Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two employees of the Hallsville School District have been placed on paid administrative leave following public pushback over social media posts about political commentator Charlie Kirk.

Kirk, a divisive figure who was the founder of Turning Point USA – a group aimed at promoting conservative viewpoints — was shot and killed during an event last Wednesday at a college campus in Utah. Events were held around Mid-Missouri in the past week for Kirk, including in Boonville and on the University of Missouri’s campus, where Kirk was expected to appear later this month.

The school district wrote in a letter to parents that the employees were on leave pending the outcome of a review.

“We want to clarify that social media posts made by employees of the school district in their personal capacities and outside of their school duties do not reflect the opinions of the District or the Board of Education, nor are they endorsed in any way by the District. As a public school district, we recognize that our role is to create a learning environment where all students feel safe and valued,” the letter says.

Public discourse around Kirk’s shooting has ramped up, mostly around Kirk’s statements. National reports say several people have been targeted by an anonymous doxing website, which has led to some being fired from their jobs.

Comments and reactions around the two Hallsville School District employees emerged on social media after multiple posts were shared by “The Real Columbia Missouri,” a popular Facebook page and website where users frequently engage in political discussions.

State Rep. John Martin (R-Columbia) had commented about the situation on his social media page, demanding that the employees be fired.

“To extend no empathy means you don’t care about someone’s pain, utter disregard, blaming, ridiculing or dismissing someone’s struggles or tragic situations. So, when these two teachers say they do not care that a person was assassinated in our country, they are promoting violence against people with whom you disagree,” Martin wrote on Facebook.

Kirk, a prominent figure in the modern conservative movement, had previously called empathy a “made-up, New Age term.”

Screenshots shared around social media of the Hallsville employees had included both employees sharing the same post that called Kirk a white nationalist while calling for an end to gun violence.

“May all of our children grow up to live in a country that values their lives enough to take gun violence seriously and reject any person who would try to justify senseless gun-related deaths – especially the deaths of children,” the post shared by the employees says.

The quoted post was shared from a social media page called “So Informed,” and screenshots do not show the employees giving additional comments.

The school district wrote in its letter that the employees had “voluntarily removed the posts.”

Director of Litigation Freedom of Missouri Dave Roland says the First Amendment plays in a role in situations like this, but it often depends.

Statements that are made outside of school will receive more protections than statements made in the classrooms or during school hours, according to Roland.

“If a teacher makes a social media post while they are on the clock, then arguably they are acting in their capacity as a public employee rather than as a private citizens, who you, wishes to make a statement on a matter of public interest that really needs to wait until after you’re off the clock,” he said.

The post shared by the two employees did not promote illegal activity or illegal relationships, Roland said.

When it comes to sharing a post instead of writing one of your own, Roland says that could also play a factor.

“If you are simply reposting what somebody else said, at least in a defamation context, that’s not usually attributed as the speech of the person who’s doing the reposting. You might just be sharing that so other people will be aware of what that person said, it not necessarily your speech or intentions,” Roland said.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia welcomed home 70 area veterans Monday night after a day trip to Washington D.C.

Central Missouri Honor Flight’s embarked on its final flight Monday morning, a trip that gave veterans the opportunity to see memorials in Washington D.C. years after their service. 69 Vietnam veterans were on board the flight, as well as one Korean war veteran.

One of those veterans was Steve Achenbach, who served in the Vietnam War in 1970 and 1971, working in the air force as an aircraft mechanic.

“I had a wonderful day and then boy, to come in here like this, when we come off the bus and there’s 50 plus motorcycles and then be followed by state police and they stopped every car on every intersection, it was great,” Achenbach said.

Honor Flight asked the public to attend the veteran’s arrival Monday night at the Columbia Courtyard by Marriott, located at 3301 Lemone Industrial Dr. Hundreds of family members and first responders flocked to the area, holding American flags in their hands and posters.

Veterans arrived in buses around 9:30, escorted by around 50 motorcycles and were greeted by community members and several first responders.

Achenbach said the day was jam-packed, consisting of veterans getting to view the Vietnam wall, Korean War and World War II Memorial. He said he viewed the day as a chance for veterans to receive the respect they’ve earned.

He was influenced to go on the trip by his friend, Gregory Kam who attended flight 68.

Kam surprised four of his friends on Monday, greeting them at the Courtyard when they arrived. After his experience, he said he knew it was something other veterans should experience.

“You never forget it, never forget it at all. It’s a nice way to honor those who serve for you,” Kam said. “When I was in service going home every year, dressed in uniform, going to the airport, there was no Hi, nothing. It was like we weren’t there so this is good closure.”

Patricia Grimes and Michelle Wamble were one of the many family members who greeted their family member at the hotel on Monday. The two stood alongside 9 of their other family members.

“It was just amazing,” Grimes said. “My grandpa was in the Vietnam War so they didn’t get something like this and so it feels nice that after this many years, we can kind of repair that and give him back some of what he didn’t get before.”

Wamble became visibly emotional after reuniting with her father, crying as the two embraced.

“It’s a big healing process and I hope this has healed him. I don’t see my dad cry very often but I seen him in tears tonight so that’s awesome. I think he’s begun to heal,” Wamble said. “

Spokesperson for the group Shelley Becker told ABC 17 News via text message Monday afternoon that the buses were expected to arrive in Columbia around 10 p.m.

According to Becker, hundreds of motorcyclist were planning to stage at the Firefighters Memorial in Kingdom City ahead of the veterans’ arrival. Greeting and crowd announcements were also expected to be conducted when the buses arrived at the 174 mile-marker on Interstate 70 near Hermann and the buses slowed down near Kingdom City as they were escorted, Becker said.

“Tonight is all about these 70 veterans who have waited a long time to get closure,” Becker said.

Since launching flights in 2009, Central Missouri Honor Flight has taken nearly 5,600 veterans on flights to the nation’s capital.

Organizers told ABC 17 News on Sunday that a lack of applicants, as well as rising costs played a role in the organization deciding to stop the flights.

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Sam Roe

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Monday marked the was the first day of the annual University of Missouri homecoming blood drive, the largest student-run blood drive in the nation.

The drive will run daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. each day through Thursday at the MU Rec Center. Organizers hope for 5,000 units of blood to be donated.

“We can help up to three people with your blood donation,” Ann Vastmans, spokesperson for the American Red Cross said.

“A trauma patient may need more units of blood. And somebody who gets elective surgeries needs blood. People that are fighting sickle cell, that are fighting cancer. Pregnant women that are going through labor. There are so many different ways that your blood can be used to have a positive impact on someone’s life.”

This year, the blood drive is partnering with the “Peanuts” franchise in celebration of its 75th anniversary. Those who donate blood will receive a free Snoopy t-shirt as well as other various merchandise.

The Red Cross brings in employees from across the state of Missouri for this drive.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A septuagenarian was charged Monday in Boone County with third-degree child molestation.

Charles Cook Jr., 70, of Huntsdale, is being held at the Boone County Jail on a $50,000 bond. A hearing was held on Monday afternoon.

The probable cause statement says Cook grabbed a youth on Saturday evening. The act was allegedly seen by one of the victim’s parents and a second witness claimed Cook had made several inappropriate comments to the child that day, the statement says.

 Cook allegedly told deputies that the victim “initiated contact,” court documents say.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 77-year-old man from Morgan County has been charged with three felonies after he allegedly shared child pornography on Facebook.

Alfred Maxon, of Stover, was charged on Friday with child enticement, first-degree promoting child pornography and child porn possession. A warrant was issued on Friday, but Maxon was not listed on the Morgan County Jail’s online roster.

The probable cause statement says authorities were tipped off on May 27 about child pornography being uploaded to Facebook messenger about a month before from an account called “Willie Maxon.” The account was allegedly associated with an IP address of a phone owned by Alfred Maxon. Several more uploads were allegedly found.

Law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Maxon’s residence on June 11 and allowed a deputy to view his phone, which he first claimed was not his but admitted to uploading child porn to Facebook, the statement says. Inappropriate conversations with a child from April and May were also allegedly found on the phone, the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Morgan County man was charged with a felony on Saturday after he was accused of making a threat against the county’s prosecutor in a Facebook post about Charlie Kirk.

Mark Ream was charged with tampering with a judicial officer. A warrant was served on Monday and a $150,000 bond was set. An arraignment was scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Morgan County Courthouse.

The probable cause statement says a post was made in the Facebook group “What’s up Gravois Mills?” on Friday saying anyone celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk would be removed from the group. Kirk was a divisive political commentator who was shot to death last week on a college campus in Utah.

Ream allegedly commented on the post, “What if it was Dustin Dunklee” and “I have my own agenda to conquer and worry about,” court documents say. This was perceived as a threat against Dunklee’s life.

Dunklee was arrested in Laurie and allegedly making the comment while he was intoxicated and that he “did not think about his wording,” the statement says.

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council is set to vote on a $21,000 contract with TMT Consulting on Monday to provide six trauma-informed and community mental health training sessions across the city.

The initiative aims to address the root causes of violence using data from past consulting work and 911 call patterns.

“We’re trying to really see root causes to violence, mitigate it, disrupt it, so that we can see prevention and intervention take root in these areas,” Office of Violence Prevention Administrator D’Markus Thomas-Brown said.

According to city documents, the two-hour sessions will focus on adverse childhood experiences, grief healing and trauma response.

“That’s going to bring education to residents who are living in areas that have had, you know, one gunshot or one traumatic, violent, traumatic encounter’s too much, but have had multiple,” Thomas-Brown said.

Training sessions will be held in four identified Neighborhood Opportunity and Community Accountability Proconsul areas, with the two remaining sessions held if demand exceeds capacity. Sessions will be held every other month until the limit of six is reached. Each session is limited to 30 participants.

Besides 911 call patterns, the city used an overlay with stressor mapping to identify where to hold sessions.

“Stressor mapping is those that don’t have access to a grocery store or fresh fruits and vegetables that we call a food desert,” Thomas-Brown said.

The city looked at other trends including income and crime.

“Community trends of those who are living at or below the poverty level, those who have kids at home who are at a certain age that are then they’re below or in that poverty level,” Thomas-Brown said. “Also those who have had certain calls and that tend to be violent calls, gunshots, robbery, different things in those maps overlaid together that then identify some of these areas.”

When he attended a training by TMT Consulting, he said he learned more about what the effects of violence can do to a community.

“What happens in a mile radius when a gunshot goes off. What happens with the communications, that child going to school and then how some of those kids are then vicarious trauma,” Thomas-Brown said.

He said brining this to Columbia could bring collaboration and healing that leads to less violence.

“There’s a quote from Malcolm X that says, ‘When I becomes we even illness becomes wellness.’ And that’s what this has the potential to help us get to. The same understanding of what we’re talking about with mental health, mental wellness and those things,” Thomas-Brown said.

Presentations given at the sessions aim to help participants understand and assess childhood trauma, teach them how trauma affects community behavior, provide them with tools to support those dealing with trauma and grief and encourage healing and long-term support.

Attendees will be taught about grief and loss while identifying personal losses through an “Adverse Childhood Experience assessment.”

Participants will practice identifying how adverse childhood experiences can influence how individuals respond and react within the community, and how the participant responds to various responses from those within the community, according to city documents.

“There’s just not one solution that fixes the issue,” Thomas-Brown said. “Yes, we need folks patrolling, but we also need those dealing with the root causes as well. The patrol doesn’t deal with the root cause, and if you just pick the fruit, it’s going to grow back.”

The first training session would be held in October.

Monday’s City Council Meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Check back for updates.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Police say they arrested a Columbia man early Monday in a domestic stabbing.

Lawrence Johnson, 60, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action, assaulting a police officer and felony resisting arrest, according to a Columbia Police Department news release. Information related to his case was not available in online court records on Monday morning.

Officers were sent to the 4700 block of Pierre Street in east Columbia at around 12:30 a.m. and found a victim with multiple stab wounds that were not life-threatening, the release states. Johnson refused to leave a residence for more than three hours but was arrested after spitting in an officer’s face, according to the release.

The victim was treated at a local hospital.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 67-year-old Roach man was seriously hurt after an ATV crash in Camden County Sunday afternoon, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

According to the report, the man was driving a 2005 Yamaha Kodiak west in the 400 block of Ski Valley Drive at 3:20 p.m., when he went off the right side of a driveway and rolled down a steep embankment.

The man was taken by ambulance to Lake Regional Hospital in Osage Beach with serious injuries. The report states he was not wearing a helmet.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An 18-year-old Columbia man was sentenced to nearly two decades in prison Monday in connection with a deadly shooting in May 2024.

Cordero Riley Jr., 18, admitted to unlawful use of a weapon and second-degree assault in a plea deal with prosecutors in July that took a second-degree murder charge off the table.

Judge Benjamin Miller sentenced Riley to 15 years in prison for the weapon charge and another three years for assault.

Riley was charged as an adult last November with first-degree assault, second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action in the death of Trevon Ashcraft, 18, in May 2024. Riley was 17 years old at the time of the shooting.

Police say security camera footage shows Riley with a gun in hand, ducking from bullets being fired from the road. Riley and another suspect shot at a black SUV down Boyd Lane, and during the exchange of gunfire, Ashcraft was killed, according to a probable cause statement.

Police say Riley told officers he did not know who he was shooting at, but they were 10 houses away. He also allegedly told police he continued to shoot the gun until it ran out of ammunition.

Two other suspects were also charged. Quanina Lakeitha Lambert was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree murder and hindering a felony prosecution. Lambert took a plea deal last month, pleading guilty to second-degree assault and child endangerment. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Jordan Jerodisiah Brantley was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree murder and armed criminal action. His trial is set to begin in May 2026.

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