As Sunset Hills Mayor Mark Furrer has promised since he was charged Oct. 1, he pleaded “not guilty” last week to two felony charges he faces for allegedly hitting a bicyclist with his car last July.

Furrer was listed on the docket for arraignment in front of St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Maura McShane in a St. Louis County Justice Center courtroom Jan. 7, but neither he nor his attorneys ap-peared in court.

Since a personal appearance was not required for the arraignment, Furrer filed a written “not-guilty” plea through an arraignment form instead, his attorney Thomas Magee said.

As the next step toward the mayor’s trial on the charges — one count each of felony assault and property damage — a pretrial conference has been scheduled at 9 a.m. Jan. 30 with Circuit Court Judge Steven Goldman.

The mayor did not respond to a request for comment from the Call Jan. 7. He at-tended an Economic Development Com-mittee meeting at City Hall that evening, but also declined to speak to the Call after he meeting.

Magee has promised that Furrer will “vigorously” defend himself against the charges at trial and win. The bicyclist allegedly hit by Furrer, Randy Murdick of Fenton, has said three eyewitnesses support his account that the mayor intentionally hit him and then drove off. Furrer, however, said Murdick grabbed onto Furrer’s convertible of his own volition during the July 29 incident.