Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper has been arrested after he allegedly took THC gummies and punched a Jefferson City police officer on Wednesday morning.

Collin Stosberg, 52, of Columbia, was charged on Wednesday with two counts of third-degree assault, misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and felony resisting arrest. He is being held at the Cole County Jail on a $10,000 bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

MSHP spokesman Kyle Green told ABC 17 News in an email that Stoserg retired from the patrol about six months ago. A 2020 press release indicated his rank at the time was a lieutenant and joined the patrol’s public information and education division. He was first appointed to the patrol in 1997, the 2020 release says.

The probable cause statement says that paramedics in Jefferson City requested assistance from police at 2:10 a.m. for someone who was having a “severe adverse reaction to THC-infused gummies.”

Stosberg allegedly told police that he was “freaking out” after eating an unknown amount of gummies, the statement says.

Stosberg allegedly hit a paramedic’s laptop while law enforcement spoke with his wife, court documents say. An officer allegedly told him to stop before Stosberg punched him in the face two times, court documents say.

He then started pushing a paramedic before punching another. Police had to use a Taser to subdue Stosberg, the statement says.

Cole County EMS Chief Eric Hoy told ABC 17 News in an email that paramedics declined to be evaluated.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Mexican national who was living in Sedalia was sentenced Wednesday to 14 months in federal prison, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

Jesus Mendoza Cortes, 35, pleaded guilty on Feb. 20 to illegally reentering the country after being previously deported, the release says.  

Mendoza Cortes had previously been removed from the country 11 times dating back to 2006, the release says. More recently, he returned in 2018 before getting arrested by Pettis County deputies on June 1, 2024, the release says.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said in a July 26, 2024, statement that Mendoza-Cortes was arrested at a motel after he allegedly pulled a machete out at another man and threatened him.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Overnight roadwork for a number of downtown Columbia streets and roads near the University of Missouri’s that was set to begin Thursday will now be moved to Monday, according to a Wednesday press release from the City of Columbia.

Work begins 5 p.m. Monday. Crews will mill and overlay pavement for about three weeks, with an expected completion set for 7 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 7, the release says. Vehicles parked in in working areas may be towed. Parking garages in the city are free from 6 p.m.-8 a.m.

The release says that work will begin near campus and move north. The list of affected streets includes:

Rogers Street from Rangeline Street to North College Avenue

East Broadway from Tenth Street to Hitt Street

Cherry Street from Hitt Street to South Seventh Street

Locust Street from South Providence Road to South Fifth Street

University Avenue from South Ninth Street to South College Avenue

Hamilton Way from Hitt Street to Waugh Street

South Fifth Street from Turner Avenue to East Stewart Road

South Fifth Street from Cherry Street to Ash Street

South Seventh Street from Park Avenue to Locust Street

South Eighth Street from Park Avenue to Elm Street

South Ninth Street from Park Avenue to East Broadway

South Ninth Street from Cherry Street to Conley Avenue

South Tenth Street from Rogers Street to Elm Street

Conley Avenue from South Fifth Street to the concrete west of Tiger Avenue

Conley Avenue from South Ninth Street to the concrete east of Tiger Avenue

Tiger Avenue from Conley Avenue to Kentucky Boulevard

Richmond Avenue from Rollins Street to Kentucky Boulevard

Rollins Street from South College Avenue to Hitt Street

Rollins Street from Hitt Street to Tiger Avenue

Hitt Street from Rollins Street to Lake Street

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An associate pastor at Broadway Christian Church who was accused of stealing campaign signs during the mayoral election has had his charges dropped.

The Rev. Andrew Lawrence Taylor-Peck, 46, of Columbia, was originally charged with misdemeanor stealing. Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson told ABC 17 News in an email that the case was resolved through a deferred prosecution agreement.

Johnson wrote Taylor-Peck waives statute of limitation defenses and must comply with specific conditions for three years. If Taylor-Peck fails to comply with the conditions, the prosecution picks up again, Johnson wrote.

ABC 17 News reached out to Taylor-Peck’s attorney to learn the conditions he must comply with, but were told the attorney needs to speak with his client first before sharing any details.

Johnson wrote that the victim in the case did not want the charges to move forward and that Taylor-Peck allegedly apologized to the victim.

“Between the public nature of the case and the personal amends made, he felt the defendant had been held accountable. Our office is ultimately responsible for deciding how to resolve cases, and sometimes we proceed even where the victim asks for charges to be dismissed,” Johnson wrote. “But based on the defendant’s lack of criminal history, taking responsibility for his actions, and making meaningful amends to the satisfaction of the victim, we believe this was the most appropriate and just resolution.”

Taylor-Peck at the time was suspended by the church after he was charged.

Court documents in previous reporting say that deputies were called around 5:30 p.m. April 4 to Coastal Electric in the 3600 block of Scott Boulevard for a reported theft. Someone at the location told law enforcement that they saw a man take off with a “Vote For Murph” campaign sign, the statement says.

Taylor-Peck was arrested and allegedly admitted to taking five signs between Gillespie Bridge Road and Vawter School Road, court documents in previous reporting say. He then allegedly admitted to dumping the signs in two trash cans on Mesa Drive, court documents say.

ABC 17 News has reached out to Broadway Christian Church.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri House of Representatives will begin a series of informational hearings on property tax reform on Wednesday, which will be held statewide.

The Special Interim Committee will be holding these statewide meetings and encourages Missourians to attend to share their thoughts and perspectives on property tax reform.

The first of six hearings will be taking place on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the State Capitol in House Hearing Room 3. The other hearings will continue across the state.

July 30 — 5:30 p.m. Wallace Center, 325 Harwood Ave, Lebanon, MO

August 13 — 5:30 p.m. Board Room at Union Station, 30 W Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO

August 20 — 5:30 p.m. Center of Clayton, 50 Gay Ave, Clayton, MO

August 27 — 5:30 p.m. Macon Comfort Inn, 1821 N Missouri, Macon, MO

September 3 — 11:00 AM State Capitol, House Hearing Room 3, Jefferson City, MO

According to the Chair of the Special Interim Committee, Rep. Tim Taylor, the committee wants to hear directly from citizens, local officials and stakeholders about how to improve the property tax system, according to a press release.

“The goal of this committee is to work together to find common-sense reforms and solutions that protect homeowners, promote economic stability, and ensure accountability to benefit all citizens of our state,” said Taylor.

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Matthew Sanders

SEC Media Days kicked off in Atlanta on Tuesday.

The multi-day event is a chance for the powerhouse SEC to show off its football programs, including the Mizzou Tigers.

And this year, the Tigers are gunning for their third straight 10-win season. It would be the first time the program has accomplished the feat.

Do you think they can do it? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Lucas Geisler

BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

One man was injured Tuesday night after an apparent drive-by shooting in Boone County.

The man was shot while in a car near Santa Anna Drive and El Chapparal Avenue, according to Captain Brian Leer with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.

Leer told ABC 17 News in a text that someone in another car shot the man, who suffered a non-life-threatening injury.

Leer said the information provided to them was “limited at best.”

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Ryan Shiner

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 10-year case in Cole County has ended.

A satisfaction of judgement has ended in Aaron Malin’s case against the Cole County Prosecutor’s Office. Malin had previously asked a judge to reprimand the office for not disclosing documents between the prosecutor’s office and a drug task force, according to previous reporting.

A judgement entered on June 12 indicates that $48,362.50 will be paid to Malin to cover attorney fees, costs and expenses.

“I’m glad this litigation has finally wrapped up. Unfortunately, the office’s initial response to Mr. Malin’s request back in 2015 set the tone for some fairly contentious litigation,” Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson wrote in an email on Tuesday. “I am appreciative that Mr. Malin agreed to come to the table to find an amicable solution to the case. Once everyone had a better understanding of the intent behind the request and our ability to find responsive records given the wording of the initial request, we were able to provide documents that were of particular interest to Mr. Malin.”

Malin’s attorney told ABC 17 News that the final check was received on Monday.

“Ten years ago Aaron Malin set out to make sure that the Cole County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office would be required to obey the Sunshine Law. It turned out to be a much longer, much harder fight than he possibly could have imagined, including three trips to the Court of Appeals and back. But the courts finally – and fully – vindicated his position, along the way establishing precedents that will help Missourians enjoy government transparency for years to come,” Dave Roland, director of litigation for the Freedom Center of Missouri, said in an email.

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Erika McGuire

BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The first night of the Boone County Fair kicked off Tuesday evening with the use of a weapons detection systems loaned by Columbia Public Schools.

CPS loaned the fair a total of four systems and two-to-four will be used depending on the day and volume of fair goers. It’s an upgrade from last year when the fair used hand held weapon scanners that took time away from fair goers.

Boone County Fair President Matt Lewis said safety is a top priority and the process is to get in with the walk-through systems is simple.

“Knowing what’s going on with big events we decided safety was going to a big priority to us this year,” Lewis said. “So when they get there this year, they’ll go through the gate, walk down and go through the first scanner. As long as everything is clear, they’ll go right into the fair. If there’s any detection, they’ll go through a secondary scanner,”

Fair organizers say the change will make getting into the fair quicker and more efficient—especially after an incident last year that raised safety concerns.

“We had a little incident last year and after that we decided to step up our security measures and so we reached out to CPS and we were able to get body scanner to prevent stuff that happened in the past,” Lewis said.

The fair last year amended safety measures the third day of the event after an “incident with youth” occurred. Previous reporting shows that a “scuffle” occurred between two attendees, but vendors told ABC 17 News at the time that police handled the situation and the youth were allowed to leave.

Lewis said a private company will operate the weapons detection system each night of the fair, which runs through Saturday from 5-10 p.m. each night at 5212 Oakland Gravel Road.

Columbia police officers and Citadel Security will also be on site to provide extra security.

Fair Manager Jessie Kempf said the fair expects between 10,000-15,000, guests so lines could forum at the gate but the visitors can help speed things up.

“We’ll do our best to get people through and if visitors can make it easy for us by following those no backpacks and clear bag guidelines that would help us out as well,” Kempf said.

Clear bags no larger than 6-by-12 inches are allowed, along with diaper bags and medical bags. But coolers and backpacks are not allowed, and there’s no re-entry once you leave.

The Boone County Fair must return the four weapons detection systems to CPS by Sunday.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Cole County Auditor Mark Ruether will retire on Aug. 1, according to Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman.

Ruether had submitted a letter of resignation weeks ago and it was accepted by the commission. Gov. Mike Kehoe will appoint his successor.

Ruether was appointed by former Gov. Mike Parson in 2022 to serve the remained of Kristen Berhorst’s term.

Bushman said in an email “He had been an Auditor with the State of Missouri, retired, and came to work for our Treasurer. Our Auditor took a job elsewhere, and Mark was appointed by Governor Parson to fill the Auditor position.”

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