Byfuglien Pleads Not Guilty In Boating Incident
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien has pleaded not guilty to four counts stemming from a boating incident in Minnesota.
Byfuglien is accused of boating while intoxicated and refusing to take a blood or urine test, and other charges. The criminal complaint says his boat was stopped on Lake Minnetonka on Aug. 31 because the navigational lights weren't on.
Authorities said they believed "Byfuglien was under the influence of a controlled substance and was unable to safely operate a watercraft." They say he told them he takes supplements "from 16 or 17 different bottles every day."
His attorney, Mitch Robinson, said he entered the pleas Friday on his client's behalf. Byfuglien did not appear in court.
A pretrial conference is scheduled for Feb. 2.
Byfuglien, a Minnesota native, was on the Chicago Blackhawks team that won the Stanley Cup in 2010. He was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers in a salary dump, and the franchise was relocated to Winnipeg in the offseason.
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
