A Florida man charged with attempted murder after allegedly cutting off an 18-year-old diver’s air supply during a clash over a lobster diving location is publicly denying the accusations.
Michael Simpson, 51, was taken into custody earlier this week after authorities said he deliberately shut down the breathing equipment being used by Hunter Cofer, 18, while the teen was diving several dozen feet below the surface off Miami’s coast.
In a criminal complaint filed by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, investigators described the July 29 encounter as a heated confrontation that began with an argument between people on two separate lobster diving boats before allegedly escalating in the water.
Simpson has pleaded not guilty to the charge. After posting a $10,000 bond, he was released from jail Wednesday evening. On Friday, standing beside his two sons at a press conference, he insisted the claims against him were “100 percent not true.”
“Not true. Absolutely not. [I] never touched the air belt. Never touched the machine,” Simpson said in remarks captured by Local10 News. “To sit in that facility and read my arrestor report, it’s devastating,” he added.
According to the complaint, Simpson allegedly swam toward the “brownie” third-lung breathing system Cofer was relying on and switched it off. The floating device stays at the surface and delivers air to a diver below through connected hoses.
Steven Del Sol, who was operating the boat that brought Cofer to the dive site, told investigators he warned a minor to keep clear of the brownie system because someone was underwater. Simpson allegedly responded, “I’ll turn the brownie off if I want to.”
Speaking at the press conference, Simpson denied ever making that remark and offered his own account of the confrontation. He said his son, Conrad, was the one being shouted at by Cofer’s father, who he claimed yelled, “Get away from the effing brownie! I will eff you up!”
During a press conference on Friday, Michael Simpson, 51, hit back against accusations that he turned off an 18-year-old diver’s oxygen supply because of a dispute over a lobster diving spot
Simpson was charged with attempted murder, but he said the allegations against him in a detailed criminal complaint are ‘100 percent not true’
Simpson is accused of turning off 18-year-old Hunter Cofer’s (pictured) oxygen supply on July 29. He claims that it was actually the teen’s father who accidentally turned off the device
‘My kid’s frozen. My kid’s seven feet away from the brownie, and the guy is absolutely screaming at him, threatening him,’ Simpson continued, saying that he got into the water to see why his son was being shouted at.
‘And as I swam over there, he started to proceed to yell at me, scream at me. Gives the brownie a jerk. He pulls it, and the machine turns off. He kind of does this shuffle, he slips, he falls on the edge of the boat and falls into the water,’ Simpson went on.
‘He looks up at his wife, and he says, “Film this sh**! Murderers!”‘ Simpson said.
Cofer’s father ultimately pulled him up by the tubes attached to the brownie third lung. Once the 18-year-old surfaced, he was disoriented and gasping for air, confused about what happened, the complaint said.
Simpson did not dispute that part of the account, but he said it was the teen’s father who accidentally turned off the breathing apparatus and that he had fallen into the water.
‘Why would the dad need to lie that he jumped in? He fell in front of everybody,’ Simpson said
Simpson served as a former volunteer member of Miami-Dade County’s Boater Safety and Bay Education Task Force, a temporary program intended to improve boating safety standards, the Miami-Dade Mayor’s Office told CBS News.
The mayor’s office said that Simpson’s alleged actions, as detailed in the criminal complaint, were ‘contrary’ to the task force’s mission.
Simpson was arrested earlier this week. He pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, posted a $10,000 bond and was released that evening
Video posted on social media shows Simpson swimming back to his boat. He emphasized that the video shows nothing more because he never tampered with the breathing apparatus
The breathing apparatus Simpson is accused of turning off is pictured. A criminal complaint states he threatened to turn it off before doing so, which Simpson said is not true
Simpson confirmed his former position on the task force during the press conference on Friday and asserted that boating safety has always been a top priority for him.
He also mentioned a video that has been making the rounds on social media, which shows Simpson swimming back to his boat. He emphasized that is all the video shows because he never tampered with the breathing apparatus.
The criminal complaint also alleged that Simpson fled on his boat after turning off the brownie third lung, but he countered that he merely motored about 300 yards away to escape the situation.
During Simpson’s court appearance on Wednesday, Simpson’s initial charge of felony attempted murder was reduced to second-degree attempted murder, a less severe but still serious felony that carries up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
He has retained attorney Howard Srebnick, who vowed to fight the charge.
A spokesperson for Simpson also released a statement that said in part: ‘Mike Simpson has devoted his life to boating safety. He has earned a reputation as one of South Florida’s safest and most responsible boaters and serves on a boating safety council.
Cofer (center) was pulled up and unharmed, though he was gasping for air, the complaint said. An attorney for the teen’s family refuted Simpson’s claims at the press conference
‘He looks forward to presenting the full facts in court, clearing his name, and restoring the reputation he has spent a lifetime building.’
The attorney for Cofer’s family, Tonja Haddad, said in a statement that the family ‘Would like to allow the office of the state attorney, the (Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office) and whomever else is involved to conduct their investigation without interference.’
‘However, we do refute the recitation given by the defendant in his press conference,’ Haddad added.
