Jay Lovell, the Ocean View resident accused of attacking a scuba diver off the Kona Coast in May, pleaded not guilty during an arraignment hearing this morning.
Lovell appeared before 3rd Circuit Court Judge Ronald Ibarra to enter the plea. Lovell has been charged with second-degree terroristic threatening, a misdemeanor.
Ibarra set a Feb. 17 trial date for the case.
Lovell is free on his own recognizance while awaiting trial.
The incident from which the charges stem took place while Rene Umberger, an opponent of the aquarium fishing trade, and other divers attempted to record Lovell at work capturing reef fish on a West Hawaii aquarium. Fish collecting is legal in Hawaii, with a permit and subject to some restrictions, but opponents say it is a cruel practice.