Tour boat captain indicted in deadly Missouri sinking

KANSAS CITY, MO. — The captain of a tourist boat that sank in southwest Missouri and killed 17 people, including nine members of an Indiana family, didn’t tell passengers to put on flotation devices or prepare them to abandon ship even after waves crashed into the boat during a severe storm, according to an indictment released Thursday.

The federal indictment shows Kenneth Scott McKee faces 17 counts of misconduct, negligence or inattention to duty by a ship’s officer resulting in death. The deaths occurred after the duck boat, a refurbished amphibious vessel originally used by the military during World War II, sank during a storm in July.

U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison said McKee, 51, also is accused of failing to properly assess the weather before and after the boat went into Table Rock Lake near Branson, a Midwestern tourist town known for country music shows and entertainment venues.

“This is the beginning, not the end, of our efforts in this matter,” Garrison said during a news conference in Springfield, adding that he couldn’t release specifics about the investigation.

Ripley Entertainment, the company that operated the boats and suspended the operation following the accident, didn’t respond to messages from The Associated Press. McKee’s attorney declined comment.

If convicted, McKee could face up to 10 years in prison for each count and a fine of $250,000. Garrison said he expects McKee to surrender.

Tia Coleman — whose husband, three young children and five other family members died in the sinking — released a statement Thursday saying she was pleased an indictment had been filed. Coleman was among 14 people who survived the sinking.

“While nothing can ever ease the grief in my heart, I am grateful that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is fighting for justice for my family, and the other victims, and is committed to holding fully accountable all those responsible for this tragedy,” Coleman said.

The other people killed included two couples from Missouri, an Illinois woman who died while saving her granddaughter’s life, an Arkansas father and son, and a retired pastor who was the boat’s operator on land.