Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A murder case surrounding a murder case dating back to 1991 has gone through another round of dismissal and a demand for reinstatement from the Attorney General’s office.

Judge Emily Fretwell had dismissed charges against William “Chris” Niemet on Aug. 11 and again was ordered to vacate that order on Thursday.

The same situation occurred last month, with Fretwell using the same reasoning that the AG’s office did not have proper authority to handle the case. Fretwell was ordered to respond and set an arraignment by Sept. 4, court filings show.

Niemet, of Fulton, is accused of killing Greg Jones in April 1991 in Russellville. Jones was 14. Niemet also would have been 14 at the time. Niemet was charged in 2020 with first-degree murder. The trial has been delayed multiple times.

Fretwell was assigned to the case in May after a request for a change in judge was filed.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Some Columbia water customers may notice water pressure issues and discolored water on Monday as maintenance work is done to Walnut Water Tower, according to a Friday press release from the city.

Utility crews will start draining the water tower on Monday.

Crews are replacing “interior and exterior coatings that will extend the life of the tower” and adding safety upgrades, the release says.

The release says those in the Walnut Street area who are experiencing discolored water in the evening should run a cold faucet for 10-15 minutes.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia announced on its BeHeard website that the Shops at Sharp program will end in September.

The retail space that holds the Shops at Sharp End will be vacant and a meeting will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27 for community members to submit proposals for how the space should be used, the city wrote. The meeting will be held at the REDI Hub at 500 East Walnut St. Suite 105.

Public feedback had exposed concerns about funding, sustainability and whether the project has fulfilled its mission.

Previous reporting shows residents earlier this summer voiced concerns the storefront lacked visibility and failed to clearly indicate that multiple businesses operate within the space.

The Shops at Sharp End opened in 2024 through a partnership between Regional Economic Development Inc., The District and Central Missouri Community Action. The project was designed to support entrepreneurs while honoring the legacy of Columbia’s historic Sharp End business district. Funding was expected to run out in September, according to previous reporting.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two men who were charged with felonies for having hundreds of pounds of drugs while heading to the Gathering of the Juggalos in Macks Creek appeared in court on Friday.

Kevin “Bluntman” Jones, 45, of Easton, Pennsylvania, was charged earlier this week with first-degree drug trafficking and delivery of a controlled substance. He is being held at the Camden County Jail without bond.

A bond hearing for Jones was moved to 1 p.m. Tuesday at his request, court filings say. Jones allegedly advertised his business on the festival’s website and found with 128 pounds of weed and 2.5 pounds of mushrooms on Monday in Osage Beach, court documents in previous reporting say.

Dennis A. Pradhan, 49, of Silver Springs, Maryland, was charged with three counts of first-degree drug trafficking and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance. He is also being held at the Camden County Jail without bond.

Pradhan appeared in court on Friday and pleaded not guilty, according to court records. He is seeking private counsel and has a hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Court documents say Pradhan also had a business that advertised having drugs on the festival’s website. He was arrested while driving to the festival during a traffic stop on Route U and Whistle Road, the statement says.

Deputies reported finding roughly 90 pounds of marijuana, 124.5 pounds of psilocybin mushroom products, about a third-of-a-pound of ketamine, 27 vials of ecstasy and 40 vials containing ketamine and fentanyl, among other products, court documents indicate.

Robyn W. Weiford, 34, and Jesse A. Williams, 38, both of Bear, Delaware, arrested on suspicion of drug distribution and released on $50,000 bonds after deputies found 40 pounds of THC edibles, previous reporting indicates.

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Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An Illinois man was charged Friday with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and armed robbery after a shirtless, bleeding man was found in rural Boone County.

Boone County sheriff’s deputies arrested 56-year-old Martin Paddie Jr. of Rockford, Illinois, early Thursday. He was charged Friday on suspicion of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action.

The victim suffered significant visible injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he was stable, according to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.

Mel Roberts said he woke up around 4:30 a.m. Thursday, to let his dog outside when he noticed the injured man near a large container on his property in the 8800 block of South Barry Road.

“I woke up around 4:30 to let my dog out, and I saw a man standing over behind this big container out here,” Robert said. “I saw his tracks in my yard from where he walked across the field. His shirt was off, and I saw blood on him, so I tried to talk to him … He didn’t respond to me, so I went back inside and called 911.”

The sheriff’s office said deputies were dispatched to the property around 4:26 a.m. for a report of a trespassing man who appeared to be covered in blood.

The victim told deputies that an unknown man drove up to him while he was walking and later attacked him with a hatchet, according to the sheriff’s office.

The man also said he had walked along the MKT Trail and Providence Road, among other routes, to get to Barry Road, according to a probable cause statement. He had cuts to his left arm, right shoulder, back, and the back of his head, accodring to the statement.

Deputies had already arrested Paddie after responding around 2:15 a.m. to the 1500 block of West Route K.

The sheriff’s office said Paddie called Boone County Joint Communications, said he needed help, and hung up. He allegedly called back a few minutes later and reported that he had hurt one person.

Paddie allegedly said he was homicidal and was armed with a hatchet, hammer and knife. The sheriff’s office said he was visibly upset, claimed he had killed someone, and told deputies he wanted to turn himself in.

Employees at the Break Time gas station on West Route K told ABC 17 News that Paddie was arrested in the store’s parking lot. Employees said the store was closed and no one was working when it happened.

Deputies found a hatchet with blood on it and several drops of blood inside the vehicle, according to a probable cause statement.

The sheriff’s office says that Paddie allegedly told deputies that he randomly picked up the victim on Business Loop 70 and drove him into an unincorporated portion of Boone County.

Paddie allegedly said he pulled over and attacked the victim with a hatchet. Deputies found a hatchet and evidence supporting the reported assault but could not initially locate the victim, according to the sheriff’s office.

Paddie told deputies he wasn’t sure whether the victim was dead, but said the man had walked away from the attack, the probable cause statement says.

Court records from Illinois show Paddie has an active case involving three charges, including aggravated battery of an elderly person. He had a hearing in the case in July and is scheduled for another hearing in September.

Paddie also pleaded guilty in 2020 to a domestic battery charge filed against him in 2018. Charges of property damage and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence were dropped in that case.

Paddie was taken to the Missouri Psychiatric Center at University Hospital after his arrest, according to the statement. He remained at MUPC on Friday afternoon.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

MU Health Care will stop accepting cash payments on Monday for “most outpatient clinic locations,” a spokesperson confirmed to ABC 17 News in an email.

Spokesman Eric Maze wrote that the change is “part of an effort to streamline operations and create a more efficient check-in and payment experience for patients.”

Patients can still pay using credit and debit cards.

Maze wrote that patients can pay with cash or check at MU Health’s customers service location at University Hospital and Capital Region Medical Center.

A “limited number of other locations” will accept cash and checks, including ENT, Hearing and Balance Center in Columbia (checks only), Plastic Surgery and Med Spa in Columbia and the Family Medicine Clinic in Versailles, Maze wrote.

“We recognize that payment changes can affect patients differently, and we are committed to ensuring access to care remains unchanged. Our teams are working directly with patients to answer questions and help them understand their available payment options,” Maze wrote.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged Friday with first-degree domestic assault and three other felonies after he allegedly shot at a woman who was using the toilet in a home east of Columbia.

Clinton M. McLain, 47, was also charged Friday with armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and first-degree child endangerment. An initial hearing was set for Friday afternoon.

McLain is accused of barging into the bathroom while a woman in the home on East Bozarth Lane was on the toilet. He demanded the victim transfer all her money into his bank account and fired a shot in her direction when she hesitated, according to a probable cause statement.

The bullet hit a shower wall.

The woman said she believed McLain would kill her if she didn’t transfer the money, according to the statement. The woman also told Boone County sheriff’s deputies that her grandchildren were home at the time, and at least one of them had a bedroom next to the bathroom, court documents state.

Deputies found a 9mm pistol matching the victim’s description of the gun inside the house.

McLain remains jailed without bond.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

HUNTSVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man convicted of murdering a woman outside of his home in Moberly was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday.

David “Kip” Heyde, 69, of Moberly, was found guilty on June 26 of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Bailey Scott.

Heyde appeared in Randolph County Circuit Court at 1 p.m. Friday before Judge Robert Koffman, who issued the 20-year sentence. Prosecutors had asked for life in prison, the maximum sentence for this conviction.

On July 6, 2025, Moberly police were called to a report of shots fired in the 900 block of East Logan Street. Heyde allegedly claimed self-defense when he spoke with police.

Heyde claimed Scott hit him during an argument after she alleged he was “attempting to kill birds at the front of his property,” court documents say. Neighbors had talked with ABC 17 News the week of the shooting about ongoing allegations that Heyde put bird feed in the street in front of his home.

Heyde allegedly told police he fired two shots at Scott, court documents say. Scott was found with a gunshot wound in her right torso, the statement says. The statement says Scott “had no obvious signs of trauma or injury to either of her hands.”

Heyde originally received a post-conviction bond last November and kept his freedom until his bond was revoked not long after his conviction. A SWAT team arrested Heyde after he was seen in a vehicle that was heading north on Highway 63.

During the trial, the state pushed back on claims that Heyde was attacked, noting that in several interviews, Heyde used different language to describe the encounter.

During the sentencing, Scott’s mother prepared an impact statement, which Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Luntsford read on her behalf because she was too emotional to read it herself.

“I don’t want to breathe the same air as the man who took my daughter’s last breath,” the statement reads.

Scott’s mother states that not only did Heyde kill her daughter, but he took her grandson’s mother away.

In an interview with ABC 17 News, Luntsford said the prosecution had sought the maximum punishment of life in prison.

At the sentencing, Luntsford said it was important to focus on the case itself, not Heyde’s background in law enforcement.

Gillis Leonard, Heyde’s defense attorney, said Heyde was an elderly man with no criminal record before the deadly encounter. Leonard said that Heyde’s actions were “a moment in time that resulted in tragedy.”

During the defendant’s statement, Heyde said that it was not his intention to kill or hurt anyone.

Before the sentence was read, Koffman asked Heyde why he used a gun if he didn’t intend on a tragic ending.

Koffman said that Heyde’s age was taken into consideration when deciding on the sentence.

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Matthew Sanders

A Mid-Missouri sheriff’s office ended its contract with a controversial camera system operator this week.

The Pulaski County sheriff said Thursday that his department has canceled its contract with Flock to operate license plate reader cameras. The move came as public concern continues to grow about the cameras’ potential for abuse — a feeling the sheriff acknowledged in his statement.

Do you support the decision? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri warned on its social media on Thursday that people who regularly park on campus may need to find a different spot the day of Mizzou football’s season opener.

“Students, faculty and staff who remain on campus may need to park somewhere other than their usual designated lot or garage for the day,” the university wrote on its social media.

A press release on the university’s website says alternative parking location are in effect for home football games and weekday men’s basketball games.

Several parking areas are affected for Mizzou’s home opener on Thursday, Sept. 3.

Image courtesy of the University of Missouri.

Employees who park in CG1/X, CG3X, PS7, TAPS, TAPSE, TAPSR must move their vehicles to either Parking Structure No. 7, Virginia Avenue Surface Lot, Turner Avenue Garage or Hitt Street Parking Structure between 5-10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2.

RP10 MURR employees must move to the western section of RP10 by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2.

RP10 (non-MURR) employees and students must move their vehicles to the Conley Avenue, Hitt Street, Turner Avenue or University Avenue parking garages or Contractor Lot south of AV14B off Ashland Road by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2.  

Students and employees who park in RP2, RP3, RP4, RP5, SG4/M, SG4/N, SG4/O, SG5/I, SG5/P, SG7, TAPSD, WG1 or WG6 must move their vehicles to the Conley Avenue, Hitt Street, Turner Avenue or University Avenue parking garages between 5-10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2.

TAPSD students who normally park in SG4/O must move their vehicles to the Tiger Avenue parking structure after 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2.

Vehicles can be returned after the game “and no later than 7 a.m. Friday,” the release says. The release says vehicles not moved to alternative parking can be ticketed or towed.

The Tigers kick off their season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3 at Faurot Field.

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