Decatur County man indicted in deadly Tennessee River boating crash
A Bath Springs boating crash killed 19-year-old Austin Perry, and Christopher Overman later pleaded guilty and drew an eight-year prison sentence.
A Decatur County grand jury indicted Christopher Overman after a Tennessee River boating crash near Eagles Nest Lane in Bath Springs killed 19-year-old Austin Perry. Overman, who was 48 when he was arrested, was taken into custody the same day the indictments were returned.
The fatal incident happened during the late hours of April 19 and the early hours of April 20, 2025, over Easter weekend on the Tennessee River. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency materials identified Perry as a 19-year-old from Decaturville and tied the crash to the Bath Springs area, where river traffic, fishing and weekend boating are part of daily life along the water.
The case moved quickly from investigation to court action. Records tied to the prosecution listed charges including vehicular homicide by recklessness, vehicular homicide by intoxication, boating under the influence, second offense, and purchasing alcoholic beverages for a person under 21. On March 3, 2026, Overman entered a guilty plea at the Decatur County Courthouse.
The next day, TWRA said Overman was sentenced to eight years at 100 percent in prison. The agency identified him as 49 at the time of the plea and sentencing, showing the case continued well beyond the first arrest and grand jury action.
For boaters on the Tennessee River around Bath Springs, the case puts a hard edge on familiar safety rules. Alcohol, speed and reckless operation are among the clearest risk factors on the water, and TWRA’s handling of the case shows those violations can lead to felony charges when a crash turns deadly. The stretch near Eagles Nest Lane is not an abstract location on a map for many Decatur County families; it is part of the river corridor where people launch, fish and travel each season.
The outcome left a local teenager dead, a river community marked by a fatal weekend on the water and a criminal case that ended with a prison sentence.
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