Share on LinkedIn

CAMDENTON, Mo. (KY3/Gray News) - Authorities in Missouri say they are investigating a situation where a waitress was assaulted by customers who were refusing to pay their bill.

According to Liahna Bertels, she was working her shift last Friday at the Fish and Company Restaurant in Camdenton when the assault happened.

Bertels said she was trying to do the right thing by getting a group to pay their bill.

According to the waitress, the customers in question got angry when the food they ordered was taking too long and she didn’t serve a drink to one of them who didn’t have identification with them.

She said the group decided to leave after their order was placed even though she offered to pack the food in to-go boxes.

Surveillance video from the restaurant showed the group leaving and walking down the dock to a boat.

Bertels said she caught up to the group to remind them they didn’t pay, but they grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the Lake of the Ozarks before taking off.

“When I hit the water, they decided to start laughing and cheering, which really hurt,” she said. “I was crying and bawling in the water and I didn’t know what to do.”

Fish and Company General Manager Sean Dolven said they’ve made changes because of what happened.

“We’ve kind of got it now to where if you’re going to chase somebody down, let somebody know and take somebody with you,” Dolven said. “Either way. That way there’s somebody there that can see what’s going on because sometimes the cameras don’t catch everything.”

Bertels pulled herself onto a swim platform on a docked boat after about 10 minutes.

The Camden County Sheriff’s Office said it is investigating the incident but so far hasn’t been able to identify anyone in the group from the surveillance video seen.

The sheriff’s office said it is a misdemeanor assault case, and thinks the suspects are from out of state.

The customers’ bill was about $150.