A man accused of driving his car into a Muni tunnel last month pleaded not guilty Friday to DUI charges, a district
attorney's office spokeswoman said.

Scott Mitchell, 40, of Sebastopol, was arrested on Jan. 19 after allegedly entering the Muni tunnel near Church and Duboce streets that morning, according to police.

The incident shut down underground Muni service through much of the morning.

Mitchell appeared in court Friday to be arraigned on charges that include driving under the influence of alcohol, with a special allegation that his blood alcohol level was above 0.15, which is nearly twice the legal limit, district attorney's office spokeswoman Stephanie Ong Stillman said.

Mitchell, who is out of custody, will next return to court on Feb. 23 for a pre-trial conference, Stillman said.