Author: KMIZ

Haley Swaino

COLE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

By Wednesday afternoon, the Cole County Commission will decide if it will ask Hawthorn Bank to pause an upcoming land auction, just 11 days away.

Lawrence Renn Jr. left his 178-acre Elston farmland to become a county park. He created a trust, leasing the land to the county after his death in 2021.

But questions about what the trust says, how much money is available and other issues led the county to withdraw from the trust. The bank then put the land up for a Feb. 7 auction. Renn’s family and friends had one last say in the fight at Tuesday’s commission meeting.

Mark Knapp, one of the beneficiaries of Lawrence and Mary Renn’s trust, was the first to speak to commissioners at the meeting.

“The next step is irreversible,” Knapp said. “A sale on Feb. 7 can’t be undone cleanly after the fact. That’s why we’re asking for a short pause so the county can verify the controlling trust instrument before anything permanent happens.”

With a looming auction date, Knapp and multiple other friends and family members asked for a 60-day pause to sort through and verify trust documents.

“I have the original trust,” Knapp said. “Some of the language that they’re [Hawthorne Bank] using in there isn’t in Junior’s copies.”

He said certain procedures outlined in the trust were not followed.

“They were supposed to have an advisory committee which would have two people outside of the bank and one member from their bank. It’s in the trust, that never happened. The 501(c) was supposed to be set up. Which see all those would make for more accountability,” Knapp said.

The question of how much money is available for the park has been another issue.

“They’ve [Hawthorn Bank] alluded to these guys [commissioners] as if the trust didn’t have very many funds or much money,” Knapp said.

He said he gave commissioners an Edward Jones statement showing the account has more than $3.2 million for the future park.

Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman had told ABC 17 News that the bank told the Cole County Commission the land was a gift and there was only about $15,000-$20,000 available for use. He said they were told the county would have to pay the rest, and taking that much money out of the county parks budget would not be doable.

“The park wasn’t an abstract idea on paper. It was a real gift intended for the citizens of Cole County. The community’s been trying to honor that intent,” Knapp said at Tuesday’s meeting. “We’re not here to attack you guys [commissioners]. We’re here to ask you to help correct the course while you still can.”

Knapp is hopeful the commissioners will get the bank to pause the auction. He said Renn would be disappointed if his county park dream never came to fruition.

“He [Renn] didn’t talk about anything but that park. So it’s really upsetting that they’re [Hawthorn Bank] about to get away with it,” Knapp said.

It all now hangs on what happens at Wednesday morning’s closed Cole County Commission meeting.

Bushman said he will call the Renn family after the meeting to let them know what’s been decided.

Knapp told commissioners they have a duty to uphold as elected officials, and finished his Tuesday speech to commissioners with again asking they initiate a voluntary pause on the sale of the land with the trustee and its agents.

“Long enough for authentication and a clear record,” Knapp said. “If you do that, you’re not taking sides. You’re doing what responsible government does. You protect the public record, you verify the controlling document and you prevent irreversible harm.”

Knapp said that if the sale moves forward, family and friends will come together and file a petition with the court because the trust wasn’t followed and many things in it were left unverified.

Hawthorne Bank had told ABC 17 News it’s worked to exhaust all options, while still maintaining the language in the trust. The bank said the trust was not to be the sole source of funding for the park.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 17-year-old pleaded guilty to a pair of felony counts on Tuesday in relation to a 2024 shooting at a Columbia apartment complex.

Ja’Mez Thompson-Bey, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree assault and was sentenced to eight years in prison. He was previously charged with two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action and single counts of unlawful use of a weapon and armed robbery.

Court documents in previous reporting allege that Thompson-Bey shot at two people in a vehicle on Nov. 23, 2024, at The Links apartment complex after demanding “everything the victims had.” Someone had allegedly fired a shot back at Thompson-Bey, previous reporting shows.

Thompson-Bey allegedly went to an emergency room and gave a fake name to hospital staff, court documents in previous reporting say.

One of the shooting victims identified Thompson-Bey by his first name for police and investigators verified his identity by looking at Instagram, according to the statement.

Previous reporting also shows Thompson-Bey was accused of escaping from a juvenile facility in May 2025.

He is currently being held at the Boone County Jail.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Sedalia man was charged with two felonies on Monday after he allegedly crashed into a law enforcement vehicle and injured an officer.

Leopaldo Leon was charged with driving while intoxication – injuring a law enforcement officer and leaving the scene of an accident. A $15,000 bond was set and an arraignment was held on Tuesday morning.

The probable cause statement says a GMC Yukon was heading northbound and ran through the stop sign on North Osage Avenue at West Broadway Boulevard. The GMC – driven by Leon – hit a patrol vehicle and Leon allegedly drove it away from the scene, the statement says. The officer had bruised/fractured ribs, according to the statement.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report shows a 29-year-old man was brought to Bothwell Regional hospital with minor injuries.

A Sedalia police officer found the GMC outside of a home in the 600 block of Wilkerson Street, the statement says. Leon allegedly claimed he had been in a crash and the officer noted he smelled like intoxicants, the statement says.

Leon claimed he drank four beers before driving and an open beer can was found in the console of the vehicle, the statement says. Court documents say a breath test was conducted and Leon’s blood alcohol content was .187, more than twice the legal limit to drive.

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Matthew Sanders

Editor’s note: This piece was updated on Wednesday, Jan. 28 after authorities said the child was found safe.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Benton County Sheriff’s Department called off an AMBER Alert on Wednesday that was issued the day before.

The Endangered Person Advisory was issued for Remington Rose McLaughlin, a 1-year-old, whose mother did not relinquish her to state custody. Authorities announced on Wednesday that Remington was found safe.

The sheriff’s department initially said officers tried to contact the mother after a court order that the child be taken from her custody, but authorities could not locate her on Tuesday.

Remington was thought to be with her mother, Tristan D. McLaughlin, 35. The alert describes her as white, about 5 feet, 4 inches tall with brown hair and brown eyes.

A Wednesday social media post from The Benton County Sheriff’s Department alleges McLaughlin took off with the child to St. Clair County “to avoid Children’s Family Services intervention.” McLaughlin was arrested on suspicion of endangering the welfare of a child.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is facing a lawsuit in Pulaski County over a September crash that involved a trooper.

The petition was filed by Orin Miller, of Waynesville, on Monday. The lawsuit accuses MSHP of negligence and negligence per se. The plaintiff is suing for personal injuries and property damage, court documents say.

Court documents claim that trooper Elanor Ferrel hit Miller’s vehicle on Sept. 23, 2025, while she tried to perform a U-turn on Highway 7 near Rock Bluff Drive.

The petition claims Ferrel was responding to an “abandoned camper call” and didn’t have enough room to make a U-turn. She allegedly backed up on the highway, crossed the center line and hit Miller’s vehicle.

ABC 17 News reached out to MSHP on Tuesday afternoon.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man who was already charged with several child sex crimes earlier this month is facing more charges in Cole County.

Michael Minor, 48, was charged on Jan. 16 with two counts of first-degree child molestation and two counts of statutory sodomy of a child younger than 12 years old. He was charged in a separate case on Monday with first-degree child molestation and statutory sodomy of a child younger than 12 years old.

He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. An arraignment for the new charges and a counsel status hearing in his first case is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday. He has a preliminary hearing for the first case scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10.

The probable cause statement in the new case says Minor allegedly sexually abused a child in 2017 and police were dispatched for a sexual offense involving a child on Oct. 2, 2017. The victim gave an interview detailing the assault that night as well as at the Rainbow House in Columbia days later.

The victim was interviewed again on Jan. 23, 2026, to detail the assault.

The victim in the case filed earlier this month had allegedly been abused from July 2023-September 2025.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A group of 85 people was called to the Boone County Courthouse on Tuesday to potentially decide the fate of a woman charged in the death of a baby in 2023.

Sarah Brown is charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter, a felony, in connection with the death of a 3-month-old in Columbia in May 2023. Court documents accuse Brown of playing a role in the death of Ayla Gibson.

Brown allegedly put Gibson in a crib at her daycare in Columbia with a loose, unfitted blanket and pillow in a position that resulted in death by suffocation, court documents say. Documents also claim that the baby had a viral lung infection, and Brown ignored parent instructions to have her sleep on her back.

She’s also accused of lying to police and saying she found the baby not breathing while lying on her back in the crib. Court documents also claim that Brown was running an unlicensed daycare and did not qualify for any exemptions.

Missouri law requires that anyone caring for more than six children be licensed. Brown allegedly had 12 children in her care.

Jury selection began on Tuesday morning in Brown’s jury trial. Prosecutors and the defense chose from a panel of 85 people.

Brown faces three to 10 years in prison if found guilty.

Court is scheduled to reconvene Wednesday morning at 8:45 a.m.

The trial is expected to last four days.

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ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Mizzou Tigers women’s basketball team is preparing for a two-game road trip.

The Tigers will take on Mississippi State on Sunday, then travel to Arkansas next week.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced its road safety milestone in a press conference alongside the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Gov. Mike Kehoe Tuesday morning.

State officials announced that Missouri has seen a decline in traffic deaths every year since 2022 and further discussed its goal to have zero traffic deaths.

In 2025, there were 911 traffic deaths in Missouri. MoDOT reports that 955 people died on Missouri highways, and more than 100 of those crashes were caused by distracted driving.

“That’s a 5% decrease,” said Kehoe. “Compared to three years ago, it’s a 14% decrease in fatalities. This is the first time we’ve experienced a reduction over a three-year period since 2019.”

MoDoT’s state highway safety and traffic engineer, John Nelson told ABC 17 News that the decreased number of traffic deaths is due to many reasons, but it primarily comes down to people making better choices.

“We know seatbelt usage is increasing in Missouri, so that’s a positive sign,” said Nelson. “We’ve had fewer, belted fatalities for each of the last five years. So that’s a very strong indicator that more people are buckling up.”

Nelson also attributed the Hands-Free law that prohibits cell phones being used while driving. “While still a little early to see the returns of that, we do see reported distracted driving crashes are down in our state since passing that law,” Nelson said.

Nelson, along with other MoDoT official spoke of its Show Me Zero project plan that focuses on strategic highway safety. This is a plan over the next five years to identify what issues are occurring on the roadways from a safety perspective.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A group of college students in Columbia are hoping to tackle important issues in the city through a new advisory council.

The Columbia Collegiate Advisory Council met for the first time Monday night at city hall. The board is composed of nine college students, three of which are from the University of Missouri, along with another pair each from Columbia College and Stephens College and two from the Moberly Area Community College.

The idea of forming the group was proposed by Mayor Barbara Buffaloe in October, shortly after Stephens College Student Ayanna Williams was shot and killed downtown, sparking conversations from city leaders and UM System President Mun Choi.

During the board’s first meeting, students identified four priorities and focus areas they hope to address: Safety, housing, accessibility and public/mental health.

The board also selected its chair to be Moberly Area Community College student Chloe Campbell, and its vice chair as Stephens College student Shana Nunn. Campbell said she was compelled to elect herself as chair to help get the ball rolling and said she believes she’ll be able to help facilitate.

Campbell said she believes she brings a unique perspective to the group, calling herself a “nontraditional” college student, given that she is 30-years-old. She said she thinks it’s important to have a variety of ages sit on the board to allow for diversity.

She also said she’s hopeful the group will be able to make a difference in the city, also pointing out Buffaloe’s reference to the city’s youth advisory council formed roughly a decade ago.

“I just hope it gives a voice to the next generation… starts getting more people involved in politics, and hopefully some good changes,” Campbell said. “I mean, like Barbara said about the high school committee, it’s just as important for the college students to have their voice heard.”

Campbell said she’s most excited to tackle safety, an issue most students said they wanted to address during Monday night’s meeting. She said it’s hard to tell what the biggest safety concerns college students have are, but said she thinks giving students a voice in the matter can help identify solutions.

“College students you know, you got parties, you have somebody mentioned the homeless population, and you just have what’s going on in the world. There’s lots going on there,” Campbell said.

Some students also voiced concerns over the homeless population in the city on Monday night. Campbell said she’s hopeful the council will continue in the future and thinks it opens up the idea for college students to want to join other councils and continue to want to work in local government.

Following Monday’s meeting, Buffaloe told ABC 17 News she was grateful to be able to hear from students about where they see the council going down the road, as well as what kind of impact they hope to have in local government.

Buffaloe said she expected to hear key issues such as housing and safety to be brought up.

“When we talk about accessibility, I think that’s that kind of bigger project. Like how do you get your voice heard in local government? How can local government make sure that its voice is heard at the student level?” Buffaloe said.

Buffaloe said she’s most excited to receive the opinions from students about what they want to see in the community and to be able to work with them to help deliver that expectation.

Buffaloe also said she had been thinking about the idea of forming a collegiate council for a while, noting she previously served as a staff liaison to a commission. She said she wanted to ensure that when the city is making decisions that impact students, their voice is at the table.

“I think having more voices involved in the conversation can only help us be better, impactful and more resourceful for what it is that we need to accomplish in our community,” Buffaloe said.

The council meets monthly. The next scheduled meeting is Monday, Feb 23.

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