Server at Lake of the Ozarks dragged into water by customers in dine-and-dash

CAMDENTON, Mo. (KMIZ)

A server at a lakeside restaurant and bar says she was dragged into the Lake of the Ozarks while chasing down dine-and-dash culprits last weekend.

Liahna Bertels, a server at the Fish and Company Restaurant in Camdenton, reported that customers pulled her into the Lake of the Ozarks after refusing to pay their bill last Friday night.

Bertels told Springfield, Missouri-based KY3 that she had informed the customers about the long wait for food before they placed their orders. The group grew upset over the delay, and although Bertels offered to pack their food in to-go boxes, they left before she could do so.

Bertels, a young mother with a 3-year-old daughter, said she was trying to do the right thing by ensuring the group paid their bill. Bertels mentioned that a young woman in the group ordered a drink, but she refused to serve her due to lack of ID. This upset the group, who ordered food about half an hour later.

Surveillance footage reveals the customers leaving and walking down the dock to a boat, with Bertels following them to remind them they hadn't paid. The video doesn't capture the confrontation but shows the boat driving away.

According to Revolution Ordering, 5% of diners, or 1-in-20 customers, have left a restaurant without paying their bill.

The Camden County Sheriff's Office says in a Facebook post that it is hoping to speak with the people on the boat. One person in a photo distributed by the sheriff's office contacted authorities and was cleared, the sheriff's office wrote Tuesday.

Check back for updates to this developing story.