$75,000 Bail For Attorney Charged In Drunk Boating Accident That Severed Woman's Arm
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — A defense attorney was ordered held on $75,000 bail Monday on a charge of drunken operation of a boat after one of his passenger's fell overboard and lost her arm in the propeller.
Wearing a "Beat L.A." Celtics T-shirt and shorts, Benjamin Urbelis of Charlestown pleaded not guilty Monday at his arraignment in Boston Municipal Court.
Police and the Coast Guard allege that Urbelis, 33, was operating the 29-foot pleasure boat Naut Guilty on Saturday night in Boston Harbor when the 19-year-old woman fell overboard.
The woman, whose name was not released, was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with life-threatening injuries. She was listed in stable condition Monday afternoon.
Officials said 13 people were on the boat at the time.
Firefighters searched for the woman's arm in the water but couldn't find it.
Prosecutors say Urbelis initially did not take a breath test, but four hours later he blew a 0.09 percent. The legal limit for blood alcohol content in Massachusetts is 0.08 percent.
On his website, Urbelis claims he's been trying criminal cases in Massachusetts for more than seven years, "earning a reputation as a zealous advocate with higher than an 80% acquittal rate on cases he brings to trial."
If he posts the bail, Urbelis must also turn his passport over to the court.
He's due back in court June 26.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports:
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