GALENA, Mo. — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office has refiled involuntary manslaughter charges against three men in connection with the sinking of a tourist boat that killed 17 people, including nine members of an Indianapolis family in 2018, ABC News reports.
The victims, including nine members of the Coleman family from Indianapolis, died when the duck boat capsized and sank on Table Rock Lake near Branson on July 19, 2018. There were 31 people total on board.
Members of the Coleman family who died included five adults and four children. Only two members of the family survived.
On April 5, Stone County Judge Alan Blankenship dismissed first-degree involuntary manslaughter charges against Kenneth Scott McKee, 54, the captain of the boat; Curtis P. Lanham, 39, the general manager at Ride the Ducks in Branson; and Charles V. Baltzell, 79, the operations supervisor who was a manager on duty when the boat sank.
The charges were dismissed without prejudice, making it possible for charges against all three men to be re-filed.
Two days later, Schmitt refiled 17 involuntary manslaughter charges against each of the men. McKee also faces 12 counts of endangering the welfare of a child, ABC reports.
“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," Schmitt said in a statement Wednesday.
Prosecutors said the tourist boat went into the lake despite warnings of storms in the area. The boat sank after it was swamped by waves caused by the winds, ABC reported.
Attorneys for the three defendants have argued that the men were not aware of the severity of the storm and did not intentionally put their passengers in danger. When he dismissed the charges, Blankenship said there was no evidence the men knew about the strong winds associated with the storm.
When the criminal charges were filed last year, an affidavit from an investigator said McKee ignored concerns about an approaching storm when he took the boat onto the lake. Lanham and Baltzell were accused of failing to communicate weather conditions and to stop operations after a severe thunderstorm warning was issued, ABC reported.
The duck boats, which operate on land and water, were a longtime popular attraction in the tourist town of Branson. The ride closed down after the tragedy. Boats are returning to the area through a new company.
WRTV Real-Time Editor Michelle Kaufman contributed to this report.
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