On Friday, a local prosecutor filed 63 felony criminal charges against three employees involved in the boat accident that occurred on a Missouri lake in July 2018.
The charges were filed in Stone County against the captain, the general manager, and the manager on duty the day of the tragic accident.
17 people were killed on the Ride the Ducks attraction on Table Rock Lake, CBS News reported.
Prosecuting Attorney Matt Selby and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt came forward with the charges against captain Kenneth Scott McKee, general manager Curtis Lanham, and manager on duty Charles Baltzell.
The charges result from a recent dismissal of charges ruled on by a federal judge due to jurisdiction issues.
The captain faces 29 charges, which include 17 charges of first-degree involuntary manslaughter. Court records show that a Missouri Highway Patrol sergeant claims McKee failed to exercise his duties as a licensed captain by taking his amphibious vehicle onto the lake during a thunderstorm.
The general manager and the manager on duty face 17 charges of first-degree involuntary manslaughter. According to prosecutors, they failed to communicate weather conditions and failed to shut down operations during the severe storm.
Among those that died were nine members of one family from Indianapolis. Other victims came from Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas.
