Charges have been refiled against three men in the sinking of a Duck Boat in 2018.
The complete report from Ivie Macy of Ozarks First is below:
A boat captain and two other former employees of Ride the Ducks are again charged with 17 counts each of Involuntary Manslaughter of the first degree.
The captain is facing an additional 12 counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Former Captain Kenneth McKee, General Manager Curtis Lanham and manager Charles Baltzell were all on duty when a tourist duck boat sank on Table Rock Lake during a severe thunderstorm in July 2018.
On April 5th, 2022 a judge decided to dismiss the charges against the three employees. Judge Alan Blankenship believed there was a lack of evidence supporting criminal contempt as defined by statutes.
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office refiled the same charges on April 7th, 2022. The probable cause statement cited Mark Greene, a master sergeant with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, saying McKee, Lanham and Baltzell didn’t check weather monitoring systems close enough and failed to follow the Ride the Ducks operations manual.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt shared the following statement: “As I’ve said previously, my Office is committed to fighting for justice on behalf of the 17 people that were tragically killed in 2018 – that’s why we re-filed the charges in this case.”
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