03/17/2026
During the 1993 Great Flood in the Midwest, Missouri man James Robert Scott was accused of damaging a levee near West Quincy along the Mississippi River. The breach flooded about 14,000 acres of farmland and caused major damage.
Prosecutors claimed he did it on purpose to stop his wife from crossing the river so he could keep partying. Scott was convicted under Missouri’s “causing a catastrophe” law and sentenced to life in prison, with a chance for parole.
He has always denied the charges, and the case remains controversial, with some questioning whether the levee failure was actually caused by him or by the severe flooding.