Criminal Justice

Defense lawyer in OUI cases is himself charged after woman loses arm in boat accident

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A Massachusetts criminal defense lawyer who specializes in operating-under-the-influence cases was being held in lieu of $75,000 cash bail on Monday after himself being charged in an OUI case.

Benjamin Urbelis, 33, was arraigned Monday wearing a T-shirt and swim trunks and pleaded not guilty. He was taken into custody after a Saturday evening motorboat accident in Boston Harbor.

Authorities said a 19-year-old passenger on the 29-foot “Naut Guilty” operated by Urbelis fell overboard and suffered life-threatening injuries, including an arm amputation by the boat’s propeller as she was trying to reboard, according to Boston.com and the Boston Globe.

A Suffolk County prosecutor in Boston Municipal Court on Monday described Urbelis as “drunk and belligerent” when interviewed by police after the accident and said he refused a breath test.

The articles don’t include any comment from the attorney or his legal counsel.

In addition to OUI, Urbelis was charged with negligent boat operation and operating a motorboat that lacked a required identification number.

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