Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man has been charged with a felony after he allegedly brought back a seagull from the Gulf of Mexico and amputated its wing with a pair of scissors.

Aaron Lacey was charged on Thursday with felony animal abuse, misdemeanor animal abuse and violating an ordinance by the county commission. A criminal summons was issued on Friday and an initial court appearance has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26.

The probable cause statement says that animal control was called on Jan. 16 for a report of a pelican getting its leg stuck in a cage. The caller, who was watching Lacey’s home, said the pelican was brought back from Florida months ago because it had a broken wing, the statement says. When the animal control officer arrived, they learned the bird was actually a seagull.

The bird was without one of its wings and its leg was caught in the cage and hanging upside down, court documents say. The woman allegedly did not give an answer when asked if the wing was amputated by a professional, the statement says. The animal control officer said it would be evaluated by a raptor rehab. Fish and Wildlife authorities recommended the bird to be euthanized, the statement says.

The area of the bird’s missing wing was “extremely tender” and in obvious pain, according to the statement. Bone was allegedly exposed. The bird was determined to be emaciated and was “quick to start drinking water when offered and had a large appetite for the species appropriate food” offered to it, the statement says. Brown, murky water and parakeet food was with the small cage it resided, court documents say.

Lacey and “an unidentified woman” eventually called the animal control office and said they brought the bird back from the Gulf of Mexico after they found him with a broken wing, court documents say. They allegedly said they called rehab and veterinarians in that area, which told them to leave the bird alone, or it would be euthanized if it was brought in, the statement says.

Lacey and the woman allegedly said they didn’t feel it should be euthanized and claimed that they amputated its wing, but said all they had was a pair of scissors and a torch, court documents say. They did so without giving the bird pain medication and left the bone exposed, the statement says.

The pair allegedly asked why they couldn’t have the bird back.

“I told them that aside from the fact they transported him across state lines which is beyond illegal, they also removed his wing at home with no pain medication or antibiotics,” the animal control officer wrote.

The officer wrote that the bird suffered for months and also had bird lice.  

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia teenager was certified as an adult on Friday for his alleged role in shootings on Dec. 21 and Jan. 27.

Justin Lumley Jr., 17, is charged with four counts of first-degree assault, seven counts of armed criminal action, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and one count of first-degree property damage. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been set.

Court documents in the Jan. 27 incident say one person was injured after being shot at and one of the two people shot at recognized Jared Britt Jr. and Ataveon Gordon. Police found a Chevrolet Malibu with multiple bullet holes and shot-out windows. One of the victims was brought to University Hospital.

That shooting occurred near North Providence Road and Nebraska Avenue. Britt allegedly knocked a cellphone out of one of the victim’s hands, which was eventually recovered by police, the statement says.

Gordon allegedly told police that he and one of the victims allegedly messaged each other prior to smoke marijuana and he picked up the victim, the statement says. He also allegedly received a call from Lumley. The statement says Lumlely flagged down a vehicle and that Lumlely and another person approached one of the victims.

After the victims drove away, Gordon allegedly told police he followed them in a vehicle and that Lumley shot at the victim’s vehicle from the front passenger side of Gordon’s vehicle, the statement says.

Britt Jr., 19, of Columbia was charged with first-degree assault in the Jan. 27 case. He has a hearing scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, June 9.

Gordon, 20, of Columbia, was also charged with first-degree assault and aiding and abetting a shooting. He is also in the Boone County Jail without bond and has an arraignment set for 9 a.m. Tuesday. In another case from Morgan County, he pleaded guilty to stealing and was sentenced to probation with a five-year suspended sentence. A hearing was called for in that case for an outstanding warrant in March.

In the Dec. 21 incident, deputies were called to El Chaparral Avenue after two youths arrived at an area hospital with gunshot wounds.  The probable cause statement says a shooting occurred at East Broadway and South Keene Street.

Lumley allegedly wore a ski mask while the victims were driving away and the vehicle he was in – an SUV – pulled up next to them at a stop light, the statement says. He then began shooting. One of the youths was able to identify Lumley to law enforcement, the statement says.

Lumley’s vehicle was identified by police from footage from prior interactions, the statement says. Video from a nearby business’ camera also captured the shooting, the statement says.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Police in a Bootheel town say a missing man with dementia has been found after he went missing on his way to Columbia.

Eugene Thompson was reported missing on Thursday, and his truck was last seen Friday going south on Interstate 55 near Ste. Genevieve, according to an Endangered Silver Alert issued by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

An update from the patrol Friday afternoon said Thompson had returned home.

Thompson, 77, was seen at his Caruthersville, Missouri, home on Thursday afternoon. He has early-onset dementia and is 5 feet, 11 inches tall; weighs 160 pounds; and has black hair and brown eyes. He drives a 1993 Chevrolet GMT-400 pickup with Missouri license plates 2MAR68.

The alert says Thomas left his home on his way to Columbia to meet his daughter but never arrived. He told his daughter during a phone call that he was at a St. Louis hospital, but he was not there when authorities checked for him.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

News reports from Louisville, Kentucky, and a state lawmaker say a former Columbia Public Schools superintendent who left before his contract expired will be hired to lead Jefferson County Public Schools.

The district board of education voted 5-2 on Thursday to offer a contract to one of its two superintendent finalists. Yearwood, who left CPS last year with a $667,000 contract buyout, was one of the finalists. Ben Shuldiner was the other.

A JCPS spokesman said Friday that the district will not release more information before the contract is signed.

Louisville news outlets quote a Facebook post by a Kentucky lawmaker as evidence that the district will hire Yearwood.

“I have already reached out to Superintendent Yearwood and offered friendship and support,” state Rep. Jason Nemes wrote in a Facebook post. “All I care about are results on academic achievement and safety. Other issues are also important, but those two are the tentpoles.”

Contract details were not available Friday.

Click here to follow the original article.

Gabrielle Teiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Police found evidence of gunfire on Friday morning in the 4300 block of Kentsfield Lane, the Columbia Police Department wrote in a Friday afternoon social media post.

Police wrote that “all involved parties were gone” and that witness saw several people “cause a disturbance,” the post says. Police did not find anyone injured at the scene.  

A neighbor — who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons — told ABC 17 News he was half-awake when he heard people arguing outside and someone yell, “put the gun away.” Moments later, he said he heard a gunshot in the parking lot, then another upstairs in the building. He said that’s when he called 911.

The neighbor said he’s lived at Aria Luxury Apartments for about a year and was shocked to hear gunfire in a place he’s always considered quiet.

Another resident who lives in the same building said she had no idea anything even happened.

An ABC 17 News videographer arrived at the scene just after 2:30 a.m. and saw around 10 officers with the Columbia Police Department. Crime scene tape went up around 2:40 a.m., blocking off a portion of the 4400 block of Kentsfield Lane

Crime scene tape came down just before 3:30 a.m.

Click here to follow the original article.

ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The funeral for former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond was held Thursday in St. Louis.

His celebration of life service was held at Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church. Funeral honors were given by The Missouri National Guard and State Highway Patrol.

It was open to anybody who knew bond.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Fire Department will conduct training exercises at the Fifth and Walnut Parking Garage in Downtown Columbia, according to a Thursday press release from the city.

Training sessions will occur 8 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27; Thursday, May 29; and Thursday, June 5, the release says.

“These exercises are part of the Fire Department’s ongoing efforts to ensure personnel are familiar with multi-story structures and prepared to respond quickly in real emergency situations,” the release says. “Training scenarios will be realistic and may include uniformed personnel, emergency vehicles, hoses and other equipment activity throughout the day.”

The stairwell on the west side of the garage will be closed during the training exercises.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Erin Keys has been named the City of Columbia’s next director of utilities, according to a Thursday press release from the city.

“I look forward to continuing to support our excellent staff in the work they do to provide the various utility services to our customers and to engage with the community to move forward with some very important infrastructure projects for the long-term sustainability of our utilities,” Keys said in the release.

The release says she has worked for the city for 25 years “designing, managing and directing infrastructure improvement projects in Utilities and Public Works” and has been the interim utilities director since March.

She previously worked as the acting assistant director for the electric utility, assistant director for the sewer and storm water utilities, acting engineering supervisor and engineer with the city, the release says. She has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C . and is a professional engineer, the release says.

Click here to follow the original article.

ABC 17 News Team

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A groundbreaking was held Thursday for the Jefferson City River Market. 

The event at the former site of the Missouri State Penitentiary was attended by Mayor Ron Fitzwater and several other city officials. 

According to previous reporting, the Jefferson City Council approved a contract to build the site last year with hopes of beginning construction this summer. 

Parks and Recreation Director Aaron Grefrath spoke about the project.

“Obviously a lot of the hard work’s been done as far as construction documents, getting a bid now it’s the process of going through the actual construction, but JC Parks has a lot of work that lies ahead as far as what do the fees look like, what do the operations look like,” Grefrath said. “So now we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and really get busy because this is going to be here before we know it”

The project is scheduled to be completed next year. 

Click here to follow the original article.

Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Mid-Missouri is taking steps toward curbing violence through collaborative efforts between local, state and federal agencies.

The Violent Crime Abatement Team — which began on Jan. 1 — looks to discuss recent violent crimes and arrests in the area during monthly meetings at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Discussions include sharing information about what law enforcement is encountering in their areas and make decisions about investigations and prosecutions, spokesman Bailey Coulter said.

Local agencies and prosecuting offices included within the discussions include:

Columbia Police Department;

Boone County Sheriff’s Office;

MU Police Department;

Boone County Prosecutors Office;

Jefferson City Police Department;

Cole County Sheriff’s Office;

Cole County Prosecutor’s Office;

Callaway County Sheriff’s Office;

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives;

Federal Bureau Investigation;

Drug Enforcement Administration; and

Internal Revenue Service

Much of the efforts have focused on urban centers in Columbia and Jefferson City, according to Coulter.

“Over the last several years, our community has seen shootings and other acts of violence that harmed or threatened innocent people,” Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Kummerer said in a statement to ABC 17 News. “This is an obvious problem, and there was resounding support and a sense of urgency among all of our law enforcement partners to bring our resources together to try to address this.”

Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson said his office began interagency discussions several years ago to discuss violent crime and trends in the community. The discussions allowed local agencies to have the opportunity to share intelligence.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office approached those involved this year with an interest to take the helm of that after the team was successful in other areas. A recent change in Missouri law — that now allows local agencies and the prosecutor’s office to collaborate with the federal government — is to thank.

“And it’s been fantastic that they’ve been able and willing to do that,” Johnson said. “They have the ability to reach out over a broader area of the community.”

Johnson said during meetings, law enforcement partners detail what sort of trends they’re seeing and look at certain individuals who may be causing a “disproportionate amount of harm.”

Discussions are also had that look at ways resources can be used to focus on higher-problem areas.

Johnson has worked at the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office for about 15 years. During his time, he said he’s always noticed violent crime trends, including drug dealing that perpetuates violence. In more recent years, he said the proliferation of guns winding up in the hands of youth has increased.

“The police officers now tell me that almost every young person that they encounter on the streets, people have guns,” Johnson said. “And when you’re mixing that problem where you have groups and conflict and they’re also armed, it’s a recipe for violent crime.”

Johnson said an increasing challenge prosecutors have faced over the years is the lack of witnesses who are willing to come forward and testify. That, along with recent staffing issues within the Columbia Police Department is something he said can create problems when working to keep the community safe.

Johnson said a state federal task force in previous years used to work to address violent drug dealers in the area, as well as local gangs. However, he said those organizations have begun to build back up but collaborative work with federal prosecutors that expands Boone County’s resources is a positive.

“They have agents, technology and things that they can share and provide, so part of it is increasing our capacity for crimes that we can address,” Johnson said. “Federal prosecutors can focus on gun cases, they can focus on violent drug dealers and they have laws that allow them to take those people off the streets for longer periods of time.”

Cole County Prosectuor Locke Thompson also told ABC 17 News via email he believes in the nearly six months since the team was created, it’s worked well.

“Pooling the information and resources of our local, state, and federal agencies greatly enhances our ability to target and prosecute violent crime here in Cole County,” Thompson wrote.

Kummerer said while the work is an ongoing effort but momentum has been encouraging. She said all agencies involved have worked vigorously toward collaborations to find the tools to address crimes within the community.

“We expect to continue to be able to build on this progress, especially as staffing improves for our local partners,” Kummerer said.

Columbia looks to add Violence Prevention Advisory Board

Columbia’s Leader for the Office of Violence Prevention is looking to expand his efforts toward decreasing violence in the city.

D’Markus Thomas-Brown said he and Roger Johnson have had discussions aimed at removing barriers and giving resources to people so they aren’t prone to choosing violence. Thomas-Brown is now looking to form a Violence Prevention Advisory Board in the city that uses a collaborative approach to achieve that.

“Whether it be county, the prosecutor, community based organizations, stakeholders and business owners coming together to analyze what’s going on to bring adequate solutions and resources to the interventions and situations that going on in the community,” Thomas-Brown said.

Thomas-Brown said he’s reached out to 16 people within the city, including the Columbia Police Department and University of Missouri Police Department.

He’s still working to nail down a set schedule, but hopes to launch the meetings in June and hold meetings once a month from then on.

He said the meetings will largely focus on discussions from organizations about their needs, and looking into data driven evidence to see what needs to be done to better the city.

“And I believe we can but it’s going to take, as it was stated by the mayor and stated by the city manager, it’s going to take time to perform but we’re trending in that direction,” Thomas-Brown said.

Click here to follow the original article.