Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was found guilty last month of murdering a Hermann police officer in 2023 will be sentenced in June.

Kenneth Simpson, of Steelville, was found guilty on Jan. 24 of first-degree murder, first-degree assault, two counts of illegal gun possession, one count of illegally possessing a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. 

A jury on Friday recommended that Simpson should face the death penalty.

Court filings made public on Monday show Simpson will be sentenced at 1 p.m. Friday, June 12 at the Franklin County Courthouse.

Simpson was accused of shooting and killing Sgt. Mason Griffith and wounding Officer Adam Sullentrup in March 2023. The trial started Jan. 20 in Franklin County after it was moved from Gasconade County in 2023, where the shooting happened.

Simpson shot both men within 15 seconds on March 12, 2023, at a Casey’s convenience store in Hermann.

Police caught Simpson following a more than 12-hour standoff. The state of Missouri, on Sept. 14, 2023, filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Simpson.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Gravois Mills man was charged in Morgan County after he allegedly assaulted a man and fired a gun into a home early on Saturday.

Jacob Roberts, 26, was charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action, first-degree burglary, unlawful use of a weapon and first-degree property damage. He is being held at the Morgan County Jail without bond. An arraignment was scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The probable cause statement says deputies were called at 12:45 a.m. after Roberts allegedly broke a television during a fight with the victim. Roberts allegedly started destroying property after an argument started about an ex-girlfriend, the statement says.

Another fight allegedly occurred in the driveway of the home, the victim ran back inside the home and Roberts fired a shot through a fall in the garage, the statement says. Deputies eventually found a bullet in a door in the home along with damage, the statement says.

Deputies tried initially calling out to Roberts in his nearby home and called his phone several times with no answer, the statement says. When he eventually picked up the phone, he was asked by police about firing the gun, to which Roberts allegedly said “that’s a whole separate issue,” court documents say.

Another person who knew Roberts allegedly arrived on scene and informed law enforcement of a phone call they had with Roberts in which he allegedly acknowledged the fight and claimed he would go to jail, the statement says.

Guns were found in Roberts’ home and truck, the deputy wrote.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman who was the subject of an endangered person advisory on Saturday was found dead in her wrecked vehicle the next day.

The Camden County Sheriff’s Office issued the alert Saturday, saying Amanda Rodgers, 35, had been seen leaving Eldon around 3 a.m. in her Chevrolet Malibu. The alert says Rodgers went to pick up her children in the Camdenton area but never arrived.

The Miller County Coroner’s Office wrote in a Facebook post that Rodgers was found dead Sunday on Highway 54 near Howser Road. She was pronounced dead at 1:43 a.m. Sunday, the post says.

The vehicle was obscured by a fallen tree and difficult to see from the road, the coroner’s office said. A Miller County deputy who was searching the area found it.

Foul play is not suspected, and the coroner says the death appears consistent with a car crash. The investigation is ongoing.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was sentenced to 30 years in state prison Friday after he pleaded guilty to a Christmas 2023 murder.

Jeffrey E. Skaggs pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child endangerment before Judge Brouck Jacobs. Jacbos sentenced Skaggs to 30 years in prison for murder and seven years for child endangerment.

The sentences will be served concurrently. Skaggs will receive credit for time served.

Skaggs was charged in January 2024 with the death of a 41-year-old woman in the 6000 block of East O’Rear Road. Authorities have not publicly identified the victim. That June, a grand jury indicted him on a charge of first-degree murder.

Skaggs allegedly admitted to assaulting the woman moments before she died, according to court documents. Deputies say a video recording from the victim’s cellphone showed part of the assault, which allegedly showed Skaggs assaulting the woman while she was holding her 1-year-old child.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council voted 5–2 on Monday to approve a median ordinance that had been delayed since November.

The ordinance, which takes effect in July, regulates the use of medians, road crossings and traffic islands for both motorists and pedestrians at intersections with speed limits of 35 miles per hour or higher, average daily traffic volumes of at least 15,000 vehicles, or medians narrower than six feet.

Ward 1 Councilwoman Valerie Carroll and Ward 2 Councilwoman Vera Elwood voted against the ordinance. Mayor Barbara Buffaloe was among those who voted in favor of the measure.

Carroll said none of the boards or commissions that reviewed the proposal supported the ordinance. Elwood argued the measure was not data-driven, citing limited information to support claims it would improve pedestrian safety.

Elwood added that while she believed the ordinance was well-intentioned, she was concerned about how it could be enforced in the future. She said the council cannot guarantee the measure will be applied consistently once current members leave office or as the police force turns over, leaving the ordinance’s intent and enforcement open to interpretation.

However, Buffaloe argued that the eight reported incidents involving pedestrians on medians are more than she would like to see and that data showed pedestrains that get hit by a car traveling just 30mph have just a 50 percent survival rate.

The approved ordinance will:

Prohibit crossing a major road anywhere except in a crosswalk, a pedestrian-control signal, or an intersection if those things aren’t available.

Prohibit being on a median fewer than 6 feet wide except when crossing the road.

Prohibit getting out of cars while in a traffic lane or within a major intersection.

Prohibit approaching cars on a major road unless the car is legally parked.

Prohibit people in vehicles from engaging with pedestrians at major intersections.

In November, the council voted to table the ordinance, noting that they needed more clarification on the ordinance.

The discussion of the ordinance was split amongst the community. Some comments from a city survey say the ordinance will keep pedestrians and drivers safe. Others, however, say the ordinance targets panhandlers and criminalizes homelessness.

At the meeting

Public comment stretched more than an hour Monday night, with 39 speakers largely focused on how the proposed ordinance could affect people experiencing homelessness and residents with disabilities.

While a handful of speakers supported the measure, calling it a “common-sense” step to improve public safety, the overwhelming majority of those who addressed the council spoke in opposition.

City staff told council members earlier in the meeting that Columbia has 115 designated street-crossing segments, 58 of which do not have traffic signals — a point opponents cited as evidence the ordinance could make crossing major roads more difficult.

City Manager De’Carlon Seewood said the city applied for a federal grant to help overhaul some of those intersections. While Columbia did not receive the construction funding it sought, Seewood said the city was awarded a planning grant that positions it to compete for a larger grant that could fund improvements at several intersections affected by the ordinance.

Before public comment began, the council voted on five amendments to the ordinance, most of which involved clarifying language or technical changes.

One amendment addressed accessibility concerns raised by Ward 3 Councilwoman Jacque Sample, who cited instances where the absence of sidewalks has forced people using mobility scooters into traffic lanes, including along Providence Road.

The council approved revised language stating pedestrians may not be prohibited from using a major roadway when there is no available sidewalk or path of travel that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

The Columbia City Council could vote Monday on an ordinance that would prohibit people from standing or sitting in medians.

The idea has support from those who want to see panhandlers gone from busy intersections along roads such as Broadway, Stadium Boulevard and Providence Road. However, critics say the ordinance targets panhandlers and protesters and is unconstitutional.

For its part, the City of Columbia says the ordinance is about safety on the roads, not panhandling.

Do you think the city council should approve the ordinance? Let us know by voting in the poll.

Click here to follow the original article.

Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Gasconade County winery is considered a total loss after a large fire on Sunday morning, according to a press release from the Owensville Fire Protection District.

Fire crews were called to Wenwood Winery on Highway K in Bay — a village just southwest of Hermann — a little before 1:30 a.m. Sunday for reports of a commercial structure fire, the release says.

When Owensville fire crews arrived, 50% of the 15,000 square foot two-story building was engulfed in flames. The release says no one was inside the building at the time of the fire.

Due to cold weather, how large the fire was, and travel time to the nearest “reliable” hydrant, the response was upgraded to a four-alarm fire, where more than 20 vehicles responded, according to the release.

Multiple portable water tanks were sprayed in front of and behind the building. Multiple handheld firehoses were also used.

The fire was under control just before 4 a.m., and crews stayed on scene until 7 a.m.

The Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause.

Click here to follow the original article.

Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

About a week after Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Minnesota, Mid-Missourians are gathering to protest his death.

Pretti was the second person shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis in January. His death came a little more than two weeks after federal agents shot and killed Renee Good.

CNN analyzed video of Pretti’s death, which shows the man’s interaction with ICE agents before he was shot. According to CNN, the video does not show Pretti acting aggressively or holding his handgun, which officers pulled from his waistband moments before he was shot.

A Border Patrol official stated that Pretti was actively impeding law enforcement duties, according to CNN. It’s unclear what Pretti was doing prior to the bystander videos.

As part of the daily Mid-Missouri Peaceworks protest, about 30 people gathered at Columbia City Hall on Sunday to oppose the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown.

One protester held a sign that said “Immigrants make America great.” Another sign said, “Trump lies, America dies.”

Peaceworks Director Mark Haim said the organization protests daily at the city’s Key Hole, and it matters that people come out.

“What really matters is that people feel empowered enough to come out and make their voices heard. There’s kind of a cycle that happens because people feel like they can’t make a difference,” Haim said. “If they don’t try, they won’t make a difference.”

Sunday night, a vigil was held for Pretti at the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital in Columbia.

Pretti was an ICU nurse and worked for the Minneapolis VA Health Care System.

The vigil was hosted by the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3399.

AFGE President Lindsay Browning said the vigil was to remember Pretti’s life, not how he died.

“We have a day for that, and today wasn’t that day. I do look forward to that day, but today was about who he was as a federal employee,” Browning said. “Alex needed to know that he’s a member, he’s important to us, no matter which local he belongs to and no matter which state he lives in.”

The candlelight vigil was open to both union members and the public. People held signs that read, “Rest in Peace our Union Brother” and “Justice for Alex.”

Attendee Karen Pasley is from Minnesota and said her first date with her husband was on the block where Pretti was killed.

“I have kind of a personal connection to that very intersection where he was gunned down,” Pasley said. “And this place–that to me is kind of sacred, and my family has been defiled by ICE thugs.”

She said seeing her home state in disarray is devastating.

“But, I am so full of pride and hope to see how people can come together to stand up against this,” Pasley said.

Another community member, Caya Tanski, said the two deadly ICE-involved shootings make her worried.

“It’s the death of Alex that makes me really sad because it seems like the demise of our democracy,” Tanski said. “Alex had a right to be on the street according to our Constitution, had a right to be on the street filming–filming what was going on, and was considered to be a terrorist.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Fayette Fire Department and Glasgow Fire District battled a house fire Saturday morning.

According to Fayette co-fire chief Steven Morrow, crews were called to the scene a little before 8 a.m. to a home on Lucky Street in Fayette. Crews took around 45 minutes to get the fire under control. Morrow adds that the fire was unoccupied and no injuries were reported.

In a post by the Glasgow Fire District, which assisted with the fire, flames reportedly were showing and crews went inside to search the building. Crews entered through the front door and back window, meeting inside during the search.

GFD reported cold temperatures caused issues with slick ice spots on the scene.

Morrow reported the damage was a total loss.

Click here to follow the original article.

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Holts Summit man is in custody of the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office following a high-speed chase with law enforcement Saturday night.

According to a social media post, the Callaway County Sheriff’s Deputies were looking for a stolen truck from State Road OO west of Holts Summit. Deputies later found it on County Road 4031 east of Holts Summit.

The driver of the truck — 33-year-old Zachary Ryan Fewins — fled after deputies began a traffic stop. Deputies then chased him along multiple county roads including Highway 94 and Highway 63. Fewins reportedly reached speeds of up to 130 miles per hour.

Deputies were assisted by the Columbia Police Department, Boone County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol, with law enforcement laying out spike strips and performing a tactical vehicle intervention or PIT maneuver to stop the suspect.

Fewins initially refused to get out of the truck, but later cooperated with law enforcement, later being transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.

A stolen pistol was found in the truck.

Fewins was arrested and charged Sunday with stealing a motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing a stop or detention, armed criminal action, first-degree trespassing and three counts of second-degree harassment.

He is being held in the Callaway County Jail without bond.

Court documents show Fewins was charged with similar felonies in the past for resisting arrest, stealing motor vehicles and trespassing in Callaway and Cole County.

Click here to follow the original article.