Waitress at Lake of the Ozarks Thrown into the Water by Group Who Refused to Pay for Meal

The Camden County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a group of people who allegedly ordered food, left before paying, and then threw a woman into the Lake of the Ozarks when she confronted them about the bill.

Investigators say the group, which may have been from out-of-state, came into the Fish and Company restaurant, where their server was Liahna Bertels.

According to Bertels, a woman ordered an alcoholic beverage, but she was unable to serve her because she didn’t have an ID.

The group became upset, and then ordered food a short time later.

Things were busy at the restaurant, and the food was taking longer than usual to be served.

It was after another wait that Bertels said the group got up and stormed off.

She offered to box up their food in to-go boxes, but the group continued along the dock and towards their boat.

Sheriff’s deputies say that Bertels ran after the group because they had not paid for their service, which was about $150.

When Bertels caught up to the group, she says they grabbed her and threw her into the lake. She could hear them laughing at her and celebrating what they had done, before getting in their boat and fleeing the scene.

The Camden County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case as a misdemeanor assault, while Fish and Company is making changes to its policy regarding customers who dine and dash.