Yahoo Finance Case of duck boat employees charged in 2018 tragedy that killed 17 continues Thursday
The preliminary hearing for three men charged in the sinking of a duck boat during a July 2018 storm in Branson which left 17 people dead continues Thursday morning in Stone County.
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 acting as a manager on duty that night all face criminal charges.
On Wednesday, the defendants sat together on a front bench in Stone County Circuit Court as the prosecution and defense presented evidence, including testimony and video from the boat ride, that illustrated why the Ride the Ducks employees made the decision to send out a sightseeing vessel with 31 people on board at Table Rock Lake in southwest Missouri just ahead of a powerful storm that pummeled the region.
The men each face 17 counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, which is a felony. The criminal charges were announced in July by the Missouri Attorney General and the Stone County prosecuting attorney.
McKee, who was steering the boat when it sank, additionally faces 12 counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, also felonies. Twelve children under the age of 17 were on the duck boat when it capsized.
The state rested its case Wednesday afternoon after prosecutors called five witnesses to the stand, including one of the surviving victims of the tragedy, and showed video of the final 30 minutes of the fateful duck boat tour.
Video shows last moments on Branson duck boat as operators face charges in 2018 tragedy
J.R. Hobbs, a criminal defense attorney from Kansas City representing McKee, on Wednesday asked that the judge, Alan Mark Blankenship, dismiss all charges against the three defendants on the grounds of a lack of probable cause. Blankenship said he would take it under advisement as he considers whether there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.
Wednesday’s testimony included multiple law enforcement officers, a survivor of the sinking who lost nine family members when the boat capsized and a local business owner. The defense also called a forensic meteorologist as an expert witness.
The next witness is expected in court Thursday morning.
