Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was accused of filming woman while they were undressed at a Columbia Planet Fitness in 2024 has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.

Kenneth Steele, of Columbia, pleaded guilty on Monday to invasion of privacy. He was previously charged with invasion of privacy and third-degree domestic assault. He was sentenced on Monday to two years of unsupervised probation along with a one year suspended sentence.

Previous reporting shows Steele was a trainer at the Planet Fitness on Nifong Boulevard. Steele is accused of placing a camera in a towel holder in order to watch women undress, according to court documents in previous reporting.

Steele became angry and yelled when confronted with the evidence, ultimately hitting his accuser in the chest, grabbing their neck and shoving them into a wooden dresser, a separate probable cause statement says.

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Jessica Hafner

An ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Alert Day is in effect for the threat of severe storms through late Friday night. Storms have already started developing across far western and northwest Missouri, and have quickly become severe. A Tornado Watch is in effect until 9:00 p.m. for areas west of the red line, and until 11:00 p.m. for those to the east, including Columbia and Jefferson City.

SETUP

A strong low pressure system across the Plains will drag a front across a very moist, unstable environment this afternoon into the evening, bringing the threat of all modes of severe weather.

FUTURETRACK

Friday’s surface low pressure is forecast to lift a warm front north of the region, boosting storm energy and moisture once again. Given winds aloft and strong levels of instability, support for severe weather will exist south of the warm front and east of the cold front. Timing centers on the late afternoon into the evening, as isolated development appears possible ahead of the front in the warm sector, before merging into a line of storms along the front.

At initiation, instability is maximized, along with ample low to mid-level wind shear and high dew points in the 60s. Lapse rates aloft will encourage strong storms and a quick transition to severe weather.

Confidence is high that storms will develop and become severe. Concern is increasing for a severe wind threat, specifically. Some uncertainty remains regarding the timing and placement of intitial storms and, therefore, what follows into the night.

HAZARDS

Severe storms will be capable of up to golf ball-sized hail, 70+ mph winds, and strong tornadoes on Friday. Our greatest concern is for numerous instances of damaging wind, with potential for considerable wind speeds of 70-75 mph. In such events, you will want to be in a sturdy structure away from windows. It’s also not a bad idea to tidy up your property and secure objects that could easily catch the wind and blow away, or become dangerous as a flying object.

Flooding is also a concern, as heavy and prolonged rainfall could be an issue behind the initial threat of damaging storms. 1-2 inches, with isolated higher amounts, could create flooding in vulnerable areas. Be mindful of areas that flood easily and low water crossings. Just a foot of moving water can sweep most cars away, and 6 inches is enough to knock over a person.

Make sure you have our ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather App for the latest updates to the forecast. A NOAA weather radio is also useful for receiving geotargeted alerts when cell service is poor or storms move through at night.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Meat processor JBS Foods said Thursday that its bacon plant in Moberly will fully reopen soon after being cited by the USDA this week.

The USDA issued the plant a notice of suspension on Friday, a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service spokesperson said in an email to ABC 17 News. The FSIS did not disclose what led to the citation. The USDA publishes food inspection information quarterly, but the report for the first quarter of 2026 has not been posted.

The FSIS spokesperson said the citation was not related to any foodborne illness. FSIS said Friday that the notice was issued “after identifying sanitation conditions that did not meet federal regulatory requirements.”

The agency didn’t give details about the sanitation problem.

A JBS spokesperson said a production line had been shut down.

“Out of an abundance of caution, operations at the facility were temporarily paused while we complete engineering improvements,” the spokesperson said.

JBS expects “to resume normal operations at the facility soon.”

FSIS must approve the company’s plans to start the production line again to ensure corrective action has been taken.

JBS told a trade magazine last year that about 400 people work at the plant.

Multinational corporation JBS Foods is the second-biggest pork producer in the United States, according to the company’s website.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A lawsuit filed on Wednesday in Audrain County alleges Missouri Military Academy did not do enough to protect a student from being sexually abused by another student.

The lawsuit accuses the Mexico school of negligence and negligent supervision.

Court documents allege a student complained to the school on Aug. 31, 2025, that his roommate “engaged in improper sexual conduct and solicited sexual favors.” The school allegedly reassigned the problem teenager to another room with a 12-year-old boy.

The 12-year-old was then allegedly assaulted each night from Sept. 1-4, 2025, court documents say.  

“Defendant MMA and its agents and employees knew that their academy fostered an environment of bullying, depravity, and predatory behavior, and did nothing to protect,” the victim, court documents allege. The lawsuit also claims it was known the school did not have enough staffing to protect students from potential harm

A summons was issued for MMA on Thursday, according to court filings.

ABC 17 News reached out to the school’s communications department on Thursday afternoon.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two men were arrested after police found nearly a quarter-pound of fentanyl in a vehicle during a traffic stop near the Highway 63/Interstate 70 connector on Wednesday.

Darryl Ross, 42, and Corion Poe, 25, both of St. Louis, were arrested on Wednesday and are being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. They are both charged with first-degree drug trafficking.

The probable cause statement in Ross’ case says Ross was the driver of a Kia with the incorrect plates. Police pulled over the vehicle at 3:31 p.m. Wednesday. Ross and Poe were asked to get out of the vehicle and baggies with powder were found in the vehicle, the statement says.

The powder totaled 105.64 grams, or 0.23 pounds, of fentanyl. Police wrote in a statement that amount is about 1,050 doses of the drug.

The statement says Poe told police he was sleeping in the passenger seat when they were pulled over and Ross threw a bag of powder on his lap. Poe allegedly told police that he did not know anyone in Columbia and believed Ross was trying to set him up, the statement says.

Poe gave police permission to look at his phone and police could not find any messages about selling drugs or any photos of drugs, the statement says.

Court dates have not been scheduled.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Office of Violence Prevention Youth Advisory Council met at City Hall on Thursday for training and technical assistance from the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform.

Last month, the group hosted an introductory meeting with stakeholders from Columbia to evaluate violence reduction efforts, establish shared definitions for community violence intervention and identify strengths and weaknesses.

At last month’s meeting, the group briefly discussed a gun violence program analysis being conducted by the NICJR. The study, which is being conducted in partnership with the Columbia Police Department, is expected to help guide future strategies to reduce violence in the city.

D’Markus Thomas-Brown, Office of Violence Prevention administrator, said Thursday the results from that analysis are expected to be returned by August.

The advisory group will also receive technical assistance from NICJR, including support in communications, crisis management and victim services, along with several other areas. He said combining that support with the data analysis will help shape a five-year plan to reduce violence in Columbia.

“Taking into account the problem analysis that shows our gaps and our problems uniquely to Columbia, not just a national standard of what’s going on,” Thomas-Brown said.

Once the advisory receives the data, it will be able to determine how to promote the program and adequately staff the group.

“When we get the analysis back, it’ll show us the couple of areas where we’re going to need staffing. We’re positioned to be able to go with that recommendation and make sure we hire in the Office of Violence Prevention,” Thomas-Brown said.

The group helps coordinate efforts across agencies and supports and funds community-based organizations to ensure local efforts are included. While the group waits for that data, members said they are already working to prevent violence through direct engagement with youth.

Last month, the Office of Violence Prevention attended a health and wellness fair at Battle High School. Thomas-Brown said events like that help shift the focus from judgment to understanding.

“When we’re talking to young people, we definitely want them to know the trauma-informed understanding of what they go through,” Thomas-Brown said. “Not to stigmatize. Understanding of bad people who make bad choices. No, what happened to you? Not what’s wrong with you,”

He added the advisory used that opportunity to connect them with resources for those who need support.

According to the NICJR plan, the city’s approach includes a long-term timeline: Five-to-10 years for prevention, one-to-three years for intervention and up to 20 years for community transformation. Thomas-Brown said work can be challenging as Columbia continues to grow and change.

“Any kind of headway you had with working with that neighbor here has now switched to a different neighborhood. And if there are different groups in those neighborhoods, that may be a volatile situation.” Thomas-Brown said. “You give it time two-to-three years, that neighborhood turns over and different people are living there,”

Thomas-Brown also said he has heard from community members who want to expand the NoCap program. The Neighborhood Opportunity and Community Accountability Proconsul, known as NoCap, was formed in May 2025 by the Office of Violence Prevention Advisory Board to bring resources to identified areas.

At the end of March, NoCap hosted its “Spring Break Jump Off” at Indian Hills Park, aiming to bring the east side of Columbia together. Markus Williams, a NoCap member, said events like this are important for changing perceptions.

The next meeting is set for Thursday, May 14.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Transportation shared details Thursday afternoon on the upcoming closure and demolition of the St. Charles Road bridge over Interstate 70 as part of the Improve I-70 Project.

Demolition of the bridge will take place from 7 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Monday. During this time, I-70 will be narrowed to one lane in both directions.

Drivers will be rerouted to the exit ramps, where they will cross St. Charles Road and get back on the entrance ramp to I-70.

Jeff Gander, MoDOT’s project director for the Columbia to Kingdom City, said traffic could be delayed up to an hour on Saturday and Sunday.

“We’re hoping it’s not that bad. We’ve done the same process at several other bridges along I-70, and I think the worst one we’ve had has been about 45 minutes,” Gander said. “We’re a little closer to Columbia, so definitely add some extra time to your travel.”

According to MoDOT, I-70 will reopen both lanes in each direction once the bridge demolition is complete. However, during this time period, drivers on St. Charles Road will not have direct access to or from I-70.

Construction of the new overpass bridge is expected to continue for five months, through the end of September. During construction, drivers on St. Charles Road will be able to access I-70, but will not be able to cross I-70. Detour signs will be placed and drivers are asked to find an alternate route.

The new St. Charles Road overpass will be wider to accommodate three lanes in each direction on I-70. The overpass will also have a higher clearance for taller vehicles, pedestrian crossings and enhanced aesthetics.

The Columbia Fire Department received an email from a resident who lives near the construction and is concerned about response times. Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said that shouldn’t be something CFD crews will have to worry about.

“We’re certainly going to be watching it, but we’ve been able to model a number of different scenarios and feel confident that we’ll be able to maintain our performance to calls that would happen within the areas that we predict as being impacted,” Schaeffer said.

Another fire station will also open in about a month on El Chaparral Avenue that can help with calls, especially when the St. Charles overpass is being rebuilt.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

University of Missouri System President Mun Choi said it was his decision to dissolve the university’s multicultural fee at Wednesday’s Faculty Council meeting.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was decided that I needed to protect the institution. So that’s the decision that I made,” Choi said.

The multicultural fee provided funds to a number of identity-based student organizations at MU. The initial announcement came out on Sunday that the university would stop designating funds to the groups including:

The Legion of Black Collegians

The Asian American Association

Association of Latin American Students

Four Front

Filling in the Space

The Queer Liberation Front

The decision also revoked the student government status of LBC. The funding will end July 1 for the affected groups. University officials said the groups will be recategorized as Recognized Student Organizations in the fall and can apply for university funding, but it’s not guaranteed. The organizations will now be wrapped in to MU’s other groups vying for financial support.

Choi said during the meeting that in July 2025, the university received a memo from the Department of Justice that requested all institutions receiving federal funding to abide by Title IX, Title VI and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment.

Choi said the university found a concerning revelation during a review that would have put university funding at risk.

“We are not in compliance with Title VI because we provide specific benefits to student groups based on demographics,” Choi said.

Noah Schnarre, Missouri Student Association President, said Title VI is not being violated by the student groups.

“In terms of Title VI, none of these organizations specifically will not allow white students or any other students of any specific race to not participate,” Schnarre said.

Schnarre called the move by university leadership a logistical nightmare and uneccessary.

“It was not a law passed, it was not an executive order, it was not a Supreme Court case, this was a memo,” Schnarre said. “They can hold some amount of validity, but not enough to be a concern of legality.”

Schnarre said this could temporarily bankrupt the groups effected due to timelines already in place to request RSO funds.

“Even with being recognized in July, the first time that they’re going to be able to get funding is the September meeting,” Schnarre said.

Schnarre said it was implied to him and his colleagues that they could change some of the language in their bylaws, but it wasn’t clear if that would change any possible decisions by the university.

The decision comes nearly two years after MU restructured its diversity division.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A small business owner in Columbia claims a sweeping cannabis bill will put him out of business. 

Ethan Jones dealt with chronic pain issues for six years after going undiagnosed with Lyme disease. Rather than using traditional pain medication, Jones instead turned to CBD products. He now sells those same products to customers seeking alternatives to traditional medications. 

“This is something I’ve been selling for years now, and I mean it’s incredible when it comes to joints swelling, something I deal with myself from having lupus because of my Lyme disease,” Jones said. 

MindRight Wellness — a downtown Columbia business owned and operated by Jones — sells products marketed as therapeutic alternatives for pain, sleep, anxiety, focus and energy. He has owned the business for six years and says CBD products result in more than $4,000 a month in sales. 

“Most of my customers here who are shopping for CBD are a lot of times older folks who are dealing with rheumatoid arthritis issues,  major sleep disorders, or just cannot get to sleep. And they’re looking for some kind of relief because they’ve gone through the whole gamut,  been on a bunch of different medications. Nothing’s really helped them, and they found really great relief with the CBD,” Jones said. 

However, come November, Jones says he will no longer be in business, thanks to House Bill 2641. The bill sponsored by Rep. Dave Hinman (R- St. Charles) is set to head to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk. The measure would tighten regulations on hemp-derived cannabinoid products, effectively requiring many of them to be sold only through the state’s licensed marijuana dispensaries.

As a result, convenience stores, bars and restaurants statewide would be banned from selling THC seltzers and other intoxicating hemp products. 

Supporters of the bill argue it is necessary to regulate a rapidly growing and largely unregulated market. Andrew Mullins, executive director of MoCannTrade, said the measure prioritizes safety and aligns Missouri with federal efforts.

“From Day 1 of this session, Gov. Kehoe and legislative leaders have made protecting the health and public safety of Missourians a clear priority. Law enforcement has long wanted these untested, untaxed, unlicensed, intoxicating products off the shelves,” Mullins said in a statement. “This public safety legislation aligns Missouri law with the new federal law banning these products and providing a crystal clear bright line between what is legitimate hemp and what is in fact marijuana.”

Under HB 2641, many hemp-derived cannabinoid products — including those commonly sold as CBD — would be reclassified as marijuana, if they meet certain criteria. That would place them under Missouri’s existing cannabis regulations, meaning they could only be manufactured and sold by licensed marijuana dispensaries. 

The bill also includes strict enforcement measures. Businesses that continue to sell those products outside the regulated system could face a $5,000 fine per transaction and a potential Class D felony charge.

While it targets high-THC hemp products, its definitions could also affect full-spectrum CBD products that contain trace amounts of THC. As a result, the bill could impact an estimated 40,000 businesses statewide, including small, independent retailers like Jones.

“This will cut into over about 20% of my sales, and eventually this will lead me to having to close my doors. I help a lot of the older folks here in their community. These are products that don’t make people high, this is 100% for relief,” Jones said. “They’re making it 100% illegal for any small store to sell any type of cannabis product and funneling all of those sales directly to dispensaries who are typically owned and operated from out of state.” 

If signed into law, the changes would take effect in November 2026, giving businesses time to adjust. But Jones said that may not be enough.

“We’re on a huge email call campaign. I have stacks of letters, handwritten letters from my customers urging to veto this bill, because, again, let me reiterate that this is something that has already gone through the Senate. This is on Mike Kehoe’s desk. If we do not get this bill vetoed, this will make it illegal for us to sell CBD products,” he said.

Beyond his own business, Jones said the ripple effects would be felt across communities that rely on accessible, lower-cost alternatives to dispensary products.

“I understand there are people selling products that are super questionable in places that are already super questionable.  So, for legitimate operators like myself who sell legitimate products that are not being advertised to kids, because that’s the story always being spun,  it makes no sense,” Jones said. “I won’t even be able to sell my grandma a muscle rub because again, that would be a felony.”

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