I love to see a reporter take dead aim on a subject and keep hammering at it until whatever mystery surrounds it has been laid bare.
That’s exactly what The Star’s Laura Bauer is doing on the case of Brandon Ellingson, the 20-year-old Iowa man who needlessly and shockingly drowned at the Lake of the Ozarks this spring while in the custody of a Missouri High Patrolman on watercraft duty.
Last Sunday, Bauer produced a 2,900-word expose on the case, essentially showing that, after taking Ellingson into custody for boating while intoxicated, Officer Anthony Piercy put the wrong type of life vest on Ellingson and put it on in such a way that, minutes later, when Ellingson was in the water, the life vest popped off his shoulders and he drowned in 70-feet of water.
Brandon
That story was horrifying, saddening and maddening. It clearly showed that Piercy’s carelessness and failure to follow standard procedures led directly to the death of Ellingson, a bright-eyed, handsome young man who right now should be at Arizona State University working on his junior-year courses.
Bauer described last week how the Highway Patrol had stonewalled her, dragging its feet on her requests for official records and imposing a gag order on everyone involved.
Obviously, the Highway Patrol does not know better than to mess with Bauer, a fearless reporter who has done many groundbreaking stories in her 10 years at the paper.
Last week, after the first story was published, Bauer broke through the brick wall the patrol erected and was able to get some of the official records. She parlayed the new material into a 3,100-word story that led today’s paper.
Today’s story made me even madder than Part I partly because this time she also got an interview with Ellingson’s father, Craig Ellingson. I pointed out in a post last Sunday that, while that story was outstanding overall, it suffered from the absence of the voices of Ellingson’s parents. It deprived the readers of direct testimony about the agony that Ellingson’s closest relatives — the people who loved him most dearly — are enduring.
But Bauer made amends this week. Here’s what she wrote, in part, about Craig Ellingson.
“The last image Craig Ellingson has of his son is a photograph taken by a friend during his arrest on suspicion of boating while intoxicated. It shows him sitting in the back of Piercy’s patrol boat, his hands in his lap. Within minutes, Ellingson’s only son lay lifeless, his hands cuffed behind him, on the lake bed under 69 feet of water.
” ‘That picture haunts me,’ the father told The Star late last week. ‘(Piercy) was supposed to be taking care of my pride and joy. That’s what we pay him for, to serve and protect. And he didn’t do the basics. He wasn’t trained. He wasn’t properly trained at all.’ ”
“My pride and joy.” Of course. We understand.
And, yes, Mr. Ellingson’s son made a big mistake — probably got drunk with his buddies at a lake-side bar and then got behind the wheel of the boat. But the last thing he deserved was to end up dead after Piercy handcuffed him, put an improper life vest on him improperly and then speed off at a speed that the Ellingsons’ attorney alleges was 40 miles per hour, in heavy wake.
The Highway Patrol’s contention — at least before it invoked a gag order — was that at some point Ellingson stood up, moved toward the side of the boat and either fell or jumped into the water.
To that, Craig Ellingson said: “I know my son wouldn’t jump. He was going to Europe, never been in trouble. He was on an academic scholarship to ASU. He had everything to live for.”
**
It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if Brandon Ellingson was bounced out of the boat because Piercy was going too fast in very choppy water. If you’ve ever been on the Lake of the Ozarks, you know that it can be very, very dangerous when the wind and waves are up. Many years ago, I foolishly ventured out into the main channel on a windy day in a 14-foot fishing boat with a 5.5 horsepower motor. It was a teeth-jarring, white-knuckled return to the marina.
**
Part II of Bauer’s report also focuses on the lack of waterways training that many land-based troopers got after the state Water Patrol merged into the Highway Patrol in 2011.
Piercy works part time on the water and part time on the roads.
It’s clear in retrospect that — regardless of how much money that merger is saving — it was a big mistake.
What is the cost of a young man’s life?
Piercy’s lack of experience and training on the water, combined with his carelessness, have forever cost Brandon Ellingson’s parents, relatives and friends the pleasure of his company and the joy of watching him advance in age and knowledge.
As Craig Ellison said, referring to that day and those terrible circumstances, “Brandon didn’t have a chance.”
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Fitz, given your interest in the spate of police/citizen confrontations you may want to take a look at the shooting down in Ottowa recently. From what I’ve seen thus far, there may be far more evidence than there was in Ferguson of an ill-advised shooting.
The Tulsa Police Shooting of the black 20 year old three weeks is also extremely sad.
Jim, thank you for taking the time to follow my son’s tragic death and helping to bring to light how poorly and wrongly my son and we, his family, have been treated by the Missouri officials.
I am sitting here with tears in my eyes, Sherry…I feel so badly for you and Craig.
My wife Patty and I have a daughter Brooks, 26, and a son, Charlie, who turned 25 yesterday (the 1st). When I think about what happened to Brandon, I know that the same thing could have happened to Charlie or any other young person who happened to make a mistake and stumble into a fatal encounter with an ill-prepared and unthinking law enforcement officer. May God give you and Craig strength and be with you all your days.
To Mrs. Ellingson, her husband and other family members and friends, I echo Jim’s sentiments. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
To me, one of the most appalling aspects of this case, after Piercy’s ridiculous conduct on the lake and in the patrol boat, is the fact that, according to Laura Bauer, no one with the patrol has bothered to contact the Ellingsons have not been contacted by anyone with the Highway Patrol since the day Brandon drowned.
You would think that, like the military the Highway Patrol, which deals with death on the highways regularly, would at least have a “sympathy” unit, which would send representatives to bereaved families and extend their sympathy on behalf of the state.
…The response from Gov. Jay Nixon’s office was equally disappointing. After Bauer submitted questions about the drowning and its aftermath, Nixon spokesman Scott Holste responded by saying, “We’re not going to have anything for you on this.”
It has become clear from his response to the Ferguson shooting and subsequent disturbances that Nixon has no clue about connecting with real people in difficult circumstances. He’s one of those politicians — we’ve all seen them — who prefer to secrete themselves in their luxurious offices and just hope they don’t have to deal with anything really difficult and that they can ascend to higher office by not taking any chances whatsoever.
Sorry but here’s the way it is with Nixon: He’s a turd.
I live at the Lake, have worked in the legislature, am retired. I am a little confused on some things. Whom did the mother contact in Missouri?? Also, Jay has dealt with many difficult things, he has been a Senator, an Attorney General and now a Gov., that I don’t believe can run again. I feel for this family badly. And I believe some mistakes were made. But I am having a hard time believing the Dept. of Justice will step in. We in Missouri are extremely proud of our patrol and consider them some of the best in the US. Its easy to sit in Iowa making judgements like these. And we at the lake are a bit worn out from drunken boaters that use drugs. This whole thing was a tragedy but for you all to sit and slam an agency or our Government you know nothing about is ludicrous. I hope this works out for the family. If anything the trial should not have taken place in the small town it did.
I am sorry, I just now realize this was written in KC. I still stand behind what I said to everyone that is from the Iowa area, slamming our patrol.
Because of a Facebook posting, we are getting hundreds and hundreds of views today (and yesterday) from first-time visitors…Don’t hesitate to comment. You can say whatever you want here without recriminations or reprisals.
Alexis Caluzzi appended the following comment to last week’s post. I wanted to put it here, too.
Thank you for shedding more light aggressively on my cousin’s case. It was nice to see an article where someone wasn’t afraid to put everything out there. This needs to be known to many people what happened so Brandon can get justice and so others don’t lose their lives due to lack of training or competency.
“It’s clear in retrospect that — regardless of how much money that merger is saving — it was a big mistake.”
Jim, just a curiosity of mine…
Are there any statistics out showing accident and/or fatality rates on Missouri waterways before and after the HP took over WP duties?
Used to have run-ins with the MWP on several occasions and those guys knew their stuff. They were always safety oriented, and while I never got a citation, I would credit some of the officers I ran into as making me a little safer on the water for both mine and the benefit of others.
On the Missouri Scenic Riverways, it’s the local law enforcement you get to deal with and they are probably not even trained at all from what I have seen. Seems that their #1 priority is looking for pot smokers with little regard to anything else that goes on out there.
Maybe it is time we get the Water Patrol back in service?
I will put in a call to the Highway Patrol tomorrow and see if I can find out anything. Good questions…I agree, let’s go back to the old system, even if the Water Patrol guys have a lot of down time in the winter. It’s too risky this way.
Jason wrote: “Seems that their #1 priority is looking for pot smokers with little regard to anything else that goes on out there.”
Yup, that’s because THOSE are the cases where they can rake in some revenue and asset forfeiture!!
The Missouri Highway Patrol is absolutely one of the most incompetent law enforcement agencies that I’ve ever witnessed. It’s been over three months and the MHP still has yet to provide a substantive explanation as to why and what exactly happened to Brandon occurred. The MHP is a governmental entity that has an obligation to the citizens of MO (as well as to those who’re subject to its jurisdiction) to timely provide information concerning its activities regardless of whether it puts the agency in a negative light.
Given how Missouri’s joke of a judicial system has worked thus far, I can only assume that the “coroner’s inquest” will absolve Piercy of any wrongdoing.
Erik Luthens
Erik Luthens is an attorney in West Des Moines, IA, the area where the Ellingsons live.
What I see here is a cop who was irritated and full of himself. How does anyone see that a handcuffed individual on a boat is okay? How does anyone not see that a person who is so incapacitated and not properly secured in a life preserver isn’t all right? Why did this cop speed off with an improperly vested person in cuffs not see what could possibly happen? I lost my step-grandfather in a boating accident when I was very young. I have a huge respect for the water. What happened here was at the very least negligent, and, sorry to say, at the most homicide.
and it gets worse :( so sad!! check this out ….
http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article1875778.html