Author: KMIZ

Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Jefferson City firefighters encountered “heavy fire conditions” in the front of a house during a call Friday morning.

Firefighters were sent to the 100 block of North Polk Street a little before 8 a.m. and found the flames when they arrived, according to a Jefferson City Fire Department news release. Everyone inside had already gotten out safely by the time firefighters arrived.

Firefighters had the blaze under control in about 20 minutes, but remained to help with the investigation into the fire’s cause. That cause remained unknown late Friday morning.

The American Red Cross was called in to help the displaced residents, the release says.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man suffered serious injuries Thursday after his motorcycle collided with a semi-truck in Audrain County.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, the 30-year-old Jefferson City man’s motorcycle was hit by a semi-truck that ran a stop sign at Route K and Audrain County Road 565 around 5:18 p.m. Thursday. The Vandalia man, 20, driving the semi-truck, crossed the road and hit the side of the motorcycle before the bike rolled and got caught under the semi.

The Jefferson City man was taken to University Hospital by Audrain County EMS and was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

The driver of the semi-truck was not wearing a seatbelt, but was not injured.

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Matthew Sanders

The country was surprised earlier this week to see images of heavy equipment tearing down the East Wing of the White House.

President Donald Trump is clearing the 123-year-old section of the presidential mansion to make way for his 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which will dwarf the chief executive’s residence when completed. The cost of the project has gone up from about $250 million to $300 million, which Trump has said is coming from private donations instead of taxpayer money.

The White House released a list of companies it says are paying for the project on Thursday.

What do you think of the project? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man from California, Missouri, who is facing felony charges in two counties has now been charged in Moniteau County with 29 counts of possessing child pornography.

Ernest Blair Jr., 21, was served a warrant on Thursday, according to court records. He was previously charged in Miller County with first-degree making a terroristic threat after he allegedly called in a gun threat last year to Eldon High School after a student asked him. A hearing in that case is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5 at the Miller County Courthouse.

Blair was also charged earlier this year in Moniteau County with second-degree statutory rape. The probable cause statement in that case says Blair knew the victim was 15 years old and that the two were “trying to conceive a child.”

Multiple probable cause statements say law enforcement became aware of the “relationship” Blair had with the child on April 10. Law enforcement spoke with the victim on April 22 and she allegedly gave details of repeated assaults, the statement says.

Law enforcement arrested Blair on April 29 and he was charged with statutory rape the same day. Deputies obtained a search warrant to see Blair’s phone and the Missouri Digital Forensic Center gave a report months later indicating several images and videos of child porn were stored on the phone, the statement says.

A hearing in the statutory rape case is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18 at the Moniteau County Courthouse. A hearing has not been scheduled in his most-recent case.

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Ryan Shiner

HALLSVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ)

A number of law enforcement officers were seen in Hallsville on Thursday as they arrested a sex offender who had a warrant for his arrest, according to a social media post from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.

Eric Dwayne Gathings, 51, of Hallsville, is currently being held in the Boone County Jail on a U.S. Marshal hold and Boone County accusations of failure to register as a sex offender and being within 1,000 feet of a school. Charges were not available on Casenet on Thursday evening.

Residents may have noticed a large law enforcement at the corner of Route B and East Highway 124 around 4 p.m. A number of people had called ABC 17 News about seeing law enforcement around that time and the Boone County Sheriff’s Office was seen with an armored vehicle when an ABC 17 News photographer was at the scene. Gathings was arrested at 5 p.m.

Boone County Sheriff’s deputies and a Hallsville police officer are seen near an armored vehicle Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, near the corner of Route B and East Highway 124 in Hallsville. [Sam Roe/KMIZ

The post from the sheriff’s office says Gathings was unlawfully residing at a residence located near the Sassafras Moon and that he failed to register the address.

“Over the last three weeks, probable cause was developed to believe Gathings was residing at 121/123 E Highway 124 in Hallsville, MO, which is within 1,000 feet of a public school and within 1,000 feet of a childcare facility. On 10/23/2025, a search warrant was issued to seize Gathings from 121/123 E Highway 124,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

He was found hiding in an attic in the building, the sheriff’s office wrote.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri state Sen. Mike Bernskoetter (R-Cole County) announced Thursday on his social media that he plans to run for presiding commissioner in Cole County.

Bernskoetter has served the sixth district in the Missouri senate since 2019, which is made up of Cole, Camden, Miller, Moniteau and Morgan counties. He will reach the end of his term in January 2027 and is not able to run for the seat again because of term limits. He also previously served as a state representative for eight years.

He is running for the seat currently held by Sam Bushman since 2014. Bushman told ABC 17 News that he will not seek reelection and plans on endorsing Bernskoetter.

Bernskoetter wrote on his Facebook page that his campaign will focus on “conservative values” and fiscal responsibility.

“Cole County is my home and it’s been the honor of my life to represent our community as your State Representative and State Senator. I’m now ready to bring that same dedication and common sense conservative leadership to Cole County Commission ensuring our county continues to be a great place to live, work and raise a family,” Bernskoetter wrote. “We have a responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars while making sure our roads, public safety and essential services are strong. As Presiding Commissioner, I’ll work every day to make sure Cole County remains a place where families and businesses can thrive. I’d be honored to have your support.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An 82-year-old Rolla woman was seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash Thursday on Route HH in Phelps County, north of County Road 82270, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the woman drove a 2007 Buick Lucerne northbound and it went off the right side of the road and hit a tree.

The woman was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, the report says. She was flown to University Hospital in Columbia. The Buick was totaled.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A judge has allowed the plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit to block an attempted nationwide layoff that would affect employees at the Columbia Environmental Research Center.

The lawsuit — filed in California — showed the Department of Interior was looking to lay off 80 employees at the Columbia location and more than 2,300 people in various positions nationwide.

The Columbia Environmental Research Center has 102 total employees, according to court documents.

CERC researches contaminants and effects in water and land.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was already in law enforcement custody has been accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill a detective from the Columbia Police Department.

Nikolaus Harvey, 26, was charged on Thursday with conspiracy to commit a Class A felony. He was moved from the Boone County Jail to the Phelps County Jail. He is being held without bond. A court date has not been scheduled for this case.

The probable cause statement says an inmate told officials that Harvey offered to pay him $5,000 to kill the detective, but the inmate declined. Harvey allegedly wrote a note giving an accurate physical description of the detective, as well as an additional note and map detailing the location of guns that could be used, the statement says.

Harvey had allegedly blamed the detective for being held in jail, court documents say.

The witness handed the map over to law enforcement. He also had told Harvey he knew someone who could carry out the hit, the statement says. Law enforcement gave the inmate a phone number of a police officer that Harvey would talk to, the statement says.

Harvey allegedly spoke with the undercover officer and allegedly admitted to making the map and talked about how payment would occur, the statement says. Harvey then allegedly gave another note to the previous witness saying he would show the undercover officer where the guns were hidden, court documents say.

Harvey was interviewed by law enforcement at the Phelps County Jail and denied all allegations, including that he discussed a hit or wrote any notes, the probable cause statement says.

He was charged earlier this year after he was accused of stealing from 20 vehicles in Columbia over the course of two months. He was charged in one case with misdemeanor stealing, stealing a gun and stealing drugs. A hearing is scheduled in that case for 8:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 3.

In another case, he is charged with first-degree burglary, felony stealing and possessing burglary tools.

Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson said conspiracy cases are taken seriously.

“A group of crimes that can be committed without actually finishing the crime conspiracy and attempt are both offenses where you haven’t actually completed the offense,” Johnson said.

While Harvey’s plan did not follow through, Johnson said the plan itself is a crime.

“Conspiracy  is that you agreed with one or more other persons to commit an offense, it has to be a serious felony. In Missouri, it has to be an A,B or C felony,” Johnson said.

Johnson emphasized the importance of of coming forward.

“Normally, we talk about if people have information about crimes that have been committed,” Johnson said. “But it is important, too, if you have information that somebody is going to commit a crime, to go to somebody and share that information. Because maybe we can stop that harm from happening.”

A person convicted of conspiracy can face up to three to 10 years in prison, according to Johnson.

ABC 17 News reached out to public defender Benjamin Ellis — who represents Harvey in several other cases — but he declined to comment.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly used a knife to stab his brother in his leg.

Steven Swanson, 32, was charged on Thursday in Boone County with first-degree domestic assault and armed criminal action. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says police were called at 2:05 p.m. about a possible incident of domestic violence.

A witness told police that Swanson had stabbed his own brother in his right leg and ran away with the knife, court documents say. Swanson arrested shortly after and police found him with the knife, the statement says.  

Swanson allegedly told police that an argument began, he pulled out a knife, his brother told him to put the knife away and Swanson then stabbed him, the statement says.

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