Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Stover man was charged on Tuesday after he was accused of sexually assaulting children.

Joseph Kucera, 79, was charged with four counts of third-degree child molestation. He was not listed on the Morgan County Jail roster on Tuesday evening. A warrant was issued and a $250,000 bond was set.

Parents of a youth had reported a sexual assault by Kucera on June 10 and the victim – during a June 25 interview — described multiple assaults and inappropriate behaviors, according to the probable cause statement. A second victim also described multiple assaults to law enforcement, the statement says.

Kucera allegedly admitted to law enforcement during a Tuesday interview that he molested one of the youths, but denied touching the other one, court documents say.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was charged with two child sex crimes on Tuesday in Boone County.

John Harvey, 26, was charged with first-degree statutory rape of a child younger than 14 years old and statutory sodomy of a child younger than 14 years old. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.

The probable cause statement says the child was missing on Wednesday, July 9, but communicated with friends on social media with messages indicating they were in Columbia with a man. The child allegedly gave a friend an address and claimed they were raped, the statement says.

Columbia police found Harvey and the child on Friday and Harvey was allegedly identified in explicit videos on the youth’s cellphone, the statement says.

Harvey allegedly admitted to law enforcement that he sexually assaulted the child, the statement says.  

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged two felonies and a misdemeanor after he was accused of stabbing a woman in her back.

Nick Burris, 31, was charged with first-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action and misdemeanor tampering with a witness. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.

According to the probable cause statement, the victim told police on Monday that she was stabbed by Burris on Saturday night at the Stoney Creek Hotel after he used meth and she used Xanax. Burris allegedly told her that he was going to steal her wallet — that contained money and pills – before leaving.

The victim turned her back and was stabbed, the statement says. Burris allegedly would not allow the victim to go to a hospital by herself and demanded she lie to medical staff about what happened, the statement says. She initially gave an alternate story to medical staff before telling police.

The cut was about 2-3 inches long and required 13 stitches, the statement says.

In another case, he pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance and drug possession and was sentenced to probation. His probation was revoked on Tuesday and a hearing is scheduled for Monday.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and University of Missouri Health Care said Tuesday that they had reached a deal to bring about 90,000 Anthem customers back into the MU Health Care network.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed in the news release announcing it.

“I’m joining the tens of thousands of other people across the state and rejoicing that we’re going to have access to the high quality care that we’ve come to expect and the great value that we have for our health care coverage,” Rep. Gregg Bush (D-Boone County), a nurse and Anthem customer told ABC 17 News. “This is  a real weight and a burden that has been lifted from the tens of thousands of families across Missouri.” 

The insurer, which covers about 2 million people in Missouri, and MU Health had been at odds since this spring, when their contract expired. Anthem claimed MU Health was asking for too high a reimbursement rate, while MU Health said that Anthem was lowballing rates for medical care and taking too long to pay claims.

A Missouri Senate committee held a hearing June 30 to ask questions of Anthem and MU Health representatives. Anthem offered new terms at the hearing, and Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin wrote on social media last week that a deal was imminent.

“The hearings that were scheduled at the Capitol, I think, was crucial to making sure that everybody was aware of the real significant things that were going on and working together to find a solution,” Bush said. “I don’t know if social media posts really help or not. [But] anything that would  encourage these two entities to reach an agreement, I am all for.”  

Contract documents are being prepared, the joint MU Health/Anthem news release states. The new contract is expected to be signed in the next two weeks, the release says.

The deal does not include Anthem’s Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO plans. The agreement includes ACA Marketplace plans.

MU Health says the deal is retroactive to April 1, 2025, when the previous contract expired. Anthem commercially insured patients once again have in-network access to MU Health Care providers and facilities, effective immediately, according to the release. 

Bush says the agreement will have a major impact on state employees, as Anthem is the primary health insurance provider for Missouri’s state workforce.

“I had conversations with members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.  I had conversations with other state workers, with legislative assistants, and with people that work at the Capitol.  Anything that is disruptive to their health care is disruptive to the whole state,” Bush said. “We have to make sure that  a disruption like this doesn’t happen again.”

ABC 17 News reached out to Anthem and MU Health Care. MU Health Care declined to comment.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

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Ryan Shiner

MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 39-year-old Moberly man died from injuries he sustained in a motorcycle crash on Tuesday, according to a press release from the Moberly Police Department.

Police were called to a crash around 10 a.m. at the intersection of East Highway 24 and East Outer Road, the release says. The crash involved a motorcycle and an SUV.  

The man was pronounced dead at Moberly Regional Medical Center, the release says. Police say his next of kin has been notified, but authorities will not release his name publicly.

The release says the investigation for the crash is ongoing and witnesses who have not talked to police should call them at 660-262-0346.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was charged after he allegedly chased people on Sunday at Stephens Lake Park and injured a Columbia police officer.

Jesse Howe, 45, was charged with first-degree assault, misdemeanor peace disturbance and felony resisting arrest. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

The probable cause statement says that police were called to Stephens Lake Park at 5:40 p.m. Sunday after multiple people claimed a man was yelling and chasing joggers at the park with a knife. A witness allegedly told police that they saw Howe chase a jogger off the path at the park.

Police detained Howe, but he resisted arrest, the statement says. Police then tried to get him on the ground and an officer ended up getting “serious physical and debilitating injuries,” the statement says. The statement says the officer had a knee injury and was brought to the emergency room at University Hospital. Court documents say that the officer was still receiving medical treatment on Monday.

Howe also had a failure-to-appear warrant for his arrest issued on June 25 in Callaway County. A $200 bond was set in that case. He was charged with driving more than 20 miles per hour over the speed limit, a misdemeanor.  

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Keriana Gamboa

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A space for Mid-Missouri women to get specialty treatment for breast cancer is now available to them with a unique store inside.

Boone Health Breast Care’s new clinic, which is set to fully open early next year, will provide services including breast cancer screenings, diagnostic imaging, breast-conserving surgeries, mastectomies with or without nipple preservation, ultrasound-guided biopsies, management of benign breast conditions and advanced oncoplastic surgical procedures, which combine cosmetic surgery with tumor removal.

The clinic is staffed by a specialized team dedicated to breast health, designed to enhance access to specialized care for patients across Mid-Missouri, Boone Health says.

Located in the hospital’s Broadway Medical Plaza 2, Suite 200, the newly constructed clinic includes nine exam rooms, one procedure room and space to accommodate up to five practitioners. The expanded facility is designed to increase patient capacity and support specialized care in a setting focused on breast health.

Through a partnership with the Boone Foundation and support from foundation grant donors, the clinic has begun the process of opening a bra and prosthetic shop on-site. Monica Collins, executive director of the Boone Hospital Foundation, said the estimated start-up cost for opening the shop was between $20,000 and $30,000.

No dedicated shop for women’s prosthetic and bra fittings existed in the area before. The last available store serving women’s needs closed in 2020.

“This particular shop allows women not just here at Boone but across the region the opportunity to come here and get what they need to continue their healing journey,” Collins said.

One of the speakers at the event was Mindy Fuller, a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed last year in August. She said there is a need for specialty clinics and shops available to women with breast cancer in the Mid-Missouri region.

“I had my mammogram early in the afternoon on Friday, and I was the 11th person that day to be diagnosed. And so if that just doesn’t scream that there is such a need for breast health care here in Mid-Missouri,” Fuller said.

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the U.S. In 2025, about 317,000 women are expected to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and another 59,000 with non-invasive breast cancer.

Breast cancer has the fourth highest incidence and mortality rate among cancers in Missouri. Aside from skin cancer, it is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Missouri women.

According to a 2017–2021 report from the CDC, breast cancer rates are rising overall in Missouri. However, in Mid-Missouri counties Boone, Cooper, Cole and Callaway, rates remained stable.

Missouri averages about 5,180 new breast cancer cases each year, making it one of the states with the highest totals.

Boone County ranks eighth in the state for breast cancer cases.

Between 2017 and 2021, Missouri reported an average of 135 breast cancer cases per 100,000 people each year, according to the CDC.

The Mammograms Across Missouri report shows that from 2014 to 2018, Missouri ranked 18th in the nation for breast cancer incidence. Rates of diagnosis are on the rise across the state, with the increase most notable among women under the age of 65.

Boone Health says it’s responding to the growing need as breast cancer rates continue to rise.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who forced his way into a University of Missouri sorority house in February has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Jeffrey Wheeland Jr. pleaded guilty on Monday to second-degree burglary and unlawful use of a weapon. He was previously charged with first-degree burglary, second-degree kidnapping and a fourth-degree assault. 

Court documents in previous reporting say Wheeland had knives while near the house and a witness called police upon seeing him.

Wheeland then allegedly went into the Sigma Kappa house and barricaded himself in a study room while another person was in there.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 54-year-old Moberly man was electrocuted to death on Tuesday morning after he allegedly tampered with a utility line, according to a social media post from the Moberly Police Department.

The release says police were called at 9:38 a.m. to the 1700 block of Leah Lane after hearing someone had been shocked.

Officers found the man had serious injuries after he touched a live utility line, the release says. The man was pronounced dead at Moberly Regional Medical Center. The name of the victim was not released and the incident is being investigated as an accident.

“The Moberly Police Department is working closely with utility officials to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the event,” the release says.

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Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia’s Solid Waste utility will immediately start collecting some recyclable materials under new guidelines.

On Tuesday, the City of Columbia announced it will start recycling some items after partnering with Federal Recycling & Waste Solutions in Jefferson City.

The new guidelines allow for customers to use the blue recycling bags for plastic bottles, plastic containers, aluminum beverage cans and metal food cans.

All recyclables should be rinsed out before being thrown away. Caps and labels can stay on containers.

Mixed fibers, including cardboard and paper, will still go to the landfill. Residents should not put them in the blue bag, but can leave the materials at the curb for collection, according to the release.

Certain plastics like yogurt cups, clamshell produce packages and dairy containers like for sour cream, butter and cream cheese are also not able to be processed.

This is mainly due to facility storage issues, processing limitations and material value.

“Paper recycling, that’s a more complex issue,” Columbia Volunteer Program Specialist Jodie Cook said. “It’s a lot of volume and it needs to be protected from the weather, so we have to have a bigger facility.”  

Once collected from the curb, recyclables are seperated from the blue bags, compacted and hauled to Jefferson City three to four times a week.

Once the Federal Recycling & Waste Solutions facility becomes full, the recyclables are sent to Midwest Fiber Recycling in Normal, Illinois, where it is sorted for valuable materials and sold, the profits being split between Columbia and Federal Recycling & Waste Solutions.

Funding for the program is coming out of the City’s existing recycling budget.

“We had all the drop-off sites previously, so we had trucks constantly running those drop-off sites, we’re not doing that right now,” Columbia Utilities Director Erin Keys said. “It would be those same funds that we would use to run a truck down to Jeff City.”

Recycling was suspended in April after the recycling plant was damaged when a tornado hit the facilty. The city restarted recycling collections on April 28 but materials were taken to the landfill while the city evaluated its options.

Officials confirmed that the city’s Material Recovery Facility has been clear of debris, adding that lots of equipment is still functional.

“The next steps will be to make the equipment and the process operational, so this means replacing control panels, getting electricity to the facility and ensuring that all the proper safety repairs are completed,” Keys said.

Keys added that Columbia Utilies will have a report for the City Council in August covering long-term options.

The release states other materials, including glass, black plastic or takeout containers, styrofoam and plastic bags should not be placed in blue bags.

“Potential contamination from trash, glass and low-value plastics can damage processing equipment and reduce the overall value of recyclables, increasing the City’s recycling costs,” the release states.

“Solid waste utility will continue towards recycling more materials,” Keys said. “Future steps will include how do we handle fiber and glass and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we evaluate the best paths moving forward.”

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