A Cape Cod priest arraigned in Barnstable District Court is pleading not guilty to a DUI charge.
Chris Hughes of Sandwich drove his car into a fence on Route 6A in Yarmouth Friday night and told cops he accidentally swerved off the road while trying to answer a phone call.
Hughes was subjected to a field sobriety test but refused to take a breathalyzer until he was arrested and taken to the police station.
Hughes serves as the parochial vicar at Diocese of Fall River parishes in Centerville and Osterville and as chaplain at a Catholic school in Hyannis.
The Diocese says it is aware of the proceedings and is conducting its own investigation.