Florida man accused of cutting off teen's oxygen supply over lobster dispute breaks silence on attempted murder charge

A Florida man accused of shutting off an 18-year-old diver's oxygen supply because of a dispute over a lobster diving spot has hit back against his attempted murder charge. 

Michael Simpson, 51, was arrested earlier this week after police accused him of intentionally turning off the breathing apparatus of 18-year-old Hunter Cofer, who was diving tens of feet underwater off the coast of Miami.

A detailed criminal complaint by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office painted a damning picture of Simpson's alleged actions on the morning of July 29, which police said escalated from a verbal dispute between groups aboard two lobster diving boats.

Simpson pleaded not guilty, posted a $10,000 bond and was released from jail Wednesday evening. He held a press conference on Friday while flanked by his two sons, during which he said the accusations against him are '100 percent not true.'

'Not true. Absolutely not. [I] never touched the air belt. Never touched the machine,' Simpson said as Local10 News recorded. 'To sit in that facility and read my arrestor report, it’s devastating,' he added.

According to the criminal complaint, Simpson swam over to a brownie third lung breathing apparatus that Cofer was using while diving, and turned it off. The device floats on the water's surface and provides oxygen to a diver through tubes.

Steven Del Sol, the operator of the boat that had transported Cofer, told police that he had to warn a minor to stay away from the brownie system because there was a diver underwater, to which Simpson allegedly replied: 'I'll turn the brownie off if I want to.' 

At the press conference, Simpson said that he never made that alleged statement and gave a different version of events. He said that his son, Conrad, was being yelled at by Cofer's father, who was shouting, 'Get away from the effing brownie! I will eff you up!'

'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 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. 

'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.