Popular Chef Pleads Not Guilty To Vehicular Homicide

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Former Miami Beach restaurant magnate Jonathan Eismann wasn't in court Friday, but during his arraignment, his lawyer entered a plea of not guilty to charges including vehicular homicide for a deadly October 2012 accident.

Eismann, 52, turned himself into police last Saturday on the charges of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident with injuries.

Eismann allegedly was driving along NW 72nd Avenue when he hit a pedestrian near NW 3rd Street on October 10, 2012. Police said Eismann was driving away from another crash he was involved in when he lost control of his Ford Explorer.

Jean Carlos Ruiz, the father of a one-year-old child, died in the accident. Police have not said what led them to arrest Eismann more than eight months after the crash.

Documents show he was arrested at Miami-Dade Police Headquarters at last Saturday morning and booked into the TGK Correctional Center a couple hours later. Bond was set at $16,000.

Eismann bonded out last weekend and during his court appearance Friday, the next of kin for Jean Carlos Ruiz was in the courtroom Friday.