Major court ruling in Mo. duck boat tragedy

A Ride The Ducks World War II DUKW boat is seen at Ride The Ducks on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri. Hundreds of mourners stopped by the location to pay their respects to the victims after a duck boat capsized in Table Rock Lake in a thunderstorm on Thursday.
A Ride The Ducks World War II DUKW boat is seen at Ride The Ducks on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri. Hundreds of mourners stopped by the location to pay their respects to the victims after a duck boat capsized in Table Rock Lake in a thunderstorm. Photo credit (Photo by Michael Thomas/Getty Images)

GALENA, Mo. (KMOX) -- All charges are dismissed against the 3 operators of the Table Rock Lake duck boat that sank in a storm, killing 17 people.

Judge Alan Blankenship ruled there was no evidence the defendants knowingly put passengers at risk when they set out on the lake in 2018.

Live On-Air
Ask Your Smart Speaker to Play K M O X
NewsRadio 1120 KMOX
Listen Now
Now Playing
Now Playing

The judge said it is irrelevant to the charges whether they should have known about the danger by relying on other sources of information, namely the National Weather Service forecast.

Kenneth Scott McKee, Curtis Lanham, and Charles Baltzell were facing several felony counts.

A group of mourners pause for a moment of prayer at Ride The Ducks Tours on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri. Hundreds of mourners stopped by the location to pay their respects to the victims after a duck boat capsized in Table Rock Lake in a thunderstorm.
A group of mourners pause for a moment of prayer at Ride The Ducks Tours on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri. Hundreds of mourners stopped by the location to pay their respects to the victims after a duck boat capsized in Table Rock Lake in a thunderstorm. Photo credit (Photo by Michael Thomas/Getty Images)
A group of mourners pause for a moment of prayer and remembrance of the victims of the Ride The Ducks accident at Ride The Ducks Tours on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri.
A group of mourners pause for a moment of prayer and remembrance of the victims of the Ride The Ducks accident at Ride The Ducks Tours on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri. Photo credit (Photo by Michael Thomas/Getty Images)
A group of mourners pause for a moment of prayer and remembrance of the victims of the Ride The Ducks accident at Ride The Ducks Tours on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri.
A group of mourners pause for a moment of prayer and remembrance of the victims of the Ride The Ducks accident at Ride The Ducks Tours on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri. Photo credit (Photo by Michael Thomas/Getty Images)
A family places flowers on vehicles of the victims of the Ride The Ducks accident on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri.
A family places flowers on vehicles of the victims of the Ride The Ducks accident on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri. Photo credit (Photo by Michael Thomas/Getty Images)
Cards and flowers are seen on the vehicle of a victim of the Ride The Ducks Accident at Ride The Ducks Tours on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri.
Cards and flowers are seen on the vehicle of a victim of the Ride The Ducks Accident at Ride The Ducks Tours on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri. Photo credit (Photo by Michael Thomas/Getty Images)
A family places flowers on vehicles of the victims of the Ride The Ducks accident on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri.
A family places flowers on vehicles of the victims of the Ride The Ducks accident on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri. Photo credit (Photo by Michael Thomas/Getty Images)
Vehicles of the victims of Thursday's Branson Duck Boat accident have been turned into a memorial on the parking lot for Ride The Ducks on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri.
Vehicles of the victims of Thursday's Branson Duck Boat accident have been turned into a memorial on the parking lot for Ride The Ducks on July 20, 2018 in Branson, Missouri. Photo credit (Photo by Michael Thomas/Getty Images)
Featured Image Photo Credit: (Photo by Michael Thomas/Getty Images)