Missouri Trooper Not Charged in Drowning

A special prosecutor said Monday that she wouldn't criminally charge the Missouri state trooper who handcuffed 20-year-old Brandon Ellingson before he drowned in the Lake of the Ozarks while being transported by boat, reports the Kansas City Star .

The news of no charges came four days after a Morgan County coroner's inquest determined that Brandon Ellingson's death was an accident. Three men and three women listened to hours of testimony, including one hour from Trooper Anthony Piercy. He told them he hadn't received enough training to handle what he encountered the day Ellingson left his boat and drowned in the Lake of the Ozarks, his hands cuffed behind his back.

Special prosecutor Amanda Grellner said she agreed with the jurors' decision.

"I do not believe that it meets the legal definition of reckless," she said. "Criminal recklessness is different than negligence. Do I believe there was negligence here? There's no way to not find negligence, but it doesn't reach to criminal recklessness.

"It's not for me to determine civilly how negligent he was and how liable they are."