Yurich waives arraignment, pleads innocent in fatal boating case

YOUNGSTOWN — A local surgeon has waived his arraignment and pleaded innocent this morning to charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault and operating a watercraft under the influence of alcohol in a May 9 crash involving two boats on Berlin Reservoir that killed one man and injured another.

Dr. Joseph F. Yurich submitted his written waiver and plea before Magistrate Timothy Welsh of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. While Dr. Yurich did not appear in court this morning, he was represented by his attorneys Lynn Maro and John Juhasz.

Dr. Yurich, 36, of Hunters Hill, Poland, was indicted by the Mahoning County grand jury on Sept. 3.

The aggravated vehicular homicide charge, which is a second degree felony, pertains to the death of Neal B. Cuppett, 58, of Akron; and the aggravated vehicular assault charge, which is a third degree felony, pertains to injuries to Cuppett’s fishing buddy, Bruce Lindamood, 42, of Green.

Lindamood was treated at Robinson Memorial Hospital in Ravenna.

The indictment said Dr. Yurich had a blood alcohol content of .08, which is the legal intoxication threshold, when the 12:20 a.m. crash occurred.

The impaired boating charge is a first-degree misdemeanor.

Last Wednesday, Magistrate Dennis Sarisky set Dr. Yurich’s bond at $25,000 with 10 percent of that figure permissible; and Dr. Yurich posted the $2,500 as a cash bond on Friday.