering devotion” to those he loved.
“His friends knew him as someone they could always count on for a laugh, a helping hand, or just good company,” Seabolt’s family wrote in his obituary.
News of Seabolt’s death gripped his hometown, with many expressing grief and paying tribute to him on social media. Marsha Rakes remembers him as “one of the sweetest, most kind-mannered” young men in the world. Kelly Hunt echoed a similar sentiment, saying, “He always came to see us on night shift at the Waffle House in Cleveland. He was always well-mannered, polite, and respectful.”
Memorial service
Seabolt was a member of Antioch Baptist Church. He was preceded in death by his mother, Ginger Wiley Seabolt.
Funeral services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday, November 3, at the Barrett Funeral Home chapel, 118 North Brooks Street, in Cleveland. Burial will follow at Antioch Baptist Church Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, November 2, at the funeral home. A livestream of the service will be available through the funeral home’s website for those unable to attend.
Community support
A GoFundMe has been launched to help Seabolt’s family with funeral costs. Organizers say all funds will go directly to his father, J.C. Seabolt. As of press time, the fundraiser has drawn an outpouring of community support.
Seabolt is survived by his father, his brother and sister-in-law, Jesse and Carli Seabolt, his nephews, and extended family.
Condolences and memories may be shared at barrettfh.com. Barrett Funeral Home of Cleveland is in charge of arrangements.
