Author: KMIZ

Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The mother of a man suspected of killing his father testified Thursday that her son admitted to the shooting immediately afterward.

Tracy Perkins testified Thursday that her son told her, “I just shot your husband,” after she heard gunshots inside their home.

Tracy Perkins is the mother of Dalton Perkins and the wife of Steven Perkins, who was killed in May 2025. Her testimony came on the second day of Dalton Perkins’ Boone County murder trial. Dalton Perkins, 33, of Sturgeon, is charged with second-degree murder and other felonies in his father’s death.

Tracy Perkins said she had a friend over to play cards when she went inside to tell her husband and son to stop arguing about the loud music her son was playing. She testified that Dalton Perkins pushed her to the ground. Steven Perkins then got out of his chair and tackled Dalton, and the two briefly wrestled.

She said Steven put Dalton in a chokehold, and she sat on her son to restrain him. She believed the initial struggle lasted five to 10 minutes.

Tracy Perkins testified that she called out to her friend to call 911, but said the woman did not have her phone outside and did not come inside to call. She then saw Dalton Perkins get a gun out of a refrigerator and heard the first shot as she opened her storm door to leave the house.

She did not see Dalton Perkins look at or point the gun at her, she testified.

Tracy Perkins said she heard four or five more shots and ran back inside. She testified that she saw Dalton Perkins walk into the kitchen and set down the gun before telling her, “I just shot your husband.”

Steven was on the couch and told her, “I think I’m dying,” she testified. Tracy Perkins said she responded, “Please don’t die,” then called 911 and began CPR, continuing until emergency responders arrived.

A forensic pathologist who reviewed the autopsy records and photographs testified that Steven Perkins had five bullet entry wounds to his torso. Dr. Charles Glenn said the gun was fired within about 4 to 5 feet of Steven Perkins.

Glenn did not perform the autopsy and said he could not determine the path of every wound, including which were entry, exit or re-entry wounds.

Earlier Thursday, paramedic Isabella McGlasson testified that she saw shell casings on the floor and wounds on Steven’s chest and back. She said CPR was performed for about 40 minutes.

Dalton Perkins’ attorney said during opening statements that Dalton shot Steven in self-defense because he feared his father would get another gun in the house. During cross-examination, Tracy Perkins testified that Dalton had said, “You guys are trying to kill me,” during the struggle.

Dalton Perkins is also charged with two counts of armed criminal action, first-degree domestic assault and unlawful use of a weapon.

Read ABC17’s previous coverage of the trial.

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Matthew Sanders

HUNTSVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 17-year-old pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges in the death of his on-again, off-again girlfriend Thursday.

Christopher Woods-Bloss is charged in the death of 16-year-old Kayla Huff, whose body was found this spring in a Randolph County conservation area. Woods-Bloss and Huff had been in a relationship multiple times, according to a probable cause statement.

Woods-Bloss was in a Randolph County courtroom Thursday for his first appearance since being charged with Huff’s murder. He is also charged with armed criminal action and first-degree kidnapping.

Court documents allege Huff was taken to the area in the trunk of a car and beaten and shot to death.

Woods-Bloss was among the last people to be seen with Huff, and he allegedly told investigators that he was with Huff the day of her disappearance when her car broke down.

Court documents in cases against other defendants allege Woods-Bloss’ co-defendants disabled Huff’s car and covered up evidence to create the appearance that she had disappeared.

Four other people face charges in the case ranging from murder to evidence tampering.

Woods-Bloss is being held without bond. Judge Garreth Cooksey set an Oct. 19 bond hearing.

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Matthew Sanders

A Columbia man who describes himself as a “nudist” was arrested this week and charged with four misdemeanors for exposing himself in May and June on the MKT Trail.

Two people who allegedly encountered the man on the trail considered purchasing a gun after those incidents due to safety concerns, according to court documents. Reports of criminal incidents on local trails are not common, but not unheard of — two women reported a man exposing himself in July 2020 and a man was charged with attempted rape on the trail in 2023.

Do you think local trails are safe? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The state auditor gave Cooper County a “poor” rating on Wednesday.

A press release and audit report claim the county needs to “do a better job of managing the county’s finances and putting it on a better trajectory by doing more immediate and long-term planning,” Fitzpatrick wrote.

The report claims the County Commission and sheriff’s office “do not monitor credit card limits and limits for some cards are excessive based on their credit use during 2024.”

Credit card bills were not paid on time in 2024 and the county totaled $1,839 in late fees and finance charges.

The report also alleges the county’s accrual system “did not accrue vacation leave at the correct rates” in 2024 for five of 11 employees “who were haphazardly selected for review.”

The release and report claim the General Revenue Fund is in decline and is expected to have an ending balance of $229,198 by the end of the year. It had $1.6 million in general revenue at the end of previous years, the release says. It cites a $1.15 million property purchase for a new sheriff’s office as a major reason for the decline.

It also claims the county’s 911 sales tax was not able to cover the cost of emergency services and that its E-911 fund would have been in the red by more than $250,000 last year if the county didn’t transfer $310,000 from the General Revenue Fund. Another $200,000 transfer is scheduled for this year.

“Given the condition of the GRF, funds may not be available for continued transfers,” the report says. “These transfers from the GRF to the E-911 Fund jeopardize the county’s ability to maintain a sufficient reserve to address budget shortfalls in the event of an economic downturn or other significant financial emergency.”

Another portion of the report claims the county’s clerk “did not accurately calculate the property tax levy reduction amounts or retain sales tax rollback calculations for 2024,” which led to collecting $108,000 “in excess property taxes for 2023 and 2024.”

Cooper County audit resultsDownload

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Camden County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday night shared a more than 47-minute-long video surrounding the response to a call involving a toddler’s drowning.

Iszabella O’Bryan, 2, was found dead on March 3 in the water at the Lake of the Ozarks after she went missing. Previous reporting from the time of the drowning says she was found after an hour in the area of Irontown Road in Roach.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said she was found in Bollinger Creek Cove a short distance from her home, previous reporting says.

The girl’s parents — Justin Haas and Katelee O’Bryan – filed a federal lawsuit last month against the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, juvenile office, Missouri Children’s Division and Department of Social Services.

The parents claimed in court documents that two Camden County detectives “aggressively interrogated” the couple with “hostile and manipulative” tactics “rather than coordinating rescue efforts.”

A summons was issued for the defendants on Sept. 30.

Court documents in previous reporting claimed law enforcement went outside the geographical boundaries allowed by its search warrant by searching more than one property; and that investigators “staged the scene…to manufacture a false impression of criminal endangerment.”

The department refuted the claims in the lawsuit with a press release of its own last week.

The edited video released by the sheriff’s office on Wednesday shows deputies speaking at a residence with the girl’s step dad at the beginning of the video before making their way to a camper to search for the girl. The stepfather allows the deputies into the camper.

The mother of the girl appears around the 25-minute mark of the video and begins answering questions by deputies a few moments later.

The parents and deputies go back to the residence around the 38-minute mark and deputies speak to the children.

Several portions of the video are muted by law enforcement.

“We believe openness is essential when our actions are called into question,” a statement from the Camden County Sheriff’s Office says. “The release of this footage will provide an accurate, first-hand account of how our deputies responded. We hope this transparency helps the community understand the professionalism and urgency shown throughout the search.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The story has been corrected to note the inmate died in a hospital.

An inmate died in a hospital while in the custody of the Boone County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, according to a sheriff’s office spokesman.

Spokesman Brian Leer confirmed that an inmate had died around 4:15 p.m. Monday after being taken to a hospital. The department will not release the name of the person who died because of “ongoing policy regarding death investigations.”

Leer stated the inmate had “quite an extensive medical history” and “had been in custody for several years.”

“The detainee had a sudden medical event at the jail and personnel provided care until relieved by EMS & fire personnel. The detainee was transported to a local hospital, where they passed away nearly two hours later,” Leer wrote in a statement to ABC 17 News.

The last death reported in sheriff’s office custody was in August 2024, when William Gipson, 43, of Ashland, died in at the Boone County Jail. The Boone County Medical Examiner determined that his death was the result of an accidental methamphetamine overdose.

No charges were filed in that incident.

Missouri law states that a coroner must investigate any death that occurs while that person is in custody. The Death and Custody Act requires law enforcement agencies to report jail and prison deaths to the Department of Justice.

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Stephi Smith

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Cole County Commission will have to decide how to balance next year’s budget as the county’s health insurance costs continue to rise.

During a Cole County Commission meeting on Tuesday, County Auditor Jay Moore said the county’s health insurance reserve fund will have dropped from $3.2 million in 2023 to about $900,000 by the end of this year. That includes a one-time transfer of $580,000 to cover health insurance costs.

Moore said the county’s health insurance expenses for 2027 were originally projected at $5.3 million. He told ABC 17 News those projections will likely change when he returns to commissioners next week with an updated health insurance plan.

Randy Lueckenotte with Acrisure Insurance also presented commissioners with information about employee benefit renewals Tuesday. Acrisure recommends increasing health insurance rates by 20% for employees.

The potential increase comes as the county has already shifted some of the cost of health insurance to employees.

Before 2025, the county paid the full cost of employees’ health insurance premiums, according to a county open enrollment document. Where it used to pay the full cost of claims, the county now pays health insurance claims up to $85,000 per employee, after which a third-party reinsurance company covers the costs.

Cole County Western District Commissioner Harry Otto said the county introduced the reinsurance company because expensive procedures, such as chemotherapy and major surgeries, could significantly increase the county’s costs.

“It’s not unheard of to incur a half-a-million-dollars of expenses in one year for one person. So we couldn’t stand that risk,” Otto said.

But the county’s health insurance fund has continued to lose money.

The county finance department reported the health care fund was losing more than $100,000 a month during the second half of 2025.

As a result, the Cole County Commission voted in October 2025 to increase employee premiums to $50 per person each month. The commission also increased the amount each county department pays into the health insurance fund by 20%.

Moore said most county employees currently pay $50 a month for health insurance, up from $25 a month last year.

The central debate for commissioners now is who will pay for additional increases in health insurance costs.

“The choice becomes who pays for it: the county versus the employee. That, in my mind, is the choice that we have in front of us going forward,” Moore said during Tuesday’s meeting.

Moore said the county could also consider reducing the number of employees or hours worked, or reducing the services provided through employee health insurance plans.

Cole County Health Director Kristi Campbell said the county has already struggled to recruit staff and that reducing benefits could make recruitment even more difficult.

Otto said the county has also eliminated some health insurance programs that were deemed unnecessary, including a $15,000 wellness program that he said primarily provided employees with fruit during the workday.

“People can get their own bananas, their own apples … we were picking away at things that weren’t necessary,” Otto said.

The county has also looked to other sources of revenue to help offset health insurance costs.

Otto said the county had been using revenue from a 3% marijuana sales tax to help cover health insurance costs. Cole County voters approved the tax in 2023.

However, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled last year that counties and cities cannot “stack” marijuana sales taxes. Before the ruling, marijuana customers could have been charged a 6% state tax, a 3% county tax and a 3% city tax.

As a result, Cole County can collect its marijuana sales tax from dispensaries in unincorporated Cole County, but not from dispensaries within Jefferson City limits.

Otto said the county had to return about $500,000 to the Missouri Department of Revenue after the ruling.

“That was painful because we thought we found a good place for it,” Otto said.

Moore said the county’s financial challenges are ultimately tied to health care becoming more expensive.

Moore and Cole County Finance Director Jessica Bryant are scheduled to present an updated health insurance budget to commissioners Oct. 13.

“At that meeting the County Commissioners are expected to approve next year’s health care plan and the cost split between the County and the county employees,” Moore told ABC 17 News in an email.

Otto expects employee premium rates will continue to increase over time as health care costs rise.

The Cole County fiscal year resets Jan. 1. Moore is scheduled to present a draft 2027 budget in early November, with budget hearings scheduled for Dec. 1 and 2.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Callaway County Sheriff’s Office has named the victim in a homicide case.

Aunika Houston, 37, was named the victim in the case involving the recent arrest at the Baymont Inn and Suites in Kingdom City.

Jonathan Guthrie Houston, 44, is charged in Callaway County with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. He is being held at the Callaway County Jail without bond.

Houston is accused of killing his wife of 17 years in late 2025. He allegedly admitted to law enforcement that he killed the woman after one of his children called authorities on Sunday. He allegedly dumped the woman’s body in a dumpster after killing her, court documents claim.

The sheriff’s office says Aunika Houston was originally from the state of California and had lived in Mid-Missouri for the “past several years.”

Jonathan Houston has a hearing scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Check back for updates.

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Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A crash involving a semi truck has blocked westbound lanes of I-70 east of Columbia, according to a post on X from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The post said the crash is a non-injury incident that happened at the 136 mile marker between the Route Z and Millersburg exits.

The Highway Patrol said both westbound lanes are blocked at this time, and asks drivers to try and use alternate routes if possible.

This is a developing story; we will update as more information comes in.

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Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Charges have been filed against a Columbia man who authorities say walked around the MKT Trail while he was nude multiple times.

Draquawn Jennings, 33, was charged with four counts of misdemeanor sexual misconduct dating back to May 11. He posted a $10,000 bond, according to Boone County Jail records.

According to the probable cause statement, five victims encountered Jennings on the trail from May 11-June 17.

Two people who allegedly encountered Jennings on the trail considered purchasing a gun after those incidents due to safety concerns, according to court documents.

One of the victims allegedly told officers that Jennings was fondling himself when they encountered saw him on the trail, the statement says.

Another victim was cited in court documents stating that Jennings was not clothed while riding a bicycle on May 25.

The statement says a resident was able to get a photo of Jennings following his fifth encounter with someone on the trail and provided it to police. In that photo, Jennings was allegedly only wearing a shirt.

A police officer was able to identify Jennings from the photo and four of the five victims identified Jennings from a photo lineup. Police noted that Jennings had identified himself as a “nudist” on social media.

Tammy Miller with Columbia Parks and Recreation said CPD is in charge of patrols and security on trail systems through park police.

CPD spokesman Colin Imhoff said the department “does not discuss specific tactics” on how it patrols trails.

Matthew Osthoff is a student at the University of Missouri and walks on the MKT trail four to five times a week, and he said he has never seen police or security patrolling the trails.

Osthoff said that in his time walking on the trail, he hasn’t experienced any dangers, but hearing about Jennings made him feel uneasy.

“The biggest thing I do worry about is, you know, bikers running into me. But other than that, no, I mean, maybe a few footsteps here, there in the background, you know, look around and don’t see anyone,” Osthoff said. “There are people out there who do stuff like that. So it does make me more, I’d say more aware I was there and anything else.”

Dawson Torpey, a student at Columbia College, said he walks the trail three to five times a week and has never seen security patrolling. He said that although he has never felt unsafe, the stories he has heard about the MKT trail makes sense for those who do feel unsafe.

“I have never felt unsafe. I could see how some people would with some of the stories I’ve heard, but just walking every day, I’ve. I’ve never felt unsafe,” said Torpey. “I usually walk in the morning, so I imagine it’s safer in the morning.”

Torpey said that he has seen children walking on the trail, and imagines that if they encounter similar incidents, it would have made them feel unsafe.

“That probably would’ve been pretty bad if they were here yesterday when that went down. So I imagine they don’t feel too safe on the trail,” Torpey said.

A court date has not been scheduled for Jennings. A condition of his bond states that he is not allowed to be on the MKT Trail in Columbia.

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