Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman from California, Missouri, was charged with a felony after police say she was seen “breaking off flags set out for Memorial Day” on Sunday.

Crystal Badolato was charged on Tuesday with first-degree property damage. A warrant with a $1,000 bond was issued. The California Police Department wrote in a social media post that she is being held at the Moniteau County Jail.

A probable cause statement was not filed in the case. The court appointed Morgan County Prosecutor Dustin Dunklee as a special prosecutor.  

Police wrote that Badolato was allegedly seen “walking down Oak Street destroying private property and breaking off flags.”

Court filings show Moniteau County Prosecutor Derik Kinde recused himself “due to circumstances that create a conflict of interest and appearance of impropriety, which may interfere with the performance of duties and exercise of discretion herein.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Cole County Public Works is spending $20,900 to buy five speed radar signs that will be used around the county.

Public Works Director Eric Landwehr told ABC 17 News in a statement that Henwick Lane will be the first road to see the signs placed.

“We have had numerous citizen complaints regarding speeding on this roadway,” the statement says. “We are also looking at other roads with similar complaints. These signs are easily moveable so we will likely rotate them around the county but we’ll keep them on a road for quite a while and not move them too often. We have a portable radar trailer that is better for short term use at problem locations.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Police Department on Tuesday released its annual report for 2025, which shows violent crime trending down in the city for the fourth year in a row.

CPD defined violent crime as a criminal act that involves a force or threat of force against a person. It may consist of murder or manslaughter, robbery, aggravated assault or rape. The department counts one crime for each victim.

In 2021, CPD reported 652 violent crimes and in 2025 only 470 violent crimes were reported. Violent crime reports only dropped by six from 2024 to 2025.

Guns were the most common weapon used in violent crimes, with 169 reports. There were 140 reports for aggravated assault with a gun. However, murders involving guns were down nearly 70% from 2024, with only four reported in 2025.

In 2026, Columbia has already reached last year’s peak with four people dead across multiple shootings. One girl was killed in a shooting at the Greens apartment complex on Jan. 4. A man was shot to death on Ridgemont Court in a deadly Facebook marketplace meetup less than two weeks later on Jan. 18. Another man was killed on North Garth Avenue on Feb. 7. Another man was killed in a drive-by shootout on Allen Street on March 4.

Violent crime in ColumbiaInfogram

The report also states that CPD is short 21 full-time uniformed officer positions. The report cites 91 total full-time officer positions, with 70 filled.

In April, Police Chief Jill Schlude said the department would no longer be able to field a dedicated downtown police unit, originally set to launch in May, due to the staffing strain. Schlude introduced the idea of bringing the unit back in an October 2025 interview, following the death of a Stephens College student in downtown Columbia at the end of September.

In 2025, CPD had 41,432 calls for service with 10,042 police reports filed. Officers also made 16,127 traffic stops and 4,401 arrests. The department also reported a 100% clearance rate for homicides in 2025.

The highest arrest rates were for those ages 10-17 and 25-34.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLIMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man who was accused of dumping a woman’s body in a trash bin in Perche Creek earlier this month appeared in court on Tuesday.

Andrew Acton, 53, is charged with abandoning a corpse and tampering with evidence. He still does not have an attorney. The judge set his next hearing for 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 2. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.

The victim’s body was found in a city roll cart on Sunday, May 17 in Perche Creek. A boater found the bin at the Providence Landing on Old Plank Road, reporting a smell of decomposition, court documents in previous reporting say. The victim has not been publicly identified.

An autopsy was ordered last week, but it has not been completed, according to an update to a Sunshine Law request made by ABC 17 News to the Boone County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was arrested and charged after he allegedly fired a gun in a mobile home park while he was drunk on Monday evening.

Phillip Etheridge, 36, was charged on Tuesday with unlawful use of a weapon. He is being held at the Boone County Jail and the state has requested his bond be set at $10,000.

The probable cause statement says police were called at 7:16 p.m. to a mobile home park on New Haven Road after one of the victims heard gun shots while they were doing yard work. Etheridge allegedly was seen swinging his arms while he was holding a gun, the statement says. He allegedly walked by the residence multiple times while saying “I hope you don’t look my way,” the statement says.

A second victim heard gunshots after seeing Etheridge pull a gun from his pants and waive it, court documents say. That victim allegedly said she heard Etheridge make a threat, the statement says.

Etheridge allegedly told police that he became mad after one of the victims called him something insulting, the statement says. He allegedly admitted to firing one shot.

The police officer noted in the probable cause statement that Etheridge appeared to be intoxicated and had two small bottles of Fireball on him when he was detained.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A St. Joseph woman was charged with a pair of felonies after she allegedly kicked a 7-year-old boy into a pool on Saturday in Sedalia.

Penny Badgett, born in 1963, was charged with child abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. She was held at the Pettis County Jail on a 24-hour hold and was released, according to Monday court filings. A warrant was issued on Monday and a $15,000 bond was set.

The probable cause statement says police were called to a hotel after 8 p.m. Saturday. Badgett allegedly kicked a 7-year-old boy into a pool that was 5-and-a-half-feet deep, the statement says. She did not know the youth beforehand.

Badgett was confronted by the child’s aunt and Badgett allegedly told the woman that she kicked the youth because he “was mean to another child,” the statement says. Police reviewed video, which allegedly showed Badgett standing behind the child, waited for him to sit down and then using her foot to push him into the pool, court documents say.

Police went to Badgett’s room and she allegedly said, “I know what this is about, I pushed him,” court documents say.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Kansas City man has been charged with four felonies after he allegedly assaulted a victim who was in a wheelchair.

Arthur Wayne Hooks, 71, was charged on Tuesday with second-degree assault of a special victim, two counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.

The probable cause statement says someone on May 3 brought the victim to a police officer’s vehicle that was parked at the Eagle Stop at 1704 North Providence Road.

The victim allegedly told police they were assaulted by Hooks after they refused to have sex with him, court documents say. The victim was evaluated by EMS and police noted multiple injuries in the probable cause statement.

Police found Hooks with a 9-inch knife when he was arrested, the statement says.

Hooks was allegedly recorded on video telling police that he attacked the wheelchair-bound victim in self-defense, court documents say.

Click here to follow the original article.

Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A bill that could change who has the final say on high school sports and activities appeals is sitting on the governor’s desk after months of back-and-forth with the private nonprofit that organizes many of Missouri’s interscholastic activities. 

Senate Bill 863 would create a governor-appointed oversight commission for the Missouri State High School Activities Association. The five-member commission would have the final say on appeals that have either exhausted MSHSAA’s appeals process or were made directly with the board. 

The oversight board is supposed to be an independent voice for students and their families, so that it’s not just MSHSAA making decisions, say its supporters. 

“What people felt like is when they went through the appeals process through MSHSAA, that MSHSAA was making judgment calls on their officials,” bill sponsor Sen. Jason Bean (R-Holcomb) said. 

The bill has changed considerably since it was introduced in December, when it included more oversight over MSHSAA. MSHSAA released a statement noting the bill and a Senate substitute bill looked like a possible “government takeover.” 

“We’re happy with the final version,” MSHSAA’s Executive Director Jennifer Rukstad told ABC 17 News in an interview. “Being a private nonprofit, ultimately, no government interference would be ideal.” 

Rukstad said that MSHSAA isn’t opposed to having an oversight commission. 

“If we can figure out ways to be as fair as possible, and if our state government wants to have some say in that, ultimately, it’s not a bad thing,” Rukstad said. 

The bill was approved by both chambers and sent to the governor’s desk in late April and is now awaiting his signature. Kehoe said the bill is being reviewed by his office now. 

“They just wanted some accountability, parents, coaches, teachers, etc., as well as the student athletes,” Kehoe said. “We believe this bill gives a little more accountability and still allows us to have a great system here in Missouri.” 

The bill is one of Kehoe’s legislative priorities, and he announced his support during his State of the State Address in January. If signed, the oversight commission would begin reviewing appeals in the 2027-28 school year. 

After avoiding what appeared to be a brief attempt at a total state takeover of high school sports, MSHSAA also faces a discrimination lawsuit over a board policy. 

Tune into ABC 17 News at 6 p.m. on Thursday to learn more about the state’s oversight of MSHSAA. 

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Callaway County man has made an Alford plea to reduced charges in a 2017 Cole County homicide.

Zacchaeus D. Silva pleaded guilty earlier this month to accessory to second-degree assault in the beating death of Jerry Robertson on April 20, 2017, court records show. Silva had been indicted with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, armed criminal action, evidence tampering and witness tampering charges.

An Alford plea is one in which a defendant does not explicitly admit guilt, but acknowledges the state has the evidence to obtain a conviction.

Sentencing is set for July 13 before Judge Daniel Green.

A co-defendant, Robert Thrasher, was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 2022.

Thrasher is incarcerated at Moberly Correctional Center.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR’S NOTE: An erroneous reference to a 120-day jail sentence has been removed.

A Boonville woman who pleaded guilty last month to embezzling from a Cooper County nonprofit was sentenced to serve 30 days in jail.

Judge Jeff Mittelhauser sentenced Jennifer Waibel last week to 30 days in jail and five years of probation after she pleaded guilty to a single count of felony theft. Waibel has a case still pending in Boone County, with a June 1 hearing scheduled. She is charged with three felonies in the Boone County case.

Waibel was accused in Cooper County of stealing $49,661.36 from Unlimited Opportunities by spending the money in several transactions from June 16 to Aug. 31, 2023, which included several multi-thousand-dollar purchases at Walmart locations in Boonville, Columbia and Madison, Georgia.

In the Boone County case, she’s accused of spending $13,650 on gift cards while using 10 company credit cards from Impact Support Services, located on Chapel Hill Road in Columbia.

Click here to follow the original article.