Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman described as the treasurer of the Cole Camp R-1 Parent-Teacher Organization has been accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from the group.

Andrea Butler, of Cole Camp, was charged Friday in Benton County with stealing more than $750. A criminal summons was issued on Friday and an initial court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026.

The probable cause statement says Butler became the PTO’s treasurer on Sept. 11 and that from Oct. 16-Nov. 6, she “cashed checks and made withdrawals that did not correspond with any PTO events as well as withdrew money for PTO events but did not deposit back the cash withdrawn or the cash made on the event.”

The statement also alleges she made several purchases on Amazon. The total amount of money stolen was $4,138.43, according to court documents.

Butler is not currently listed as the treasurer on the PTO’s website.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Jefferson City has announced that the Madison Street Parking Garage will officially close on Dec. 29.

A social media post from the city says the City Council approved a demolition contract at its meeting this week. A portion of the parking garage closed last month after an inspection “identified severe deterioration to decking, ramps, and supporting columns, creating safety concerns.”

The city says more than 900 on-street parking spaces and several off-street lots will be available as the parking garage is demolished

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former corrections officer at the Morgan County Jail has been charged after they were allegedly in a sexual relationship with an inmate while they were employed.

Ashley Jacobson, of Jefferson City, was charged with sexual conduct in the course of public duty. A warrant was issued on Friday and a $25,000 bond was set.

The probable cause statement says a detainee told officials about seeing Jacobson and another inmate kissing in public and telling other detainees in the cell block to look away. The inmate reported the behavior on Sept. 30 and Jacobson was fired that same day after she declined to interview, the statement says.

Other jail staff noted Jacobson’s behavior was “suspicious” and that she would visit the cell block “in a flirtatious manner,” the statement says.

The inmate in question was interviewed and he allegedly admitted to being in a relationship with Jacobson, claimed they were get married and he would adopt Jacobson’s daughter, the statement says.

A family member of Jacobson also spoke with officials, claimed Jacobson was in a sexual relationship and reiterated the information from the inmate, the statement says.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former Pulaski County substitute teacher and paraprofessional charged with 19 felonies a year for allegedly offering children money, drugs and alcohol for sex has been sentenced to prison.

Carissa J. Smith, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to one count of child endangerment and two counts of having sexual contact with a student.

Smith worked in the Dixon School District but resigned a few months before charges were made public in November 2024. The investigation started when detectives interviewed a victim who said they had been coerced into sex with Smith — including her supplying marijuana, alcohol and money — on multiple occasions, according to a probable cause statement.

The statement identified at least five victims.

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Matthew Sanders

EDITOR’S NOTE: Charges against Jimmy Kenda were dropped after officers learned that the suspect gave a false identity. The suspect’s name will be released after formal charges are filed, police say.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A report of a man repeatedly harassing a woman at a gas station kicked off a high-speed pursuit early Friday in Jefferson City.

Jimmy Kenda was charged with first-degree sexual abuse, aggravated fleeing a stop and first-degree harassment, all felonies.

Officers were called to the Break Time at 326 Ellis Blvd. at about 2:45 a.m., where a woman said a man repeatedly made unwanted advances that included touching her and offering to pay her for sex, according to a probable cause statement. The man followed her to the drink station and continued to touch her inappropriately, the victim told police.

Officers soon found the suspect’s vehicle at another gas station. An officer began to question Kenda, who took off down Route C at speeds up to 100 mph in heavy rain, the statement says. Kenda crashed at the intersection of Route C and Rock Ridge Road and was arrested, police say.

Kenda was taken to University Hospital with a compound fracture of his leg. He was not in Cole County Jail custody on Friday morning.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The sole occupant of a boat on the Lake of the Ozarks was not hurt in a Thursday afternoon explosion and fire.

Firefighters were called to the 3.5 mile marker a little after 4 p.m. Thursday for a call of a boat and dock fire, the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District stated in a news release. The boat was on fire in the middle of a cove when firefighters arrived.

The lone occupant of the boat had been rescued by people on another boat, the release states.

Information about what started the fire and the victim’s name was not released.

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Matthew Sanders

People in Mid-Missouri were sickened to learn the macabre details after a Boone County woman had been charged with animal abuse.

Under Missouri law, no authorities were under an obligation to inspect Sanders’ operation, legally classified as a “hobby,” unless complaints were filed.

Do you think the state should have tougher requirements? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Four more people have been charged after more than 20 stolen guns were recovered in Columbia this week.

Two people were initially charged on Thursday after 14 guns were found in an apartment and vehicle on Radcliffe Drive while police served a search warrant Wednesday, according to court documents. Another nine were found in a bag in Kiwanis Park. Court documents now say 10 of the 23 guns were stolen from Macon County.

Kayla Dugan, 36, of Columbia, was charged with two counts of illegal gun possession, one count of stealing a gun and drug possession. Justin Shelton, 30, of Columbia, was charged with two counts of illegal gun possession and one count of stealing a gun. Dugan is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. Shelton’s name did not appear on the online jail roster on Friday afternoon.

Dugan has a hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday and a preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. April 25. Dugan appeared in court Friday by video from the jail. Shelton had an initial court appearance on Friday.

Prosecutors filed charges Friday against Gerald Bell, 44, of Centralia; Thomas Abbey Jr., 37, of Columbia; Robert Ruble, 38, of Columbia; and Tyrone Sabb, 49, of Columbia. Bell, Abbey and Sabb were listed on the Boone County Jail roster on Friday afternoon. Ruble was not listed on the jail roster, though he appeared on the county arrest report.

Bell is charged with illegal gun possession and stealing a gun. Abbey is charged with illegal gun possession, stealing a gun and drug possession. Ruble is charged with receiving stolen property, drug possession and unlawful use of a gun. Sabb is charged with receiving stolen property, four counts of illegal gun possession and two counts of armed criminal action.

The probable cause statement says Bell drove Dugan to Macon County to steal the guns. Shelton allegedly told investigators that Bell was attempting to sell the guns and had “been involved since the guns arrived at the house.” Court documents claim Bell admitted to handling guns and trying to find buyers.

Another statement says that a SWAT team served a warrant at Abbey’s residence on Dickinson Drive on Thursday after Dugan allegedly told police she sold guns to Abbey. Police allegedly found a stolen gun and methamphetamine at the residence, the statement says. Abbey was arrested during a traffic stop.

Abbey told police that he was with another person when they bought two guns from Dugan and that the guns were traded for a Dodge truck, the statement says.

Another probable cause statement says Dugan sold guns to Ruble and a search warrant was executed at his home near Boone Hospital on Bass Avenue on Thursday. Police wrote that a stolen gun was found along with methamphetamine. Ruble was arrested during a traffic stop and allegedly told police that he thought the gun was stolen “because he only paid $150 for the gun,” the probable cause statement says.

Dugan also admitted to selling guns to Sabb, who was identified through CashApp’s online database, the statement says. Four guns were found at Sabb’s residence near Rock Quarry Park, one of which was from Macon County, according to the statement. Sabb was arrested and told police that he didn’t ask where the guns came from “but assumed it was stolen based on the situation in which he obtained it,” court documents say.

The Columbia Police Department later wrote in a press release that it had also arrested Tayon Moorehead, 41, and Ronald McIntire, 46, both of Columbia. A total of 34 guns were recovered during the eight arrests. Charges were not filed on Friday afternoon for Moorehead and McIntire. McIntire was described in Abbey’s probable cause statement.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An Iowa man was brought to University Hospital on Thursday after a crash occurred at the intersection of Routes JJ and C in Huntsville, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the driver of a 2019 Nissan Frontier – the 25-year-old Sioux City, Iowa, man – failed to stop at a stop sign while heading eastbound. The Nissan went into the path of a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan that heading southbound and got hit, the report says.

The driver of the Dodge was a 22-year-old man from Cairo, Missouri. Both drivers wore seatbelts, but the Iowa man had moderate injuries and was brought to the hospital by ambulance, the report says.

Both vehicles were totaled. A photograph from the Westran Fire Protection District showed one of the vehicles caught fire after the crash.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Workers at a Columbia Starbucks location on Thursday joined a nationwide strike.

Around 11 employees were seen outside the location on Vandiver Drive on Thursday morning chanting and holding signs.

A press release from Starbucks Workers United – the union that represents the employees — says around 2,000 union baristas around the country went on strike after the two sides did not come to an agreement on a contract.

SBWU named the strike the “Red Cup Rebellion.” Demands from the union include “better staffing, higher pay, and resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice charges,” according to the release. The company refuted the claims in a Thursday evening press release, stating “When the union is ready to return to the bargaining table, we’re ready to talk.”

The Vandiver Drive store is one of two union locations in Columbia, with the other being near the intersection at Nifong Boulevard and Buttonwood Drive. The Vandiver location joined the union in September, while the Nifong location became Columbia’s first unionized store in July.

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