Author: KMIZ

Jazsmin Halliburton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three Missouri Supreme Court hearings are set to take place Wednesday regarding potential November ballot measures.

Respect Missouri Voters will be at the Supreme Court as the group continues to fight for Amendment 6 regarding the citizen-led petition to be on the November ballot. The group looks to add new rules for initiative petitions and make it harder for lawmakers to overturn things passed through that process.

Amendment 6 would:

Prohibit politicians from overturning or changing initiatives passed by voters without widespread agreement.  

Protect our constitutional right to the initiative and referendum process.

Require ballot summaries to be clear, unbiased, fair, accurate and easy to understand.

Last month, a Cole County judge ruled that Secretary of State Denny Hoskins was right to reject the initiative petition seeking to check the General Assembly’s power to change voter-approved policy.

Respect Missouri Voters will hold a rally following Wednesday’s hearing at 9:45 a.m. The group is also inviting supporters of Amendment 6 to hear opening arguments on the steps of the Missouri Supreme Court at 9 a.m.

The Group People, Not Politicians also has two hearings against Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The group sued Hoskins to get their vote on the ballot between the new and old congressional maps.

The Cole County judge sided with Hoskins that the Missouri Constitution does not allow citizens to challenge congressional maps approved by legislators through a ballot measure.

The group also sued Hoskins in a separate lawsuit for refusing to check any signatures gathered in the initiative petition before Oct. 15. The judge also ruled that Hoskins was allowed to toss out signatures that were gathered on a petition before a certain date.

Both rulings were appealed and are expected to be challenged in court Wednesday.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A New Florence man was charged with 29 felonies after he allegedly shot at someone during an argument on Sunday in Montgomery County.

Keeland Sanders was charged with first-degree domestic assault, 14 counts of armed criminal action, one count of second-degree assault, 12 counts of unlawful use of a weapon, one count of drug trafficking. A no-bond warrant was served and a bond hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Monday.

The probable cause statement says deputies were called after 3 p.m. Sunday as Sanders was allegedly shooting at someone.

Sanders allegedly told deputies that one of the victims entered his property and threatened to hurt a witness “however, did not present an imminent danger, nor deadly threat to either Sanders or the Confidential Victims on scene,” the statement says.

Sanders then allegedly told the deputy that he grabbed a gun and fired multiple rounds into the ground to scare off the victim, the statement says. The deputy wrote that Sanders was drinking a Coors Light at the scene and refused to do a breath test.

The victim allegedly told police that they went to Sanders’ residence and “characterized some of Sanders’ girlfriends on scene” a derogatory term, the statement says. The victim claims that’s when Sanders went to grab a gun and fired a few shots.

A second victim claimed they heard four or five shots after an argument. That victim was standing across the street, claiming bullets went across the street to where they were standing, the statement says.

Law enforcement conducted a search of the home and allegedly found 11 guns and 0.73 grams of cocaine and fentanyl, the statement says.

The deputy wrote that spent shell casings were found, but marks in the ground where Sanders claimed to have shot at were not seen, court documents allege.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ) 

A longtime Columbia staple is set to close its doors this winter.

Shiloh Bar and Grill announced on Facebook that this upcoming college football season will be its last. Owner Nic Parks later confirmed to ABC 17 News that the bar will close in December.

Parks said the closure is tied to the landlord’s plans to sell the property and alluded to a potential buyer’s plans to redevelop the historic Katy Station Building.

While Parks did not have specifics on the redevelopment plans, he said Shiloh likely would not reopen at another location.

However, he said there is a possibility the bar could eventually return as a ground-floor tenant if the new property owner is willing to work with them. He pointed to Shakespeare’s Pizza on Ninth Street as a similar example, where the restaurant operates beneath an apartment complex.

Shiloh Bar and Grill operated at a South Sixth Street location from 1998-2009 before moving to its current location on East Broadway in 2009.

The bar has operated out of the historic Katy Station Building ever since. The building was added to the Columbia Historic Register on Jan. 29, 1979. It originally served as a depot for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad.

ABC 17 News attended Tuesday’s Columbia Historical Preservation Committee meeting. One of the items listed on the agenda was a demolition permit at North Fourth Street. However, at this point in the process, the committee says that no developers have come forward with a concept, and all that they have heard is “rumors” about alleged student housing. 

Despite the Katy Station Building’s historical significance, the committee told ABC 17 News that nothing currently prevents the property from being demolished. The city can impose a 45-day delay on demolition to allow for further discussion, but beyond that, there are no additional protections in place.

One way for the city to provide additional protections for a historic building is through a zoning regulation known as a historic overlay, which places specific restrictions on a property or area to preserve its historic character. However, the Historic Preservation Commission said there is no historic overlay in place for the Katy Station Building.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

SNAP recipients are wary of the new SNAP verification requirements set to roll out on Oct. 1.

The change will require applicants and recertifiers to bring documentation for their expenses instead of self-reporting.

Proof will be required for:

Shelter costs, such as rent, mortgage and utilities

Dependent care or childcare expenses

Countable resources, such as money in a bank account

“There are minor things that, if there is no reason to question what the family was saying, like how much they spend on child care or things like that, they would need to provide extra documents,” said Lucas Caldwell-McMillan who is the chief of policy staff with Empower Missouri. “This is now really requiring extra verification of child care expenses, rent a whole host of things.”

According to a press release from the Missouri Department of Senior Services, the changes are meant to “strengthen program integrity and ensure accurate eligibility decisions.”

The department adds a one-time notice is currently being mailed to all SNAP participants.

According to the Missouri Budget Project, the Mid-Missouri county with the lowest rate of households on SNAP is Osage County with around 5%. The county with the highest rate is Randolph County with around 15% of households.

SNAP recipients Ashley Berry and Richard Eudy were unaware of the changes, with both asking for more transparency and clear announcements of changes.

“If nobody knows about it, how are they going to do the things properly that they need to do?” Berry said. “You have to have all this stuff and that could be a pain in the neck if you don’t know what you really need.”

Eudy also voiced concern over the additional files backing up the application process.

“I hate it when they just shuffle paperwork, that’s the biggest problem,” Eudy said. “I mean, wait, wait, wait, wait.”

McMillian argues that the change will make it harder for working families to gather documents and would hinder the state’s accuracy.

“It [documents] can be lost, you can turn in the paperwork and it can be sitting at a desk of an overworked SSA staff member who didn’t have time to process it in time for your recertification date, there’s a whole kind of a whole host of point-breaking points,” McMillian said.

He added the change also comes ahead of Missouri’s winter season, where many SNAP recipients experience what Empower Missouri calls “Heat or Eat.”

“Which is exactly what it sounds, which is older folks choosing between purchasing groceries or keeping their heat on, and we know that they’re going into the winter months when the energy costs are higher than ever,” McMillian said.

McMillian recommends that recipients who want to make sure their documents are in order should visit a Social Security Department office in person if possible. The Social Services Department also recommends sending complete documents.

Acceptable forms of verification include bills, receipts, lease agreements, bank statements or written proof from the person or business being paid.

“That way you can make sure you’re getting the right documents the first time, because part of it, too, is, ‘no, that didn’t work. I need a different document’ in the going back and forth.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An 18-year-old man was charged with four felonies and four misdemeanors after he allegedly fired a gun in a Fayette home while threatening multiple victims on Monday morning.

Eric Jackson Jr. was charged in Howard County with armed criminal action, endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of illegal use of a weapon and four misdemeanors, which include three counts of fourth-degree domestic assault and illegally firing a gun.

He is being held at the Howard County Jail without bond and an arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday.

The probable cause statement says one of the victims called police while they were hiding in a closet. The victim was worried about Jackson shooting them, the statement says. The victim claimed Jackson had fired rounds in the home and police noted after they arrived, hearing a woman through the residence door pleading with Jackson “not to do it,” according to court documents.

The statement says police kicked in the door and Jackson dropped the gun. Police noted finding two spent shell casings along with two holes that went through headboard, kitchen wall, a cabinet and an exterior wall.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County will receive a $307,205.85 grant to fight cyber crimes, according to documentation provided to ABC 17 News.

That figure is up from the grant it received last year, which was worth $303,044.

The county applied for the cyber-crimes grant with the state and was notified of its award on Aug. 4. The agreement needed to be signed by Sept. 4. The funding will last through May 31, 2027.

Part of the agreement says status reports will occur once per quarter.

The Boone County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Task Force started in 2007 and serves most of the Mid-Missouri area.

BoCO Cyber Crimes grantDownload

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A hearing was scheduled on Monday for Cole County murder case dating back to 1991.

William “Chris” Niemet, of Fulton, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his Russellville classmate Greg Jones in April 1991.

Jones was 14. Niemet also would have been 14 at the time. Niemet was charged in 2020 with first-degree murder. The trial has been delayed multiple times.

An arraignment is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Cole County Courthouse. The hearing comes after the case was reinstated after a second dismissal that occurred last month. Judge Emily Fretwell had dismissed charges against William “Chris” Niemet on Aug. 11 and was ordered by the attorney general to reinstate the case.

The same situation occurred in July, with Fretwell using the same reasoning that the AG’s office did not have proper authority to handle the case.

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Demetra Alarcon

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

On Tuesday morning, a semi-truck hit a concrete barrier, closing westbound Interstate 70 in Columbia for approximately two and a half hours.

“We had extraordinary response from fire, EMS and police. They were able to clear the crash within about 2.5 hours. So the delays to the construction work were very minimal,” Improve I-70 Program Director Eric Kopinski.

Kopinski said that there are still about three years left of work on the I-70 and Highway 63 interchange.

According to Kopinski, about 72,000 vehicles travel through this area every day, and with football season starting, there will be even more. His message for drivers is that when you see construction signs, slow down and pay attention.

Kopinski said during the Sept. 11-13 weekend, westbound I-70 in that area will be shut down in that area to set the remaining girders

“So anyone in the Columbia area, is encouraged to be informed to allow for additional travel time. The eastbound I-70 will be open free flow movement, but anyone trying to access the connector or travel westbound I-70 from 63, there will be delays for that weekend,” Kopinski said.

ABC 17 News reached out to Missouri State Highway Patrol to see if any extra safety precautions were in place following the crash, but MSHP referred to the Columbia Police Department since the crash was in its jurisdiction. CPD redirected ABC 17 News back to MSHP.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Part of East Broadway was closed Tuesday afternoon in Columbia as police were in a standoff.

A photo submitted to ABC 17 News showed a police Bearcat armored vehicle in the area of East Broadway and Fyfer Place, adjacent to Boone Hospital. The Columbia Police Department wrote in a social media post that police were in a standoff with a barricaded person.

Boone County emergency dispatchers wrote in a public alert that Broadway was closed from Ann Street to Old 63. A later message expanded the closure to William Street in the west.

A man walked out of the home at 3:45 p.m. and was taken into custody.

Columbia police announced in a Tuesday night social media that they arrested Ethan James McCauley, 23, and Zoe Georgina Honovi, 21.

Police wrote that officers were serving a felony warrant to McCauley for a “prior weapons incident.” He was eventually arrested on suspicion of armed criminal action, avoiding arrest and resisting arrest.

CPD wrote that Honovi “obstructed” police from arrest McCauley after McCauley refused to leave the home. Honovi was arrested on suspicion of hindering a felony prosecution.

Charges were not listed on Casenet on Tuesday night for either person. McCauley was listed on the jail roster and a $75,000 bond was set.

Boone Hospital spokesman Christian Basi said hospital operations were not affected by the police scene.

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Haley Swaino

FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ)

A South Carolina man is working to file a lawsuit against three members of the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office for allegedly abandoning his dog three times.

Jack Walker says he and his wiener dog Dodger were traveling through Missouri to Kansas where Walker’s mother had just passed away on July 17, 2025. Walker said he had a medical emergency while pulled over at a truck stop off I-70 in Callaway County.

Walker called an ambulance, which led to a jail stay for an unpaid traffic ticket from 2015, he said.

“They took me to the county jail for a day or two,” Walker said. “And when I got out to get my dog, I went to the animal shelter, and they said, ‘We don’t have your dog, Mr. Walker. The sheriff’s department does.’ So I went to the sheriff’s department, and they said, ‘Well, we took your dog back to the truck stop and let him loose.’”

Walker has not seen his dog since the day he was arrested. And for the past 14 months, he has allegedly found that Dodger was abandoned on three separate occasions — once by a Callaway County deputy, and twice by the Callaway County sheriff.

The day the sheriff’s office took possession of Dodger, a deputy allegedly dropped him off in the vestibule area of the Fulton Police Department. Through an open records request, Walker’s attorneys obtained video of the deputy leaving the dog without speaking to anyone inside.

Screenshot of surveillance video from the Fulton Police Department on July, 17, 2025.[Courtesy: Katie Barnett]

“He took it to the local police station, threw it into their lobby, and left without telling them,” Walker said.

ABC 17 News went to the Fulton Police Department Tuesday to confirm if a wiener dog was left there in July 2025. An officer said only the chief, who was out, could answer that question. ABC 17 News followed up with an email.

According to Walker, after Dodger was left at FPD, the Callaway County sheriff was called to pick him up. He then allegedly admitted to Walker that he took the dog to the truck stop he was picked up from and let him loose.

Walker said he called the Missouri State Highway Patrol to report this. A trooper allegedly called him back after about three hours and said, “You need to get an attorney.”

Walker said Sheriff Darryl Maylee admitted to him that he let Dodger go twice. The second time, Walker said, was after the dog was dropped off at the Sam and Daisy Grabb Animal Shelter in Fulton. He was taken there not long after being left at the truck stop the first time.

“We found out that a good Samaritan found my dog like 30 minutes later in the middle of the interstate,” Walker said.

When Walker got out of jail and went looking for his dog at the shelter, he said he didn’t realize how deep the situation was — that his dog had been handed off to multiple places and left three different times.

Walker alleged that the animal shelter wasn’t accepting animals from the county because of the county’s unpaid bills, totaling about $4,000.

ABC 17 News stopped by the shelter Tuesday. A manager said she would not comment on this specific situation, but said that the shelter only accepts animals for the City of Fulton, not the county.

According to the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office, the county does not have its own animal shelter. The website of the Callaway County Health Department says the county has no animal control authority. The health department investigates animal bites, but the authority ends there.

Now back in South Carolina, Walker said he has not seen Dodger since the sheriff allegedly let him loose a second time.

“I don’t believe that,” Walker said. “I believe he took him out and shot him. I stayed up there and looked for my dog for three days, and I couldn’t afford to stay anymore.”

Walker said he still can’t bring himself to watch the surveillance video of Dodger allegedly being left at the Fulton Police Department.

Sheriff Darryl Maylee told ABC 17 News that he was “somewhat familiar” with the situation and confirmed a dog was picked up by the office, but said he did not know “offhand” what happened to it.

A reporter asked Maylee about the alleged money owed to the shelter. He did not answer the question. He said a shelter would turn animals away if they were full, but the sheriff’s office has two emergency kennels if that were to happen. He did not mention the shelter’s claim that animals aren’t accepted from the county.

Walker said his suit should be filed in a couple of months.

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