Federal authorities announced on Thursday that a federal grand jury indicted the duck boat captain whose vessel capsized near Branson, Missouri, killing 17 passengers. Officials said that the captain, 51-year-old Kenneth Scott McKee of Verona, Missouri, was charged with 17 counts of misconduct, negligence or inattention to duty by a ship’s officer. Back on July 19 this tragedy occurred when a Ride the Ducks amphibious boat, dubbed “Stretch Duck 7,” ventured on to Table Rock Lake during a thunderstorm with 60 mph winds. The U.S. Coast Guard found probable cause that the accident “resulted from the misconduct, negligence, or inattention to the duties” by McKee, according to an August court filing. According to the indictment, McKee operated the boat “in violation of the conditions and limitations specified in the vessel’s United States Coast Guard issued Certificate of Inspection.”
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