Arun Vellanki, the Hopkinton man accused of striking a young child with his vehicle and allegedly providing “misleading” statements about the crash, pleaded not guilty to a charge of negligent operation of a motor vehicle during his arraignment at Framingham District Court Friday.
Vellanki declined to comment when Investigative Reporter Ted Daniel questioned him after the hearing.
The appearance follows a contentious pre-trial period marked by a battle over a proposed felony charge that was not supported in a closed-door hearing in early October. While Vellanki stood before a judge on the misdemeanor count Friday, the victim’s family continued to question why a more serious charge of witness intimidation was dismissed…