Brandon Ellingson
A former Missouri state trooper, who avoided a trial in the death of an Iowa man at the Lake of the Ozarks, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 days in jail.
A judge also sentenced 46-year-old Anthony Piercy to two years probation and 50 hours of community service. In May of 2014, Piercy took 20-year-old Brandon Ellingson into custody on suspicion of boating while intoxicated. Ellingson, from Clive, was handcuffed behind his back and fell out of the boat on the way back to shore and drowned.
Witnesses said the boat hit speeds of 40 miles-an-hour and the life jacket Piercy placed on Ellingson was not properly fastened. The life jacket fell off when Ellingson entered the lake.
Piercy pleaded guilty in June to a misdemeanor boating violation, avoiding a trial for involuntary manslaughter. Late last year, the State of Missouri agreed to pay $9 million to Ellingson’s family. That settlement ended a civil lawsuit that the family filed in federal court.