Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 72-year-old Boonville man who employed girls to help manufacture and distribute weed-related items has been charged with attempted child enticement.

Stanley Thomas was charged in Cooper County on Tuesday with attempted child enticement, money laundering and giving drugs to someone younger than 17 years old.

He is being held at the Cooper County Jail. A $150,000 bond was set in this case. A $50,000 bond was set in another case from January where he was accused of punching a deputy while the warrant was served on Jan. 20.

The probable cause statement says when law enforcement served the search warrant on Jan. 20, a 17-year-old girl was found hiding in the bathroom. The deputy wrote a stripper pole was also found in the residence that was known to be used by the youth. The girl claimed there was nothing sexual going on with her and Thomas, though text messages that were sexual in nature were later found on a cellphone between Thomas and a minor.

Thomas also allegedly had a tattoo of the girl’s name on his shoulder, the deputy wrote. The girl also had THC pens in her purse when law enforcement arrived, the statement says.

Text messages also allegedly appeared to show Thomas to set up illegal sales of weed, the statement says.

In his second case, he was charged with drug possession, third-degree assault of a special victim, resisting arrest and maintaining a public nuisance.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Lincoln University in Jefferson City is raising rates for tuition and room and board next school year.

Documents published on Tuesday for Monday’s Board of Curators meeting shows a 5% increase across the board for the 2026-27 school year.

The rate increase for tuition applies for all undergraduates and graduate students regardless of major or residency. The room-and-board increases apply to all residence halls except Dawson Hall. There will be no fee increases.

There is a discounted rate available at Dawson Hall for students with at least 30 credit hours and a 3.0 GPA.

There will be a $125 per student course fee for English classes 100-102 and a $75 per student course fee for journalism classes 225-499.

View all of the changes for next school year in the document below.

2026 03 09 BoC Action ItemsDownload

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri drivers are seeing a sharp jump at the pump as average gas prices surged nearly 33 cents per gallon over the past week, reaching $3.01 per gallon statewide.

According to GasBuddy’s survey of nearly 4,000 stations across the Show-Me State, the steep rise marks a significant month‑over‑month increase. Gas costs about 43 cents more per gallon than it did a month ago, and 16 cents more than the same time last year.

The rapid price hike is tied to rising global tensions, according to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. He says that gasoline prices are “surging at one of the fastest rates in years” following U.S. strikes on Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil transit route.

This is hurting drivers like Cheryl Wagner, who drive for a living.

“I drive an average of 10,000 miles a month,” Wagner said.

She’s drove for Uber and Lyft for nearly four years and Medical Transportation Management since fall 2025. But it’s costing her more to do her job.

“It [her vehicle] used to cost about $30 to $35 to fill up. Now it’s about $45,” Wagner said.

She said she has to take that into consideration when accepting a ride, as tips aren’t up either.

“My tips are averaging the $3 or nothing,” Wagner said.

She got a nice tip Tuesday morning after driving a woman from Kingdom City to Columbia.

“She [rider] was astounded that I only got $17.99 compared to how much she paid. And she paid well over $50 for that ride,” Wagner said.

As a Farber, Missouri resident who drives all around Mid-Missouri for work, she said Columbia’s gas prices are strikingly higher than some surrounding areas.

Gas analysts confirmed that data.

“If we dive into Columbia specifically, it’s [increase] actually a little bit more pronounced currently sitting on average of $3.20,” Petroleum Analyst Matt McCain said. “That’s up about $0.21 just since yesterday [March 9] and up $0.40 a gallon over the past week, just in the Columbia area. A 65 cent jump in the past month.”

Oil prices surpassed $100 per barrel over the weekend amid ongoing attacks across the Middle East, prompting fuel markets to “rapidly recalibrate” to the threat of prolonged supply disruptions.

Costs are not rising because of low supply, though. U.S. oil comes from domestic production, Canada, and even Missouri. Prices increase because crude oil is traded globally using U.S. dollars.

“As a result, gasoline prices in many states could climb another 20 to 50 cents per gallon this week,” De Haan warned in a news release.

Diesel could rise even more dramatically—potentially 35 to 75 cents per gallon. The national average for diesel — used to transport goods that end up on store shelves — jumped nearly 86 cents in the past week to $4.59 per gallon.

Nationwide, gas prices climbed even more sharply in Missouri. Over the past week, gas rose about 51 cents per gallon, now sitting at $3.45 nationwide. That’s up about 54 cents compared to last month and 41 cents from a year ago, GasBuddy reports.

It is worth noting that a large gap has been reported between the cheapest and most expensive gas stations. GasBuddy reports wide price swings across Missouri. The lowest price recorded on Sunday was $2.37, while the highest hit $3.59, a $1.22 difference per gallon.

While the outlook remains uncertain as the U.S./Israeli war with Iran continues, one thing is clear: drivers are already feeling the immediate effects. Experts caution that gas prices may not stabilize anytime soon, but they are monitoring developments.

“French’s President Emmanuel Macron [is] indicating that they are planning to send multiple warships, possibly to the Strait of Hormuz to help safeguard it in order to bring about some calm to the Strait of Hormuz itself. And that may allow oil tankers to begin flowing from the Middle East again, which is exactly what we need to make prices start falling.”

If changes don’t come soon, people like Wagner may have to reconsider their livelihood.

“The higher the gas is, the less money I have for bills,” Wagner said. “I am going to be doing the transportation at least until July, minimum. After that, depends on how much gas prices are.”

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Lucas Geisler

EDITOR’S NOTE: The story has been corrected to say the bill received initial approval.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri House of Representatives gave initial approval Tuesday to a plan that would ask voters to phase out the state income tax over several years.

The chamber voted 85-48 around 1 p.m. Tuesday to perfect HJR 173. A final vote is expected Thursday.

If HJR 173 is passed by voters in November, the state would lower the income tax by 0.01% if net general revenue collections are $20 million more than what was collected at the end of fiscal 2025. The rate would drop another 0.01% for every $20 million collected after that.

State budget numbers show that the state collected $13,430,978,645 by June 30, 2025, the final day of the fiscal year. The collections threshold to reduce income tax further would grow every year by the rate of inflation.

Resolution sponsor Rep. Bishop Davidson (R-Republic) said the Department of Revenue estimated that 0.01% of state income tax amounted to about $20 million, which he hoped would make the reduction “revenue neutral.”

The measure would also allow lawmakers to expand the sales tax to apply to other services to make up for revenue lost.

6854H.02CDownload

HJR0173CDownload

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abc17news-Newsroom

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County deputies have arrested a Columbia man for a crash that left a child hurt over the weekend.

On Monday, the Boone County Sheriff’s Office said it was searching for a driver accused of hitting a 9-year-old girl with their car in the 700 block of Demaret Drive on Sunday night. Deputies originally said they were looking for a woman, but a social media post on Tuesday morning said they arrested 40-year-old Frank Gee IV on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident.

Charges against Gee were not available in online court records Tuesday morning.

The girl was taken to a hospital, though she was alert and talking when emergency crews got to the scene on Sunday night.

Gee was not on the Boone County Jail roster on Tuesday.

 

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Hear from Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz and players as spring practice continues.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Bones found last week in a wooded area near Rolla have been identified as a man who went missing nearly 26 years ago.

Phelps County Sheriff Michael Kirn said in a news release that the bones found March 3 were identified as Eugene Cerney, who was 56 when he went missing on June 10, 2000. Cerney had left his central Phelps County home on a bicycle, telling his family that he planned to ride to St. Robert.

A dental expert based in Cole Camp helped identify Cerney using dental records, Kirn said.

A bicycle was also found near Cerney’s remains, the release states.

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Marie Moyer

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR’S NOTE: AI was used for background research of this article.

Missouri’s rules on state census records were the focus of Tuesday’s arguments in the state Supreme Court as the months-long battle of Missouri’s true congressional map continues.

The lawsuit, filed by Suzanne Luther and several other Missourians, challenges House Bill 1, passed during a summer 2025 special session that repealed the 2022 congressional map and established new districts. The fight centers on whether the Missouri Constitution allows the legislature to redraw maps mid-decade and if it protects the public’s right to have the final say through the referendum process.

The exact law under Article III, Section 45 of the Missouri Constitution regarding redistricting is, “When the number of representatives to which the state is entitled in the House of the Congress of the United States under the census of 1950 and each census thereafter is certified to the governor, the general assembly shall by law divide the state into districts.”

The state’s last census occurred on April 1, 2020, and is recorded every 10 years.

During arguments, those opposed to the new map pointed to the law being done “each census thereafter,” interpreting the rule as right after census results are certified to the governor.

“This case was intentionally narrow and designed to address only the question of whether the General Assembly has the authority to redistrict at all,” Charles Hatfield, representing Luther, said.

The state and state Republican officials argued that the law was put in place as a mandate for the general assembly in 1943 after the General Assembly had failed to redistrict in prior decades.

Since there isn’t explicit wording against redistricting, the State argued there is technically no limit on the General Assembly redistricting outside of the 10-year rule. They added that the constitution is not a grant but a restriction on the legislature.

“The General Assembly has plenty of authority to redistrict, except as expressly restrained or limited by the Constitution,” John Gore, representing state Republican officials, said.

Cole County Judge Christopher Limbaugh previously ruled in favor of the state. Limbaugh determined that the state constitution does not expressly prohibit mid-decade redistricting.

Those opposed to the new map added that while the constitution doesn’t explicitly say not to redistrict, the questions of interpretation are still valid.

“You’re not going to find a lot of cases that talk about language that says ‘shall not’ or ‘shall have no power to’ because they never come here,” Hatfield said. “If the Constitution says ‘the legislature shall not’ or ‘shall have no power to’ that case is easy, plaintiffs don’t bring that case.”

The Republican supermajority in the General Assembly created the new map, which Gov. Mike Parson dubbed “Missouri First,” as the White House pushed for GOP-dominated states to help the party extend its U.S. House majority.

“I thought our side made a great case as why the Missouri first map, is lawful, it was obviously called in the special session by Governor Kehoe, passed lawfully by the Missouri state legislature,” Secretary of State Denny Hoskins said.

Hoskins also called out democrats both in the state and Washington DC for taking action through the courts.

“Whether it’s the D.C. Democrats that have filed articles of impeachment against President Trump or the Jeff City Democrats that have filed articles of impeachment against me is trying to use lawfare to get their way, and I’ll tell you one thing, I won’t be intimidated,” Hoskins said.

The map splits up Kansas City’s Fifth District, a Democratic stronghold, which could result in a flipped congressional seat come next election.

A rally, organized by a coalition including the People Not Politicians campaign, met outside the Missouri Supreme Court following the hearing in support of the challengers and the referendum process.

 “The Constitution says you should redistrict when the census is complete, and that’s not what happened here, then the referendum does become moot,” Director of People Not Politicians Richard Von Glahn said.

While the court case proceeds, the coalition People Not Politicians is pursuing a referendum to put the 2025 map before voters on the November ballot.

Hoskins adds that local election authorities have until July 28th to verify the referendum signatures.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

Editor’s note: The date and area of the shooting was corrected.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Witnesses took the stand Tuesday in day one of the jury trial for the man charged in connection with a shooting inside a Buffalo Wild Wings in Columbia in 2024.

A jury of nine men and five women were chosen for the trial, which is expected to last for three days.

Alexis Gonzales, 38, of Orlando, Florida, was charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon after he was accused of shooting another man in the face on Aug. 17, 2024.

Gonzalez is accused of shooting Gary Bitsicas inside the Buffalo Wild Wings following an altercation outside of the restaurant due to Gonzalez and his girlfriend not paying their bar tab. The state says the shooting was intentional.

“He goes after the gun and tries to grab it, while he’s trying to grab for the gun the defendant turns back around points the gun and shoots him one time in the face,” said Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson.

Gonzalez’s defense counsel argued the gun went off accidentally.

“There’s no execution-style stance, no aim, no deliberation, no pause. One movement, one swing and one accidental discharge,” said Jeff Hilbrenner, who is Gonzalez’s attorney.

According to court documents, a server refused him alcohol because he was too drunk. Gonzalez allegedly left the restaurant without paying. Bitsicas followed Gonzalez’s girlfriend out the door while recording on a cellphone after learning neither of them had paid the tab.

Video was shown in court Tuesday of the moment Bitsicas confronted Gonzalez’s girlfriend. The defense argued Gonzalez thought Bitsicas was attacking his girlfriend and stole her phone when he returned back inside following the confrontation.

The state argued Bitsicas did not steal the phone and instead had given it to bar employees, employees working that night testified on stand that Bitsicas did give the phone to Buffalo Wild Wings staff.

A 911 phone call made by the restaurant’s district manager was played in court that included the moments from the outside confrontation and continued through to after the shooting. The manager can be heard on the phone call saying Gonzalez went to his truck and that he was getting a gun following the fight between his girlfriend and Bitsicas.

Gonzalez’s charge for unlawful use of a weapon stems from a claim that after he got his gun and was heading back into the restaurant, he threatened the manager by pointing it at her face. The defense noted that the threat would have happened while she was on the phone with 911, but the manager is never heard saying anything to the dispatcher.

On the call audio played in court the manager can only be heard saying Gonzalez is “coming at her”.

Security video was then shown of Gonzalez going back into the restaurant with his gun. More video shown in court showed the moment Gonzalez walked back into the restaurant back towards the bar area. Bitsicas then begins to walk towards Gonzalez when a fight between the two men breaks out and a gunshot goes off.

The state said in court that Bitsicas was shot in his head and lost his eye as a result of his injuries.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) 

Despite a drop in crimes investigated last school year, Columbia Public Schools saw an increase in responses to disruptions, according to new data presented during a Monday Board of Education review of the district’s School Resource Officer program.

The district partners with the Columbia Police Department on the program, which is designed to strengthen safety and collaboration between law enforcement and schools. Officers work to build relationships with students, families and staff while helping respond to serious incidents on campus. The program also aims to improve communication between the police department and the school district when handling school safety issues and related investigations.

Ken Gregory, CPS director of safety and security, said the program has deep roots in the district. Gregory has been with CPS for 13 years and said the program existed long before that, originally beginning as the D.A.R.E. program. 

“We’ve always welcomed law enforcement into the schools to form those relationships. So the Columbia Police Department has graciously given us four SROs. Two at Battle High School one at Hickman High School and one at Rockbridge High School,” Gregory said.

SROs are selected through the Columbia Police Department. The hiring process includes interviews with a CPD representative, the principal of the school where the officer would serve, and CPS’s director of safety and security.

On top of giving safety presentations as guest lecturers, SRO officers also help outside the classroom, primarily for sporting events. The district reported SROs worked 78 events outside regular instructional hours.

Gregory said officers often take part in student activities as a way to build relationships.

“We had one incident at a football game this year where the SRO was at the top of the pyramid with the cheerleaders. He was three, three stacks high. They were holding him up, and he’s leading the cheer in front of the students. So they really get involved in student life.”

District data shows SROs have reported and investigated 144 crimes so far during the 2025–26 school year, compared with 186 during the full 2024–25 school year.

Battle High School has seen the largest drop, declining from 109 incidents last year to 46 so far this year. Rock Bridge High School is tracking close to last year’s numbers, with 26 incidents compared with 31. However, Hickman High School has reported an increase, rising from 46 incidents last year to 72 so far this year.

CPS noted that not all reported incidents resulted in arrests and not all involved students. Some cases were related to issues such as trespassing on campus.

Gregory said relationships between students and officers can sometimes help prevent incidents before they occur.

“I think the incidents have gone down partly because, there’s a lot of reasons, but partly because of those relationships that they’ve built. Kids trusting the SROs enough to tell them, ‘Hey, this is going to happen, or people are talking about this’ so that the school staff or the SRO sharing that information can head it off before we have to do an investigation.”

Responses to disruptions increased at two of the district’s three high schools. SROs responded to 77 disruptions at Battle High School, up from 54 the previous year. Hickman High School also saw an increase from 113 to 133 responses. Rock Bridge High School saw a decline, dropping from 50 to 29.

Overall, the 239 disruption responses reported during the 2025–26 school year represent a 9% increase from the 217 reported in 2024–25. CPS officials added that the most common types of responses included breaking up physical altercations.

Because of those trends, Columbia Public Schools identified deescalation training for staff and strengthening relationships outside of school as areas for improvement in the program.

“If we’re all trained and seeing that something’s brewing and see something, say something, we can step in and maybe help regulate those emotions that might be getting ready to bubble over,” Gregory explained. 

Board member Alvin Cobbins also said during the meeting that many parents he has spoken to about incidents at high schools have placed responsibility on parents rather than the district. The school board also requested that next year’s report include data from students about their interactions with SROs.

Future goals include providing deescalation training for staff, increasing home visits alongside Home School Communicators, and expanding staffing to place SROs in all secondary schools.

Gregory said adding additional officers may be difficult in the near term because of staffing challenges within the Columbia Police Department. ABC 17 News reached out to CPD for comment but had not received a response as of publication.

“I don’t foresee it in the near future. But I think we can definitely show how it benefits the students and the community and the schools to have them.”

The district’s current contract with the city for school resource officers expires in June. CPS officials said discussions have already begun with the City of Columbia about renewing the agreements, with the school board expected to hold a first reading on the contracts in May.

SRO planDownload

CPS awards contract to replace security cameras across district

The district is also moving forward with plans to replace hundreds of security cameras across the district after awarding a contract to an Ashland-based company.

The district approved a bid from Steel-Nett to remove existing cameras and install new ones at school facilities throughout the district. Under the agreement, the district estimates about 1,400 cameras will be replaced during the first year of the contract.

Funding for the upgrades comes from a $2.5 million tax settlement with Ameren Missouri that Boone County distributed to the district last year.

In December, the district’s Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee voted to spend about $2.2 million of that settlement on facility improvements, with security camera upgrades among the top priorities. More than half of the funding was set aside for those improvements.

April Ferrao, who is a member of the Columbia Board of Education and the chair of the Long-Range Planning Committee, told ABC 17 News at the time that many of the current cameras have been a long-standing concern because some are more than five years old and are not compatible with the district’s current systems. Those issues have sometimes resulted in poor video quality or not enough working cameras to review incidents.

Gregory said the camera upgrades will improve coverage across school buildings.

“It’s huge,” Gregory said. “ Some of our schools, our newer schools, have a curved hallway. Well, you’re not going to see all the way down that hallway. So, you need the camera on the other side of the curve. So, yeah, it’s going to make a huge difference, I think. And the exterior, what’s going on in our parking lots and on our playgrounds, that sort of thing.”

CPS is aiming to replace cameras across the district within the next year, prioritizing older buildings with the greatest needs.

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