The yacht owner who is suing the Town of Palm Beach is expected to appear in court Monday for a hearing on his criminal charges.
Thomas Henry Baker Jr., 63, of Belle Isle, and his attorney failed to appear in Palm Beach County Court last month for a deposition on one misdemeanor count of boating under the influence. He pleaded not guilty to that count on Oct. 5.
The charge stems from an incident at 2:15 a.m. Sept. 7, when Palm Beach Police said Baker ran his 72-foot yacht onto shore after drinking Long Island Iced Teas. The yacht, named Time Out, drew onlookers for weeks as it sat lopsided on the beach just south of the Palm Beach Inlet.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission charged Baker Sept. 19 with abandoning a derelict vessel on state waters, a misdemeanor. He also pleaded not guilty to that charge.
Judge Daliah H. Weiss will hear Baker’s case at 8:30 a.m. Monday.
> PHOTOS: Time Out yacht slowing moving off beach
Meanwhile, a civil lawsuit filed by Baker's attorneys Oct. 20 is pending in U.S. District Court. Baker seeks a half-million dollars in damages because, he alleges in the suit, police failed to impound his yacht when they arrested him on Sept. 7.
The Time Out was destroyed when crews scrambled to remove it from the beach as Hurricane Matthew approached the coast early last month. Baker also seeks to get back $50,000, which the town is charging him for out-of-pocket expenses it paid in the yacht's removal.
Town officials have said they plan to fight the suit. A hearing date hasn't been set in that case.
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