Category: kmiz-local-news

Matthew Sanders

Gov. Mike Kehoe joined executives from Google on Wednesday in High Hill to celebrate the company’s plan to build a data center near New Florence in Montgomery County.

Part of the message emphasized the benefits of such projects for local communities. In this case, Kehoe said Google plans to invest $15 billion, including infrastructure upgrades. The project will also bring jobs, according to Kehoe and Google.

And, Kehoe said, welcoming such projects helps position Missouri for the future.

But data center plans have also drawn intense opposition in Montgomery County — as have plans for data centers across Missouri and the country.

Do you think communities should welcome data centers? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Nearly 1,400 Columbia Public Schools students will graduate this weekend.

CPS is holding four graduation ceremonies for its high schools on Saturday and Sunday.

An email from a district spokeswoman says Battle High School will graduate 345 students, Douglass High School will graduate 58, Hickman High School will see 477 students walk the stage and Rock Bridge High School will see 513 students receive their diploma.

Douglass High School’s graduation is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at the Missouri Theatre. Hickman’s graduation is set for 6 p.m. Friday at Mizzou Arena.

Battle’s is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Mizzou Arena, while Rock Bridge’s is set for 4 p.m. Saturday at the same location.

Ceremonies will also be streamed online.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Silver Alert has been canceled after a 90-year-old woman who has dementia was found safe.

The Columbia Police Department said on Facebook that Nancy Thrower was home safe in Columbia on Thursday afternoon.

The department thanked the public and other agencies for their help.

“We would also like to thank BCSD, MUPD, Ashland PD, MSHP and Boone County Fire for their assistance in the search,” the post stated.

A social media post from CPD says Nancy Thrower, of Columbia, was last seen at noon Wednesday in the 1000 block of Westwinds Court. A Missouri State Highway Patrol press release says she walked away from her residence “in an unknown direction.

Police say she was wearing a blue blouse and a black jacket. The MSHP release says she is 5-feet tall, weighs 120 pounds, has gray hair and blue eyes.

An emergency alert that was sent to smartphones in the area says she was also wearing shorts and black shoes. She has a cane and was last seen hiding in bushes, the alert says.

A CPD spokesman told an ABC 17 News reporter after 8 p.m. that police were asking for residents to check any cameras they may have outside their home, including surveillance cameras and RING doorbell cameras. The spokesman cited the lack of daylight as it gets later.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was charged with a couple of felonies after he was accused of leading a deputy on a high-speed chase Monday in southern Columbia.

Arthur James Hill, 38, was charged with aggravated fleeing and driving while revoked. He is being held at the Boone County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

The probable cause statement says Hill fell asleep at the wheel around 4:30 p.m. Monday while at the intersection of Providence Road and Stadium Boulevard, and his vehicle started rolling through a red light at the intersection.

A deputy turned on his emergency lights and Hill stopped in the intersection before heading south, the statement says. The chase then went to the Green Meadows Road intersection at a speed of 91 miles per hour, the statement says. The chase made its way to Southampton Drive, where Hill eventually stopped, court documents say.

Hill allegedly got out of the vehicle, but then ignored the deputy’s commands as he searched for a “roach,” court documents allege.

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Erika McGuire

HIGH HILL, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe and leaders from Google unveiled a data center project Wednesday that includes a $15 billion infrastructure investment from the tech giant.

Kehoe joined local officials and Google executives at the Laborers and Contractors Training Center in High Hill on Wednesday afternoon. Speakers touted the jobs the project will bring and sought to dismiss concerns about data centers’ use of electricity and water resources.

“This data center will create thousands of construction jobs as it is being built and hundreds of full-time jobs once it is operational,” said Ruth Porat, Alphabet and Google president and chief investment officer. Each of those hundreds of jobs will create nine others, she said.

The new investment comes as residents in Montgomery County have expressed concerns over data centers since they are known to use a large amount of energy and water.

However, state leaders say the facility will operate differently than others.

“This is an air cooled facility so the only water usage will be from kitchens and bathrooms,” Public of Affairs Manager for the state of Missouri Trystine Payfer said.

Kehoe said the investment came with a commitment from Google to build up local infrastructure and expand energy affordability programs.

Google also announced a $20 million energy impact fund to support programs to drive down monthly energy bills to households in Missouri.

“Not only are we paying for own infrastructure and services we need to fund this facility we are paying a premium on top of that to put down pressure on peoples rates to make sure we are negativity affecting any rate payer,” Payfer added.

The $15 billion announcement comes as construction is underway on an Amazon Web Services Data Center on Hudson Road near New Florence. The Google Data Center Campus is off Interstate 70 on Tree Farm Road.

Google’s data center will be about 900 acres and will have to buildings along with a hub.

Payfer says Montgomery County was picked as a location due to several factors.

“Cost, effectiveness, reliability and community fit and this region is situated perfectly, we have a great talent pool, strong community partners and a excited community,” She said.

“Project Spade” is expected to bring in over 2,000 construction jobs and hundreds of full-time position once the facility is complete.

Kehoe said the project is about connectivity and creating jobs for Missouri families.

“The county has done a great job addressing those concerns, there has been a lot of misinformation, google is committed to making sure they understand faces go with these jobs, people and families go with these investments,” Kehoe said.

Project Spade, a codename for the Google data center campus, obtained two permits under Kinetic Site Ventures LLC that were issued in February of this year.

The permits are for data center complexes, with additional permits expected as the project continues.

The project is currently in the pre-construction phase and is set to be completed in the next two years.

 

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No charges will be filed against Columbia Police Department officers who shot a man on Christmas Day.

Audrain County Prosecutor Jacob Shellabarger – who was named the special prosecutor in the case — wrote in a letter to the Boone County Circuit Court that he will not file charges against the officers.

“I have reviewed all reports, evidence and information regarding the December 25, 2025, shooting of Marc Lucas by the Columbia Police Department. I have found that the shooting was justified and proper under Missouri law, and although tragic, will not result in any criminal charges or further proceedings,” the May 15 letter says.

The names of the officers were not revealed. Shellabarger confirmed that two officers fired shots.

Lucas was charged in Boone County with first-degree arson, misdemeanor first-degree trespassing, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and a pair of misdemeanor fourth-degree assault counts. Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson confirmed Lucas died and his charges have since been dropped.

Court documents in previous reporting say Lucas allegedly set a couch on fire at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel at Grindstone Parkway and Highway 63.

He then allegedly got into a fight with Holiday Inn Express employees after he was denied a room at that hotel, previous reporting indicates. He had also allegedly pulled out a knife during some point in the encounter.

Lucas then allegedly walked to a nearby Break Time gas station, pulled out the knife and threatened to assault someone while officers were there, the statement says.

Officers allegedly tried to use a stun gun while detaining Lucas, but Lucas then allegedly tried to attack one of the officers with a knife and he was shot, police wrote in a December press release.

Lucas was put into hospice care earlier this year.

Check back for updates.  

Lucas Marc OIS – SPA for CPD – Decline to Court 5-11-26Download

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man was charged on Tuesday with second-degree statutory rape in Cole County.

Page Guss, 22, is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. An arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

The probable cause statement says the victim’s mother called Columbia police on May 16 to say their 16-year-old daughter had “sexual relations” with Guss at a Jefferson City hotel.

Guss allegedly picked up the girl from her parents’ residence and the mother called the victim’s phone and allegedly told Guss the girl was not an adult, the statement says. Guss allegedly said curse words at the mother and hung up the phone, the statement says.

Guss and the minor were unable to get a hotel room in Columbia, but were able to in Jefferson City, the statement says.

The victim allegedly told police Guss added her on the social media application Snapchat on May 15 and that they had sex in a Jefferson City hotel room the next day, the statement says.

Guss allegedly told police that after the phone call with the victim’s mother, the victim allegedly told him the mother lied and claimed she was 19 years old, court documents say.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Justice Department on Thursday unveiled an indictment against former Cuban leader Raul Castro and five others at Miami’s Freedom Tower.

The charges are related to a 1996 incident in which two planes carrying humanitarian aid were shot down.

Watch the full news conference announcing the charges.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The man accused of dumping a woman’s body in a trash bin in the Perche Creek over the weekend had his court date moved after failing to appear on Wednesday afternoon.

Capt. Brian Leer with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office told ABC 17 News that the delay was due to an unforeseen circumstance.

Acton was charged with abandoning a corpse and evidence tampering.

Andrew B. Acton, 53, of Columbia, was arrested Monday evening during a traffic stop after law enforcement found his Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck matched a similar vehicle seen entering the Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area on May 11. A security camera in the area observed that the truck was carrying a City of Columbia trash bin, similar to the one in which the body was found inside.

The trash can was initially recovered on Sunday by a fisherman at the Providence boat access who reported seeing a human leg wrapped in a blanket inside.

Leer adds that the security camera was a Flock security camera. He also confirmed that Acton was stopped on Monday at the Phillips 66 Gas station in the 1000 block of North Stadium Boulevard.

Court documents also report that Acton is an admitted drug user. He is currently in the Boone County jail without bond.

Other court and County Assessor Documents also report that Acton owes the counrt nearly $8,000 in property taxes from 2023 and 2024.

McCollum v Acton property tax lawsuit (1)Download

Acton’s last listed address is in the 3000 block of Bray Avenue in southwest Columbia. County records show the home was foreclosed on in March, with the property being purchased by HBH Holdings at the end of the month.

An ABC 17 News reporter spoke with neighbors in the area who claimed they didn’t often interact with the people at the home. They also reported that in the last few months, the outside of the home became unkempt.

According to documents from the Missouri Secretary of State’s office, Acton was a former owner of the now-closed 63 Diner in Columbia.

Acton’s initial hearing was rescheduled for May 26 at 1 p.m. in the Boone County Courthouse.

Authorities have not publicly identified the woman or given her age.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman initially charged with attempted murder for sneaking a poisonous plant extract into her husband’s smoothies has been given probation.

Judge Daniel Green last week sentenced Sarah E. Scheffer, who now lives in Sullivan, Missouri, to five years of supervised probation with a suspended sentence after she pleaded guilty to third-degree domestic assault, a Class E felony, in April.

Scheffer was also ordered to pay $359 in court costs at the rate of $50 per month.

Scheffer was allegedly caught on camera grabbing a substance out of a bag labeled “lily of the valley” and adding it to his smoothies. Lily of the valley is a poisonous plant.

Scheffer was a part-time design and art teacher at Calvary Lutheran High School in Cole County.

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