Lawyer: I know all the tricks
Drunken-boating trial begins
A Charlestown lawyer facing a drunken-boating charge was hostile with police shortly after a horrific accident more than two years ago that cost a 19-year-old woman her right arm, according to testimony during the opening day of his trial.
“I know you’re just probably a 22-year-old cop, but I am a defense attorney, and I know all the tricks,” state environmental police officer Scott Opie testified yesterday attorney Benjamin Urbelis told him the night of May 30, 2015.
Urbelis, 35, has pleaded guilty to a charge of providing alcohol to minors, but not to negligent operation of a boat and operating a boat while under the influence, charges that could result in up to 2 1⁄2 years behind bars.
Prosecutors say he took a group of 14 people out on his boat, named the Naut Guilty, for a day of cruising and drinking. Nicole Berthiaume, then 19, jumped into the water after a football and was dragged under the boat as she struggled to get back on board, resulting in her arm being severed, officials said.
Former Coast Guard Petty Officer Joseph Prest responded to the “Mayday” call and testified yesterday he detected the “very strong” odor of alcohol on Urbelis’s breath. Prest said Urbelis was unsteady on his feet and became angry.
“He said ‘I spend (expletive) $35,000 per year’ (on boating costs) and no one could bring him as much as a ‘(expletive) bag of chips,’ ” Prest said, adding Urbelis said “this is all going to come back on him.”
Camilla Priete, 21, was on the boat that day and broke down sobbing at various points during her testimony. She said Urbelis “seemed fine” despite seeing him drink Fireball whiskey during the six-hour trip and recalled seeing Berthiaume jump into the water in Boston Harbor.
“She was having trouble because of the current,” Priete said. “She kept swimming, but she wasn’t getting anywhere, that’s when I realized she was struggling.”
Urbelis, the only person legally allowed to operate the boat, was in the water at the time of the incident. Alexander Williams, 26, was driving at the time and pleaded guilty in April on related charges.
If Williams doesn’t break the law for two years, the charges of negligent operation of a boat, furnishing alcohol to minors and tampering with evidence will be dropped. He also must complete 200 hours of community service.
Prosecution testimony is expected to continue today in Suffolk Superior Court.