Author: KMIZ

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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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Mizzou defensive lineman on Monday asked a St. Louis County judge to prevent the team he has practiced with for the past month from declaring him ineligible.

Lawyers for Sterling Webb filed a motion asking Judge Ellen Ribaudo to extend a temporary restraining order granted last month against the NCAA to cover Mizzou Athletics, as well. The motion states that Webb has been practicing with the team throughout August, but he’s seeking the restraining order because teams, not the NCAA, certify eligibility.

“Under the NCAA’s own Bylaws, it is the member institution, and not the NCAA, that certifies eligibility and withholds an athlete from competition,” Webb’s lawyer, Andrew Blackwell, wrote in his motion.

Blackwell also laid out in the motion that Webb already has a roster spot available and is not asking for damages.

The motion also states that granting the order against Mizzou would keep the school from holding or reducing revenue sharing or name, image and likeness proceeds Webb could receive.

Webb filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in late July seeking an extra year of player eligibility, arguing that the rules state he should have a season remaining. The NCAA said its interpretation of the rules means he has none.

A hearing is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Plaintiffs Motion for Temporary Restraining Order the Motion against Defendants The Curators of the University of Missouri and University of MissouriDownload

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Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A semi-truck driver was arrested by the Missouri State Highway Patrol Tuesday morning after a crash on Interstate 70 in Montgomery County.

MSHP Troop F shared on X, that troopers responded to the crash involving a semi-truck loaded with 42,000 pounds of paint at the 166 mile marker of eastbound I-70.

Traffic was reduced to one lane around 2 a.m. Northeast MoDOT district said both lanes were back open as of 10:20 a.m. after crews cleaned up spilled paint on the road.

The driver was not hurt, but was arrested on suspicion of DWI, according to the Highway Patrol.

Traffic was affected for more than eight hours on Tuesday.

A MoDOT spokesperson said as of 9:20 a.m., no structure damage was reported.

🎨Paint and Alcohol Don’t Mix🎨

Just after midnight, troopers responded to a rollover crash involving a tractor trailer loaded with 42,000 pounds of paint on eastbound I-70, at the 166mm, in Montgomery County.

Thankfully, the driver wasn’t injured, but he was arrested for DWI. pic.twitter.com/ccu2WGFv6Q

— MSHP Troop F (@MSHPTrooperF) September 1, 2026

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Jazsmin Halliburton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Arguments challenging Missouri Senate Bill 3 will be heard again Tuesday morning after a lawsuit was dismissed and appealed.

State Sen. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove), State Rep. Bryant Wolfin (R-Ste. Genevieve) and Ron Calzone from Maries County filed the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Senate Bill 3 in July 2025.

Senate Bill 3 modified or established tax credit opportunities for things like sporting events, disaster relief, property taxes and authorized funding to develop certain athletic or entertainment facilities.

The bill passed in the Missouri Senate by a vote of 19-13 during a special session. It was then passed by the Missouri House with a vote of 90-58. Gov. Mike Kehoe signed the bill into law in June 2025.

The lawsuit previously asked a judge to declare Senate Bill 3 unconstitutional, specifically regarding the stadium subsidies for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.

Both the State and the legislature sought to dismiss the case, arguing that the challengers lacked standing. A circuit court judge agreed and the lawsuit was dismissed. The judge’s decision was appealed, with the challengers asking the Missouri Supreme Court to let them litigate the merits of their case before the circuit court.

In Tuesday’s hearing, the challengers will argue whether they have taxpayer, direct, and legislative standing and whether Missouri law recognizes such standing.

The hearing is set to be at 9 a.m. in the Missouri Supreme Court.

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Matthew Sanders

Missouri will implement new rules for people receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits this fall.

Starting Oct. 1, SNAP recipients will have to provide documented proof of things like housing costs, childcare costs and assets such as money in a bank account. Advocates for SNAP recipients say the requirements create an unfair burden on working families.

What do you think? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man charged with first-degree murder in a Moberly woman’s shooting death waived his arraignment on Monday.

Christopher Viley, 51, was arrested after a standoff on Thursday after police claim he shot and killed Cheryl Gravitt, 57, on Aug. 23. He is being held at the Randolph County Jail without bond. A bond hearing was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8.

Gravitt was found dead in her driveway Sunday with a gunshot wound to the back of her head outside her home in the 500 block of Morehead Street, court documents in previous reporting say.

Court documents allege more than one person heard a gunshot before seeing a man run away. Viley was allegedly seen on video in the area immediately after the shooting, the statement says.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

While Missouri sportsbooks recorded their lowest monthly wagering total in July, that figure is expected to surge once the college football season gets into full swing.

Recent figures from the Missouri Gaming Commission show sportsbooks accepted $246.8 million in wagers in July, with baseball bets accounting for $135.2 million of that total.

That marked the lowest monthly wagering total since sports betting was legalized in Missouri, with wagering falling from $258.3 million in June, which included the World Cup and NBA Finals. May previously held the record for the lowest monthly total at $252.5 million.

Despite the decline in overall wagering, taxable revenue increased slightly. Missouri generated more than $21 million in taxable revenue in July, compared with $20 million in June and $13.6 million in May.

The dip in wagering was expected during this lull in the sports calendar and Ryan Butler, a senior news analyst at Covers.com expects Missouri to see some of its highest numbers when football season kicks off. 

“Football is going to be huge. September will be the biggest month ever for Missouri sports betting, besides maybe December, which is a little bit of an abnormality because of all the launches. September is going to be absolutely huge,” Butler said. “October is going to be even bigger. November, December will also be big. Again, December 2025 will always be an outlier. But in those four months coming up September, October, November, December will be the four biggest months for betting in Missouri history.”

But concerns about legalized sports betting and its impact on student-athletes have only grown since the NCAA allowed student-athletes to bet on professional sports, marking a departure from the NCAA’s long-standing prohibition on sports wagering.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions has already released multiple cases involving student-athletes betting on their own games and, in some instances, manipulating outcomes. In January NCAA’s enforcement staff opened sports betting integrity investigations into roughly 40 student-athletes from 20 schools. 

Missouri and the NCAA have some safeguards put in place. 

NCAA President Charlie Baker has made education about sports wagering a top priority. The NCAA Sports Science Institute has developed resources for athletic staff, administrators and student-athletes, including webinars and materials that athletic departments can implement locally. The NCAA has also funded programs such as EPIC, which brings in former student-athletes who experienced issues such as point shaving to share their stories and educate current athletes about the risks of sports wagering.

The Southeastern Conference also requires schools to use Prohibet, a system that monitors unethical or illegal gambling activity.

But harassment from sports bettors is another growing concern for athletes, one that has been fueled in part by the rise of prop betting.

The Show-Me State is one of 13 states with restrictions on individual prop bets. Under Missouri law, betting on player or team props for Missouri collegiate teams is not allowed. Of Missouri’s neighboring states, only Arkansas, Kansas and Kentucky allow prop betting on college sports with no restrictions on team or player props. 

In June, University of Missouri System President Mun Choi issued a reminder to students, faculty, and staff about expectations surrounding sports wagering and the protection of student-athletes.

Choi and the athletic department outlined prohibited behavior for students and employees, including attempting to influence or compromise the outcome of athletic events, sharing confidential information about MU athletes and harassing players.

Violations may breach federal or state law as well as university policies.

According to the University of Missouri, students found to harass athletes or engage in betting-related misconduct are subject to discipline under the university’s Standard of Conduct, which can include warnings, probation, suspension or expulsion. 

Faculty and staff who violate the Standards of Faculty Conduct or MU’s Code of Conduct may face reprimands, suspension or termination. Student-athletes are encouraged to report any harassment so the university can monitor and address potential threats.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Sports programs in Columbia continue to push heat safety protocols during the latest Mid-Missouri heatwave.

This comes after a 20-year-old football player at William Jewell College died after scoring a touchdown on Saturday. MicahJo Barnett‘s was on the sidelines when he had a medical emergency, and the cause of his death is still being investigated.

Since it’s been so hot lately, ABC 17 News looked into how local sports programs are keeping their athletes safe. The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather team is tracking heat index values more than 100 degrees.

To make sure students are staying safe in the extreme heat, Columbia College head athletic trainer Ryan Novatny said he and his team will be monitoring the heat index values of the turf field with a Wet Bulb Globe Temperature tool.

“It gives us a number that essentially calculates the amount of heat stress on the human body. There are different tiers and different thresholds that, when these are reached, we have to modify our outdoor activity,” Novatny said.

When the reading is below 82 degrees, there are no changes to the activity. When it’s between 82-86.9 degrees, coaches and athletic trainers watch higher-risk players and stay mindful of the heat.

The soccer field closes to unsupervised use, like regular student use, when the field temperature is higher than 82.

Temperatures above that require modifications to the activity. Readings between 87-89.9 degrees require outside practice to be shortened to two hours, with four water breaks lasting four minutes. Temperatures between 90-92 shorten practice to an hour long with the same number and duration of water breaks. Anything above 92 cancels practice.

Battle High School has a similar practice for deciding whether to cancel or prolong outside activities.

“Our coaches do a really good job of actually following those all summer long. We had a few incidents this summer where we had to just cancel practice because it was just too hot,” BHS assistant principal of athletics and activities Sammie Symonds said.

She said she has been reflecting on what happened over the weekend with Barnett.

“When you hear something in the news, it does make it seem like…OK, are we doing everything we can? And then you want to double-check everything that you’re doing, but I am thankful that our training staff is amazing,” Symonds said.

Symonds also said she spent much of Monday working to shift BHS sporting events back an hour, hopefully getting out of the dangerous heat zone.

“I’ve pretty much pushed back almost everything this week so far at 6 p.m. I’m hoping that we will be in the yellow or green by then for most of our games, but that’s basically what I spent my whole day doing,” Symonds said.

She also mentioned that other high schools have communicated that they plan to do the same. North Callaway High School told ABC 17 News that its varsity softball game on Monday night was pushed back an hour because of the heat.

Spectators watching from the stands, stadium or on the sidelines could also be subject to heat illness.

President of the Missouri Athletic Trainers Association Jay Hoffman said the best way to avoid heat illness, for anyone, is to hydrate before going out in the heat and getting used to the heat by increasingly spending more time outside.

“It’s not always easy us that if we have work inside or in office buildings or often times find ourselves in air-conditioned environments, but if you can, incrementally increase the amount of time that you’re spending outdoors,” Hoffman said.

He also suggested wearing big hats, sunglasses, appropriate clothing and taking breaks in the shade when needed.  

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia fighters responded to a building fire call to a University of Missouri dorm on Monday.

Columbia Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said a fire occurred on the fifth floor of Brooks Hall, a residence hall just north of Faurot Field and is located at 1007 Tiger Ave. Crews were called to the fire at 5:57 p.m.

Residents had to be evacuated, though no injuries were reported. Schaeffer expects students to be able to stay at the dorm tonight. Crews were trying to get the building dried and cleaned up, he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

One patient was flown to University Hospital on Sunday after a mountain-bike accident occurred on the Binder Park trail system in Jefferson City, according to a social media post from Cole County Emergency Services.

“Due to the remote location of the patient specialized resources from the Jefferson City Fire Department, Cole County Emergency Services, and a helicopter from MU Health were requested to the scene,” the post says.

The patient was reported to be stable.

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