Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Mexico, Missouri, man is facing several charges after he allegedly fired shots at someone who was sitting in a vehicle on Tuesday morning.

Darius Hoffman, 38, is charged with illegal gun possession, shooting at a vehicle, armed criminal action, misdemeanor illegally discharging a gun and misdemeanor second-degree property damage. He is being held at the Audrain County Jail without bond. A confined docket hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday.

Law enforcement wrote in the probable cause statement that Hoffman was seen on video in a Dodge Challenger in the 900 block of Harwood Street. He was allegedly seen pulling up to a Mercedes on Breckenridge Street and fired a pair of shots, the statement says. The driver of the Mercedes drove off and the Dodge followed, the statement says.

The victim claimed Hofffman shot at him multiple times and three bullet holes were seen on the Mercedes, police wrote.  The victim did not know why Hoffman fired at him, the statement says.

Hoffman allegedly denied firing shots when being interviewed by police, but did claim he was harassed by the victim, court documents say.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man who is charged with murder for his alleged role with a fatal 2024 shooting will go to trial next month.

Jordan Brantley, 20, is charged with first-degree assault, second-degree murder and armed criminal action. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.

He was originally expected to go to trial in May, but on Tuesday the four-day trial was scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 23. He also has pre-trial conference scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21; 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 26; and 1:30 p.m. Monday, June 15.

He is one of three people who were charged in the death of Trevon Ashcraft. Cordero Riley Jr. pleaded guilty last year to unlawful use of a weapon and second-degree assault and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Quanina Lambert pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and child endangerment in 2025. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

According to previous reporting, police allege Lambert was inside a home on Rice Road that was apparently targeted by a group of shooters who pulled up in an SUV. Lambert allegedly gave her gun to a man at the scene. Police found Ashcraft shot in the head and he later died at an area hospital.

Brantley was allegedly part of the group targeting the house and was seen on video wearing a black ski mask, police wrote in the probable cause statement. He was allegedly seen on video shooting down Boyd Lane during the shootout. Police believe he fired the fatal shot, previous reporting indicates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon claims district lines in Boone County can’t be redrawn until the Secretary of State’s Office makes a move on a referendum petition.

The Missouri Supreme Court handed down multiple rulings on Tuesday over the mid-decade redrawn federal House district maps within the state. Its rulings led to upholding the map, claiming petitioners did not prove the map “clearly and undoubtedly” violates Article 3 of the Missouri Constitution.

The ruling also claims that submitting a referendum petition did not automatically suspend the bill that created the new map, though it appeared additional legal battles could occur.

Lennon in her letter to Denny Hoskins’ office says that she cannot redraw the lines within Boone County, which would also update voter rolls.

Lennon cited in her letter:

“Because the secretary’s certification process under chapter 116 is ongoing and has not been finally determined, it is impossible to say as of this opinion whether the December 9 [2025] referendum petition filing was ‘legal, sufficient and timely’ and, therefore whether HB1 when into effect on December 11 or whether HB1 was referred to the people as of December 9 and can only go into effect when approve by a majority of the votes cast thereon.”

“As a result, I am caught in the untenable position of trying to predict when and how you will issue a determination about the sufficiency of the petition,” Lennon wrote to Hoskins. “Until that time, I have no actionable legal information as to what congressional district map is in effect so I will not be making any changes to the map that was in place prior to the enactment of HB1.”

The final certification date for the Aug. 4 election is May 26, with absentee voting for military voters beginning on June 19.

Boundaries within Boone County had changed with the new map, with the entirety of Columbia being in District 3 and other parts of the county being in the highly debated District 5.

View Lennon’s full letter below:

Click here to follow the original article.

Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri House sent an amended bill for state designations back to the Senate on Wednesday.

One such designation would make June 28 each year “Eliot and Muriel Battle Day” in Missouri. The text of the amendment says people are “encouraged to participate in…events and activities” honoring Eliot Battle, the first Black faculty member at Hickman High School, and Muriel, the first Black principal in the Columbia Public School District.

“The couple worked as a team to ease racial tensions during the 1960s and have been recognized with schools…named in their honor,” the amendment says.

Battle High School in Columbia is named for Muriel Battle. The elementary School which sits adjacent to Battle High School was named in honor of Eliot Battle.

“It’s a lovely tribute to two pioneer educators in Columbia Public Schools,” CPS spokesperson Michelle Baumstark wrote in a statement to ABC 17 News. “[We are] grateful to Rep. [David] Tyson Smith for bringing this recognition forward at the state level.”

Senate Bill 1544’s text mostly lays out designations for bridges or roadways to honor military service members, law enforcement, first responders or other public servants. The bill also says if the Kansas City Chiefs relocate outside the state, the Chiefs would not be the official professional football team for Missouri.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two people are dead after a single-vehicle crash occurred Tuesday in Hermann, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe – driven by a 52-year-old Hermann man – was facing southbound when it was found south of East 6th Street at a private property.

The vehicle went over an embankment, hit several trees and went into a creek before overturning several times, the report says. A passenger – a 65-year-old Hermann woman – was ejected from the vehicle, the report says. Both people were pronounced dead at the scene and were brought to the Gasconade County Coroner’s Office, the report says.

Neither person in the crash wore a seatbelt. The vehicle was totaled.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Four children 6 years old and younger were seriously injured Wednesday in a horse-and-buggy crash that involved a vehicle in Morgan County, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says a horse and buggy carrying six people was heading westbound on Route C in Morgan County, east of Gracey Creek Road, when it was hit by a silver Chevrolet Trax that was driven b a 22-year-old Versailles woman.

Six occupants of the horse and buggy had serious injuries and were brought to University Hospital by ambulance, the report says. A baby girl younger than 1-year-old, a 3-year-old boy, 5-year-old boy, 6-year-old girl, a 28-year-old man and 29-year-old woman were among those seriously injured. All six people are from Versailles.

The man was determined to be the “driver” in the report.

The driver of the SUV had minor injuries and was brought to an urgent care in a private vehicle, the report says. 

The SUV was totaled and the buggy was destroyed. The status of the horse was not disclosed by law enforcement.

Click here to follow the original article.

Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Corrections says air conditioning installation at some facilities will not be completed for several more months as summer temperatures approach.

DOC spokeswoman Karen Pojmann said the department came across obstacles during the installation process at the Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center, slowing progress on the project.

Pojmann said the vendor originally working with the DOC could not complete the project at FRDC within the department’s budget restrictions, forcing DOC to pursue another option.

“At FRDC, installation is underway, and we hope it will be completed within the next several months,” Pojmann wrote in a Wednesday afternoon email.

At the Moberly Correctional Center, installation has not yet started, according to Pojmann.

For now, both the Fulton and Moberly facilities are only partially air conditioned. The current projects would expand air conditioning into additional buildings.

Previous reporting shows partial installation includes administrative, transitional care and infirmaries where people receive medical care, segregated housing units and other buildings do have air conditioning.

Pojmann said inmates have access to cold water in coolers in common areas and running water in their cells. She says if ice machines struggle to keep up with the demand for ice, facility administrators are instructed to purchase as much “supplemental ice” as necessary.

The installation process across DOC facilities has moved slowly since the Missouri General Assembly approved funding during the 2023 legislative session as part of the fiscal year 2024 state budget.

Previous reporting shows installation was expected to be completed by January 2026. In 2024, Pojman noted that air conditioning projects at correctional facilities can be lengthy and complicated.

Fully air conditioned facilities:

Boonville Correctional Center

Chillicothe Correctional Center

Crossroads Correctional Center

Eastern Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center

Jefferson City Correctional Center

Potosi Correctional Center

South Central Correctional Center

Southeast Correctional Center

Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center

  Western Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center

Partly air conditioned facilities:

Farmington Correctional Center

Fulton Reception & Diagnostic Center

Moberly Correctional Center

Northeast Correctional Center

Facilities with no air conditioning:

Algoa Correctional Center

Maryville Treatment Center

Ozark Correctional Center

Missouri Eastern Correctional Center

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A candidate in Columbia’s Fourth Ward race is defending his record following after a former mayor called him out on social media.

Former Columbia Utilities Director Dave Sorrell filed paperwork on Tuesday to run for the open Fourth Ward seat on the City Council.

Former Mayor Brian Treece left a comment on ABC 17 News’ Facebook page that questioned Sorrell’s time as utilities director and brought up delayed or unfinished projects.

“Before asking voters to entrust him with another public role, residents deserve a clear explanation for why so many of these long-promised improvements remain incomplete,” a portion of Treece’s comment says.

Sorrell told ABC 17 News that previous City Councils had delayed the projects and said he wants to make them a priority, if elected.

“It’s not surprising that a political attack is already coming from individuals closely aligned with my potential opponent’s campaign. But I thank them for highlighting one of the many reasons I am running to represent the 4th Ward,” a statement from Sorrell says. “For years, the City Council simply did not make those priorities into reality. It’s a failure of elected leadership, they held the purse, they made the legislation, and they let politics get in the way.”

Treece served as Columbia’s mayor from 2016-22. Sorrell was the director of utilities from 2020-25 and was the assistant director during the prior five years.

Candidates have until 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 2 to file for the election, city documents show. Election Day is Tuesday, Aug. 4.

The position is open after Councilman Nick Foster announced that he intends to resign from his position on June 12.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An Osage Beach alderman has been charged with multiple felonies in Camden County.

Ward 1 Alderman John Robert “Bob” O’Steen was charged on Wednesday with delivery of a controlled substance, two counts of drug possession and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. A warrant was requested on Wednesday.

The city released a statement on O’Steen’s charges.

“The City of Osage Beach is aware of the charges filed against one of its Aldermen,” the statement says. “We will continue to gather and evaluate the facts as they become available. We respect the judicial process and will not have any further comment at this time.”

The probable cause statement says the Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force conducted an undercover cocaine sale to O’Steen. The alderman allegedly requested to buy two “8-balls” of cocaine for $500, which weighed a combined total of 7 grams, the statement says.

O’Steen, 60, allegedly bought the drugs from an undercover officer in a vehicle and was later arrested with the two bags, court documents say. Law enforcement eventually searched O’Steen’s residence and found cocaine, amphetamines and a number of guns, the statement says.

O’Steen is being held in the Camden County Jail on a $250,000 bond, according to a news release from the Camden County Sheriff’s Office.

26CM-CR00688 – ST V JOHN BOB ROBERT O’STEENDownload

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A crash took out electricity close to hundreds of Ameren Missouri customers Wednesday just after noon.

Ameren’s outage map reported 472 customers without service centered in the Apache Flats area of western Jefferson City just before 2 p.m. Restoration work could last hours, the map says.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Kyle Green said a tractor-trailer took out power lines.

Cole County dispatchers said in a public alert that traffic was delayed in the area of West Business 50 and Gateway Drive after a crash.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

Click here to follow the original article.