Ex-trooper dismisses lawsuits filed after Iowa man's death

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A former Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper who was driving a boat when a handcuffed Iowa man fell out and drowned in 2014 has dismissed three lawsuits he filed over losing his law enforcement license.

Anthony Piercy filed to voluntarily dismiss his lawsuits against the patrol, the Department of Public Safety and the department's director, The Missouri Attorney General's office said Friday.

Piercy will receive more than $200,000 for back pay and for agreeing not to be reinstated to the patrol and not to protest the revocation of his peace officer's license. The agreement means Piercy cannot work in law enforcement in Missouri, The Jefferson City News-Tribune reported.

Piercy has been fighting to regain his laws license since he pleaded guilty in 2017 to a misdemeanor boat violation in the 2014 death of Brandon Ellingson, 20, of Clive, Iowa, who fell into the Lake of the Ozarks while in Piercy's custody.

Ellingson wsa handcuffed and slipped out of an improperly secured life vest.

Department of Public Safety spokesman Mike O'Connell declined to comment on Piercy's decision to dismiss the lawsuits. The News-Tribune reports Piercy's attorney did not respond to requests for comment.