Dine-and-dash offense in Camden County leads to assault investigation

CAMDEN COUNTY, Missouri – “I definitely don’t want to go into the lake. I think that would be very traumatic for me,” said Liahna Bertels.

Days have passed since Bertels said she was simply trying to get guests at The Fish & Co. on Lake of the Ozarks to pay their bill when it turned out to be much more.

Bertels said a group of people docked their boat and entered the sea.

She said the group’s anger began when Bertels refused to serve an alcoholic drink to one of the group members because he did not have identification.

“I said, unfortunately I can’t serve you anything to drink, and they got very angry about it because they wanted her to have something to drink,” Bertels said.

Bertels said she informed the group about the long wait times for food, and the group placed food orders while continuing to order drinks.

But her patience was exhausted.

“They said we’re leaving, we’re done. I said I have your food ready, I can pack it in take-out boxes for you and I’ll get your bill too,” Bertels recalled.

Bertels said that not only had her patience been exhausted, but also the patience of the group.

“Every time I came out, they would get up from their table and go to the dock. I ran to the dock, to the boat,” Bertels said. “The guy who was at the dock jumped in the boat and they said, ‘They should have brought us our food, we’re not paying,’ and then they walked backwards and the guy grabbed my arm and pulled me into the water.”

Then Bertels had to keep herself afloat while listening to what she said she remembered best.

“They pulled back and started cheering. I was stuck in the water for about 10 minutes,” Bertels said. “For a few minutes I was just crying in the water.”

Bertels, who admittedly is not the best swimmer, was able to climb back onto the jetty via a bathing platform from another boat.

“I was in shock and had a panic attack at that moment. I had a panic attack for over an hour and then they were able to try to calm me down, hold me so I could change,” Bertels said.

Bertels thanks other employees for their later help, such as a colleague who went to a souvenir shop and bought her new clothes.

Another of Bertel’s employees is her father David.

He wasn’t present when it all happened, but said that as someone who has been involved with watercraft for years, the situation could have been much worse.

“It’s basically the most dangerous thing you can do to someone, drag them into the water, especially deep water at night,” David said.

David also doesn’t mince his words when it comes to his outrage.

“All seven people in the group knew they could no longer pay their bill. Whenever she came to them, they didn’t say, ‘Oh, we made a mistake, we have to pay our bill,’ but no (they didn’t). Instead, they threw her in the water,” David said. “I want justice for my daughter because their attitude towards her life is disgusting. All seven of them are absolute cowards. And I want them to get justice. I want them to go to court.”

Bertels said she continued working throughout Monday, but the psychological effects did not become apparent until the end of the weekend.

“I don’t know how well I was served because I was so off track and detached from everything,” Bertels said. “It was just playing in my head as I went into the water, but it just wouldn’t stop repeating in my head.”

On Tuesday, the Camden County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media in the hopes that anyone with information would come forward.

“In every investigation, we try to identify the people involved. They may not even be suspects at this point,” said Sergeant Scott Hines. “I believe there were about half a dozen people involved in this situation, one or two of them may be suspects. The others may just be people hanging around.”

At the time of writing, there are officially no suspects, but this is simply due to a lack of evidence.

“Our job is to go through all the evidence and clues that will help us identify him,” Hines said.

One of the biggest videos making the rounds on social media is surveillance video from the dock, which shows Bertels chasing the group before disappearing.

“We have very little evidence at this point. We have the victim’s statement and she claims she was pulled into the lake when the person on the boat backed the boat out of the slip. What we need to do now is get the person’s version of events or hopefully get some kind of photo or video evidence that shows this happened,” Hines said. “I’ve seen the video online and it’s inconclusive because, you know, the victim in this case walks along the end of the dock and then kind of disappears from view. From her perspective, I’m sure she can look at that and say, ‘That’s where I fell into the lake.’ OK, great. We have to take that at face value, but we still need to talk to the other side and get the facts of the case.”

Hines said the case is currently an assault investigation.

“Our investigators are currently working on the case. He’s looking at some receipts. He’s looking at whatever was on the receipt. He went back to the kitchen to determine what was stolen and what wasn’t,” Hines said. “What we know right now is that the charges, if any, are misdemeanors, but we also don’t have the opposing side’s perspective. All of that information would be forwarded to the district attorney’s office and they would decide what they want to present in court.”

David Bertels said if this story reaches the people his daughter said were the perpetrators, he has a message for them.

“When you get up every morning and look in the mirror, look at what you almost destroyed. If you feel comfortable with that and are OK with that, then live your life the way you live it,” David said. “If you feel uncomfortable thinking about what you might have done to my daughter, then call the sheriff yourself and give your name.”

Liahna Bertels said she was grateful for the support she had received in recent days.

“I just want to say I want to thank the lake for all of its support. Everyone here is such a great community and they have supported me so much. I am forever grateful,” Bertels said.

If you have any information, you are asked to contact the Camden County Sheriff’s Office.