Author: KMIZ

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No one was injured, but a highway was blocked in Cooper County temporarily on Monday when a tractor-trailer rolled onto its side.

The truck rolled on Highway 179 near Big Lick Road, south of Wooldridge, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The road was blocked for more than 30 minutes while the truck was moved.

The Patrol posted photos of the truck on social media, showing the front windshield had been removed. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the truck to roll, or what it was carrying.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia woman was arrested over the weekend after new charges were filed against her in a man’s 2024 beating death.

Felicia Hay, 35, was charged earlier this summer with first-degree assault after a manslaughter charge was dropped in the November 2024 death of Antonio Davis, 56, of Columbia. Davis died in a hospital days after being pistol-whipped and hitting his head on the ground. Police say he developed a brain bleed.

Authorities allege Hay helped Alexander Aklan assault Davis and kicked the victim while he was on the ground. Aklan remains charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault and drug trafficking.

Aklan’s trial is scheduled for March 2027. Aklan and Hay are also named in a wrongful death lawsuit that Davis’ daughter filed last month.

Hay remained in the Boone County Jail on $10,000 bond on Monday. She has a hearing set for Monday afternoon.

Click here to follow the original article.

Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Police Department has responded to at least seven reports of vandalism to Flock cameras in the city from the beginning of this year through Sept. 30, according to documents obtained by ABC 17 News.

However, CPD redacted all the locations, citing protections in Missouri’s Sunshine Law that allow police to keep information about surveillance from the public. ABC 17 News has requested clarification.

Dave Roland, a senior legal adviser for the Freedom Center of Missouri, said this could be a violation of the Sunshine, but it would require a lawsuit and convincing a judge that the information doesn’t endanger public safety or an individual.

The first report was filed on July 22, with six other reports filed in August. The bulk of the August reports were filed within one week, and two reports were filed on Aug. 19.

In late September, a Flock camera appeared to be cut down in Cosmo Park. However, the records request didn’t return a report associated with that incident.

CPD also redacted suspect information in the reports. ABC 17 News has reached out to the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office to see if any charges have been referred.

flockincidentsDownload

This comes as people protest Flock camera use across the U.S. Some protesters claim the AI-powered cameras violate privacy. Many law enforcement agencies claim the data helps combat crime, including CPD and the Jefferson City Police Department.

Karen Sicheneder a volunteer with “Get the Flock Out Como” said the group doesn’t condone vandalism.

“Our goal is to remove Flock from Columbia through public pressure, civic engagement, and action by our elected officials. At the same time, damaged cameras should not become a distraction from the larger issue,” Sicheneder said.

The group would like Columbia’s contract with Flock to expire and not be renewed after data abuse and privacy concerns have risen.

Rep. Kathy Steinhoff (D-Columbia) said privacy concerns are valid; however, guardrails need to be in place to avoid misuse of the data.

“There’s the fact that we can solve crimes in a way that can help our law enforcement to keep our community safe, but we want to protect private citizens in the process. So, how we find that balance is really important,” Steinhoff said.

Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order to put in some restrictions on how Flock camera data is used, but the General Assembly will have to make the laws.

Steinhoff said Republicans and Democrats seem to understand that guardrails need to be in place.

“I know there’s definitely been a lot of conversations on both sides of the aisle about concerns about Flock cameras. We’ve seen around the country some security breaches that are not what we expect when approving these in our local communities,” Steinhoff said.

She said Flock cameras are among the top concerns of citizens and will likely take legislative priority.

A protest against the automatic license plate readers was held in Jefferson City on Sunday.

Some agencies have begun to terminate contracts with the camera company, including the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office in Mid-Missouri.

CPD operates a network with dozens of the cameras placed through Columbia.

Click here to follow the original article.

Stephi Smith

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Council introduced a bill and approved a resolution related to a new downtown parking garage at its meeting Monday.

The council introduced a bill authorizing the sale of $35 million in bonds to finance a new parking garage at the corner of Madison Street and East Capitol Avenue.

The garage will replace the former Madison Street garage, which closed in 2024 and was demolished in 2025 because of deterioration. The new garage is estimated to be completed in early 2028, according to city documents.

The city is also planning a new conference center and hotel on the same lot as the garage.

The City Council hired Garfield Public/Private LLC to oversee the conference center project. According to developer documents, the garage would have 567 parking spaces. The hotel would have 215 rooms, and the conference center would have about 30,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

The total cost of the conference center, hotel and garage project is estimated at $145 million. Most of the funding will come from bonds repaid through revenue from the new hotel, the city’s 7% lodging tax and public parking, according to documents from the developer.

The council also unanimously approved a resolution reserving 100 of the 567 garage spaces for the state government.

In September, the council accepted $15 million from the state for a new downtown Jefferson City garage through a consent agenda item. The money was conditional on reserving those parking spaces for the state.

The parking spaces would be reserved for the state Office of Administration and could not be sublet to other parties. The $15 million must be spent by June 10, 2027, according to the consent agenda item.

The city could use the 100 spaces “during weekdays outside of normal State business hours and on weekends,” according to the proposed parking agreement with the state.

Jefferson City Ward 3 Councilwoman Julie Allen said the former garage, which held almost 600 spaces, had a similar amount of reserved spaces for state government employees. A parking study from 2024 also indicates the state government held around 100 permits in the old Madison Street garage.

“Those 100 parking spaces is really just an extension of what previously had been done. And obviously with them providing the appropriation, it’s appropriate to give them some spots,” Allen said.

Allen said the $15 million from the state and annual public parking revenue through fines and fees will be sufficient to pay for the new garage.

“And in addition, there will be an annual audit of the funds to make sure that they’re being appropriately collected and used…there’s going to be plenty of checks and balances,” Allen said.

Luke Holtschneider, CEO and president of the Jefferson City Regional Economic Partnership, said in an email that the city is issuing the parking revenue bonds first instead of waiting to finalize all of the bonds at the same time.

“The former garage has already been demolished, so a big priority is maintaining momentum and getting replacement parking back in place downtown as soon as possible,” Holtschneider said.

The Jefferson City Council meets at 6 p.m. at 320 E. McCarty St.

Click here to follow the original article.

ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Click here to follow the original article.

Demetra Alarcon

MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ)

An appeal hearing in the murder of a snake breeder stalled Monday in Audrain County after an attorney failed to appear.

Michael Humphrey filed the motion seeking to vacate or set aside his sentence in the killing of Ben Renick in Montgomery County, claiming his constitutional rights were violated by ineffective legal representation.

The judge noted that the defense attorney sent an email prior to the 9 a.m. hearing stating she was sick. However, no affidavit validating her absence had been filed, nor had any subpoenas been served before the hearing. When asked, Humphrey offered no comment regarding his attorney’s absence.

Prosecutors argued the post-conviction motion should be dismissed due to the absence. The judge took the state’s request under advisement.

A jury brought in from Cape Girardeau County in southeast Missouri convicted Humphrey in October 2021 of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for killing Renick at his farm in 2017. In exchange for his testimony against Renick’s wife, Lynlee Renick, prosecutors reduced Humphrey’s charge to second-degree murder with a recommendation of life with parole.

Humphrey previously attempted a direct appeal of his sentence following his trial, but the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District dismissed the appeal in August 2023.

The appellate court ruled that Humphrey had voluntarily waived his right to a direct appeal when he agreed to the state’s post-conviction deal. Under that agreement, prosecutors reduced his original first-degree murder charge to second-degree murder and recommended a life sentence with parole in exchange for his testimony against Lynlee Renick.

Humphrey and Lynlee Renick were convicted of killing Ben Renick on his New Florence property shortly after the two had started their own relationship.

Click here to follow the original article.

Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man has been charged after a woman died following a crash in Jefferson City.

Damon L. Crocker, 57, of Centertown, was charged with one count of DWI resulting in the death of another.

Court documents state that Crocker was seen on surveillance footage leaving the Office Bar around 3:54 p.m. Friday. Police said he was seen getting into a Ford F-150, starting the truck and backing up from a parking spot when he hit a 67-year-old woman standing behind the back passenger corner.

Jefferson City Police said she fell to the ground and the truck ran over her legs and torso. Crocker then pulled forward about 20 feet with the victim still under the truck, according to court documents.

Documents state Crocker “realized something was not right and he stopped” and found the victim on the ground.

Investigators said in court documents he was investigated at the scene due to his breath smelling like alcohol. He admitted to having two beers and a shot of liquor, according to the probable cause statement.

Crocker refused a preliminary breath test at the scene and requested an attorney before he was arrested at 4:12 p.m., according to court documents. After failing to contact his lawyer, he agreed to the breath test at the jail. Police said his sample was .099 BrAC on the Intox DMT breath tool.

He has four previous DWI arrests with two convictions in 1998 and 2001, according to police.

The woman died at University Hospital around 5:20 p.m.

Crocker is being held at the Cole County jail without bond. As of Monday morning, no court hearing had been set.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia City Council leaders shot down a rezoning plan for a potential apartment complex on the south side of town.

The rezoning request was for 32.7 acres off Rock Quarry Road and Grindstone Parkway for a development called “The Retreat at Columbia.” The project is expected to be a 194-unit multifamily development for students located 350 feet north of Gray Oak Drive in south Columbia, according to the meeting agenda.

If the rezoning were approved, the site would be accessed using a new road named “Retreat Way,” connecting to Grindstone Plaza and Rock Quarry Road. Access to Rock Quarry Road is proposed as a right-turn-only lane.

The measure failed 5-1, with Ward 1 Councilwoman Valerie Carroll being the lone “yes” vote and Ward 6 Councilwoman Betsy Peters not voting.

Columbia’s Planning and Zoning Commission did not have enough “yes” votes in June to recommend the complex to the council, following strong pushback from residents.

The council also gave a first read on Monday night to proposed construction improvements to the Rainbow Softball Complex at Cosmo Park, estimated to cost $750,000.

Click here to follow the original article.

Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Save Katy Station announced plans to move the Katy Station building from its current spot in an effort to save it from demolition.

Katy Station originally served as a depot for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. The building is located at 402 E. Broadway and was added to the Columbia Historic Register on Jan. 29, 1979.

The property is currently known as Shiloh Bar and Grill, and the owner, Nic Parks, confirmed to ABC 17 News that the bar will officially close in December and implied that the landlord plans to sell the property, with a potential buyer planning to redevelop the building, according to previous reporting.

James Roark-Gruender, Organizer of Save Katy Station, said he and other preservation advocates met with the anonymous developers Thursday where they were told “everything is on the table, but the station cannot stay in its spot.”

Roark-Gruender proposed two possible new locations: Flat Branch Park or in front off the gateway to downtown. He added it is possible for the entire building to be moved, but it would be about $400,000 just to move the structure along with other costs.

Proposed Katy Station in front of gateway Proposed Katy station at Flat Branch Park

The group plans to involve the community in all decisions about Katy Station’s future.

“When I say community, I’m talking all of us together are going to have to work together and we’re going to come up with a solution,” said Roark-Gruender. “And it’s not going to be a solution that everybody’s happy with.”

For now, donations will be made through the community, and Roark-Gruender said because the community will be giving to the building, he plans on asking for imput about what they want the building to be.

“We’re not saying we’re not going to go out to large donations, but we need the community’s buy in to make it happen, we need the community’s input, so it is what the community wants,” said Roark-Gruender. “We don’t want to do something that the community at large hates.”

Because the developers are able to move the building, Roark-Gruender said now it is just a matter of thinking outside the box to what the next steps could be.

“There’s so much wealth of knowledge in this community and so many people who think outside the box. That’s what we’re looking at. This whole thing is going to have to be an outside-the-box thinking,” said Roark-Gruender.

One Columbia resident, Lukin Murphy, said he hopes saving Katy Station will bring awareness to other historical buildings in Columbia that need preservation.

“There’s not a lot of the, like, old Columbia left. So I think it’s really important, the parts that we have that we get to keep,” said Murphy. “I also hope that  the community realizes that there are probably other properties like this that  are at risk of being sold and demolished and we start looking ahead and being more proactive so that we can be more protective of our resources in the future and not as reactive as this particular situation.”

Murphy said the building is better used as a space for the community, like a convention, visitors bureau, or museum, rather than more student housing.

Roark-Gruender said the property has been purchased by a student housing project, but he has not heard confirmation on what the space will be.

Pat Zenner with the city of Columbia told ABC 17 News that there has been no official application submitted for new development.

Roark-Gruender said the group has until between July and October of 2027 to figure out where and how the building will be moved.

Save Katy Station has received over 1,200 people signing up to support the efforts, according to the press release.

Click here to follow the original article.

Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 73-year-old man is dead after a plane crash in Pettis County Saturday.

The Pettis County Sheriff Brad Anders shared to social media Sunday that Pettis County Deputies, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Pettis County Fire and other agencies responded to the 10000 block of State Highway B around 6 p.m. Saturday.

Upon arrival law enforcement observed an Ultralite aircraft downed near a pond in the front yard of a residence. Bystanders had removed the pilot prior to first responder arrival and started CPR in an attempt to revive the man. The pilot was later declared deceased.

He was from Arkansas and his spouse was nearby. Officials made contact with the spouse and immediate family.

MSHP took the initial report and contacted the FAA and NTSB per protocol.

Click here to follow the original article.