By ,
Published December 01, 2015
A Boston lawyer who defends people charged with drunken driving pleaded not guilty Monday to operating a boat while drunk, following an incident in which a woman lost her arm.
Benjamin Urbelis was held on $75,000 bail and ordered to surrender his passport at his arraignment Monday.
Police and the Coast Guard allege the 33-year-old Urbelis was drunk while operating his 29-foot boat Naut Guilty on Saturday night in Boston Harbor.
A woman on board jumped into the water to retrieve something that fell overboard, and her arm became caught in the boat's propeller. Her arm was severed below the shoulder and she suffered other injuries, MyFoxBoston.com reported.
The woman, 19, was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she is recovering.
According to MyFoxBoston.com, Urbelis refused to take breathalyzer and field sobriety tests, but based on police officers' observations of him, he was charged with operating under the influence.
Urbelis' lawyer says his client is an accomplished professional and not a flight risk.
Officials say 13 people were on the boat. Firefighters searched, but failed to find the woman's arm.
Urbelis is a co-owner of Julep Bar in Boston, MyFoxBoston.com reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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https://www.foxnews.com/us/boston-attorney-pleads-not-guilty-to-drunken-boating-after-woman-loses-arm