Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged with two felonies after authorities after he allegedly strangled someone multiple times during an assault on Dec. 20.

Datroyt Williams, 32, was charged on Monday in Boone County with second-degree domestic assault and second-degree kidnapping. A warrant was ordered and no bond was set.

The probable cause statement says the victim ran to Boone Hospital after they were assaulted. Police spoke with them after midnight on Dec. 21, but the victim was initially unable to recall details because they had lost consciousness earlier, the statement says. Police noticed injuries and later interviewed the victim around 7:30 p.m.

The victim then claimed they were assaulted after an argument with Williams occurred, the statement says. The victim tried to break up with Williams and he had left the residence before coming back intoxicated, court documents say.

Williams then allegedly strangled the victim multiple times and hit them. The victim tried calling for police but Williams assaulted them while they tried to make the call and Williams ended up holding a gun before the victim go away, court documents say.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) 

The trial of a Fayette woman charged with felony murder and endangering the welfare of a child in the 2021 death of an 8-month-old girl began Monday. 

Columbia police arrested Jennifer Johnson in April 2021, after being called to a home in the 1000 block of Elleta Boulevard in north Columbia. She is accused in the death of Hannah Kent.

The mother found the child around 8:30 a.m. unresponsive and cool to the touch after returning home, and immediately noticed bruising. The parents then took the child to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where the infant was pronounced dead.

Johnson allegedly told police that she last saw the infant alive at 2:15 a.m. after giving a bottle to the child. According to court documents, Johnson took a call from the parents saying the baby had died and the parents wanted to see Johnson.

Two people who knew Johnson brought items that Johnson had at the home to Columbia police. Investigators found baby formula on Johnson’s clothes, and a swab of the same shirt tested positive for blood, according to court documents in previous reporting.

Johnson’s family, however, maintains she is innocent, saying the families were close and that there are inconsistencies in the timeline.

The trial opened at 9 a.m. Monday with jury selection from a pool of nearly 70 potential jurors.

During the selection process, Johnson’s defense asked for a mistrial after a potential juror made a favorable remark about a law enforcement officer slated to testify. Judge Brouck Jacobs denied the motion, saying the remark was harmless and would not influence the jury.

Johnson’s defense indicated during jury selection that she would not testify, asking prospective jurors whether they could still find her not guilty if she did take the stand.

The prosecution delivered its opening statements, with Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Risa-Nicole Perkins arguing, “It was the defendant’s responsibility to care for them, feed them dinner, put them to bed, and ultimately ensure they were alive when their mother returned.”

The defense opted to reserve its opening statement to avoid telegraphing its theory of the case.

Hannah’s mother, Lanetta Hill, was the first witness to testify. She described Hannah as a “happy baby” with no prior medical issues. Hill said that on the night of the incident, she was at the home of Hannah’s father, Roy Kent, in Gilliam.

Hill testified that she and Johnson had been friends for more than a decade after Hill moved to Fayette and that she had previously allowed Johnson to watch her children. She said she asked Johnson to watch her children the night of the incident, noting it was the first time Johnson had cared for Hannah.

Hill said when she returned home the next morning, Hannah was cold and unresponsive. Concerned that emergency responders would take too long, she decided to drive Hannah to the hospital herself. As she was leaving the house with Hannah, Hill testified that Johnson said she did not know what happened and asked whether she would still be paid. 

The defense responded by asking about a previous incident at a hotel room where Hannah had fallen off a bed and hit her head, and also raised questions about her CPR methods.

Lanetta’s sister, Vernetta Hill, was the next witness. She testified that Johnson called her around 8:50 a.m. the day Hannah died. Vernetta described Johnson’s voice as “cracked” and said she repeatedly told her, “The baby’s gone, she hit her head, I don’t know.”

Medical personnel, including a nurse, also testified that Hannah was unresponsive and had no pulse when she arrived at the emergency room.

Check back for updates.  

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A student from State Technical College was charged after he allegedly threatened employees at a Mexican restaurant while posing as a border patrol agent.

Coby Williams, 20, of Linn, was charged on Monday in Osage County with first-degree making a terroristic threat, first-degree harassment and misdemeanor impersonating a law enforcement officer. He is being held at the Osage County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance was held on Tuesday morning.

The probable cause statement says Williams allegedly admitted to law enforcement that he called El Carnaval Mexican Restaurant in Linn on Sunday and made threats.

Dispatchers were called about the threat at 7:41 p.m. Williams allegedly identified himself to staff as “Sgt. Williams” and asked the restaurant if they had any “illegals” working, court documents say. Williams then allegedly told those inside the restaurant to “go outside and get on their knees and put their hands on their head,” court documents say.

Williams allegedly told the employee “we can do this the easy way or the hard way” then claimed “things will get messy” if the restaurant did not comply, court documents say. Police wrote that about 14 people were in the restaurant at the time of the threat.

Police then arrested Williams at his apartment, the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Council at its Monday night meeting approved a parking fine hike with an 8-2 vote.

Parking violations were approved to be $25 across the board. A fine for metered parking was previously $6.

Other notable increases include blocking a driveway and parking in a no-parking zone increasing from $17, parking at an expired 10-hour meter results in a fine, first offense of overtime metered parking is raised from $8, while a second offense is raised from $14 and a third offense is decreased from $29.

Failing to pay parking garage fees is raised from $15, while a residential permit parking violation goes up from $18.

A change in parking fines suggested by the Jefferson City Council. [Courtesy Jefferson City]

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Haley Swaino

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Installation of the Safe Haven Baby Box began Monday at the Cole County EMS Headquarters in downtown Jefferson City, Chief Eric Hoy said.

The device is expected to be installed by the end of the week, but people will not be able to drop off infants until sometime in February, Hoy said. The box is being put in a wall on the building’s east side, behind the engine truck garages. People can access it from East McCarty Street.

GBH Builders Inc. in Jefferson City is the contractor installing the device.

Once installation is complete, Hoy said the Safe Haven Baby Box requires 30 days of testing and a state inspection.

“There’s great public support for this project, so it’s nice to see it cross the finish line,” Hoy said.

The original goal was to have the device installed by fall 2025, but funding gaps and installation changes set back the project.

The community raised nearly $28,000 for the baby box, but Hoy said construction costs left a $4,900 deficit after the state did not approve the original location the county proposed for the box because it was up a set of stairs.

Few exterior walls on the EMS headquarters met all the state’s requirements for baby box installation. The location that was approved is a three-story, weight-bearing brick wall. Hoy said that made installation more expensive.

The county decided to cover the installation cost of the device and then seek reimbursement from the state.

The Cole County Commission agreed to a plan in September to spend EMS funds upfront to cover the $4,900 construction cost gap that had stalled installation for months.

Two years after the Jefferson City Public Safety Committee began discussing the implementation of a box after a baby was left in a Walmart bag behind a shed in Maries County, Cole County is joining at least nine other Missouri locations to have a Safe Haven Baby Box.

The baby box will allow people to safely drop off infants instead of abandoning them.

“We did elect the option that there is some remote camera monitoring,” Hoy said. “So we will have 24/7 access to see what is in the device.”

He said the cameras will not capture anyone outside, keeping the identity of those surrendering a baby anonymous.

The device will not be available or accessible to the public until a formal announcement and presentation in February, Hoy said. It will be locked for training and inspection.

In the meantime, people experiencing a crisis can safely surrender a newborn by dialing 911 or at any staffed EMS, police or fire station.

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Olivia Hayes

EDITOR’S NOTE: Harry Adrian IV is no longer working for MoDOT.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The former state safety coordinator for the Missouri Department of Transportation, who was accused of pulling out a gun during a road-rage incident in September, pleaded guilty Tuesday in an agreement with the state.

Harry Adrian IV, of Tuscumbia, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving. He had been charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon; his charge was reduced in December.

“It was from the start, the situation where we knew that the individuals involved were either lying or just wrong,” said Ben Faber, Adrian’s lawyer. “It doesn’t really matter to us which one. What we know is that Mr. Adrian did not do what they said he did, as he’s maintained from the beginning.”

The probable cause statement says Adrian was accused by two people of pulling out a gun and pointing it at them during a road-rage incident around 3 p.m. Sept. 22. A deputy wrote that he stopped Adrian’s vehicle while he was following the alleged victim’s vehicle in the 3000 block of Highway 54 East in Cole County.

Victim impact statements were read in court Tuesday from William Tannehill and Andres Rios.

Both men maintained their claims that Adrian pointed a gun at them while in his car during a road rage incident, stating Adrian’s actions felt intentional.

“It felt like we were being hunted,” Tannehill’s statement read. “He cut us off repeatedly, followed us closely, and married a mirror to every attempt we made to defend ourselves.”

Tannehill wrote that they tried to drive away from Adrian, but their attempts were unsuccessful.

“No matter what I did, changing speed, changing lanes, the defendant stayed with us,” Tannehill wrote. “The situation became increasingly dangerous and there was no safe exit. I believed that we could be shot or forced off the road. That fear was real and immediate.”

Both men wrote about their disappointment with Adrian’s charge being reduced. Rios said the move by the prosecutor’s office made them feel dismissed.

“Learning that this incident had been reduced to a minor traffic offense was devastating. It made me feel as though the terror I experienced and the lasting emotional harm was being dismissed as insignificant,” Rios said.

In a statement to ABC 17 News, Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson said his office condemns any acts or threats of violence, especially those involving weapons, but that the evidence was lacking in this case.

“As prosecutors, we are required to prove criminal cases beyond a reasonable doubt, and that is an extremely high hurdle to clear. In this case, we obtained further evidence after the initial filing of charges that created doubt to the point that we were unable to proceed with the prosecution on charges of assault and unlawful use of a weapon,” Thompson wrote.

Tannehill said in his statement to the court that he and Rios provided a photo to officials of Adrian’s license plate taken during the incident that showed him holding a phone, but that there was more to it.

When he was pulled over by deputies on the day of the incident, Adrian allegedly told law enforcement that he was involved in a road-rage incident, but claimed he held a cellphone instead of a gun, the probable cause statement says. Deputies found a handgun in Adrian’s Ford F-250, the statement says.

“We never claimed that the photograph showed the gun. The firearm was displayed earlier in the incident, before that photograph was taken,” Tannehill wrote. “I was not given an opportunity to explain how the photograph, the alleged statement and the firearm fit together as part of this escalating incident.”

Tannehill and Rios believe that Adrian received preferential treatment.

“The outcome feels disconnected from both the seriousness of the conduct and the experience of the victims. I submit the statements so the court understands not only what occurred that day, but also the profound concern I have about how this case has been handled,” Tannehill wrote.

Faber said he was confident the case would have the outcome it did.

“Whether it was after a jury trial or protracted litigation, we were confident that the case was going to be that the gun charge was going to be dismissed,” Faber said.

Faber noted inconsistencies in Tannehill’s and Rios’ story.

“They made a police report, and it appears that they dug in their heels. They couldn’t keep their facts straight over time, or at the time, but that’s fine, everyone’s entitled to their opinion. Everyone’s entitled to be wrong,” Faber said.

Adrian will have one year of court-supervised probation.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Nearly 1,000 electric meters went dark in Columbia on Tuesday morning, according to the Columbia Water and Light outage map.

The outages appeared to be clustered along Stadium Boulevard, Route E and West Broadway at about 11:30 a.m. Emergency dispatchers warned of traffic backups in the area of Stadium Boulevard and Worley Street because of traffic lights that didn’t have power.

The outage map showed 975 customers without power in 25 outages. The outage hit 7,141 meters at its height after a line tripped during maintenance at a substation, a Water and Light spokesperson said.

All power had been restored by 12:11 p.m.

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Gabrielle Teiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control is investigating after a man died while in the custody of the patrol.

Troop A posted on social media that a man died after being taken in custody by troopers in Johnson County.

The release states that around 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Johnson County Central Dispatch requested troopers to respond to a burglary in progress in the 100 block of State Route D in Knob Noster.

Preliminary investigations found the suspect was allegedly breaking windows at an apartment. When troopers arrived, they saw the suspect was armed with a knife outside the apartment complex.

Troopers commanded the suspect to drop the knife, but he did not comply. Troopers then tased the man, and he was taken into custody.

Shortly after being taken into custody, the suspect became unconscious. EMS personnel and officers at the scene tried to save the man, but he died.

The Division of Drug and Crime Control is investigating the death, while the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the burglary.

All reports will be given to the Johnson County Prosecuting Attorney for review once the investigation is finished, accoridng to the release.

The name of the suspect has not been released. Next of kin notification is pending.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Boone County Judge heard arguments on whether a Columbia dog breeder who pleaded not guilty to 29 felony counts of animal abuse should be granted a lower bond and a change of venue.

Twenty-six-year-old Melissa Sanders was arrested in November after law enforcement found several dead dogs and remains at her Boone County dog-breeding and boarding business, Magnum Opus German Shepherds.

Sanders appeared at Tuesday’s hearing in person. She is being held at the Phelps County Jail without bond, but is listed on Boone County’s online jail roster.

Sanders’ attorney, Andrew Russek, requested a bond hearing and a change of venue for the case in December.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Russek claimed that the increased media presence covering the case has affected Boone County and the surrounding areas, making it difficult for an impartial panel.

“The case is being actively followed and sent out to the people of Boone County regularly,” Russek said.

Russek later suggested that the case be moved to Callaway County.

The state argued that there was not enough evidence for a change of venue, with Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Cameron Shields arguing that “a change of venue because of publicity is not a reason for change of venue.”

Judge Joshua Devine, who’s overseeing the case, pushed back against the defense. Devine claimed a previous case he observed during the 1980s had no difficulties in getting a panel despite having heavy media coverage.

During arguments for Sanders’ bond, arguments began with the state bringing in Hannah Wilson, a victim of Sanders, to give an impact statement.

Hannah Wilson, an alleged victim in the case, requested in an impact statement that Devine not give Sanders a bond.

Wilson brought her service dog, which was allegedly boarded under Sanders’ care. Wilson claimed that after picking up her dog, who was pregnant at the time, she found evidence that the dog had been neglected and starved.

“This was intentional and deliberate actions,” Wilson said.

Wilson added that Sanders has a pattern of dishonesty and that Sanders admitted to “enjoying manipulating people.” Wilson also claimed she was “extremely fearful” for any animals or people under Sanders’ care.

Sanders’ lawyers claimed that Sanders is not an active danger to the community or a flight risk, the two potential reasons for a bond to be issued.

Russek claimed that Sanders’ behavior fits more with animal neglect instead of animal abuse or torture, claiming Sanders did not engage in a “deliberate and purposeful attempt to cause harm.”

Russek argued that most victims alleged mistreatment through starvation. One of the notable victims, who had a dog die due to strangulation, died allegedly due to its collar being too tight in a kennel, and not a physical attack by Sanders.

Russek added that Animal Control checked Sanders’ business in May and found no issues. Sanders also allegedly had positive reviews for her business. Russek claimed both arguments go against the claim of long-term abuse and instead could be a sign of Sanders having a mental health crisis.

The defense additionally claimed that all arguments for Sanders’ danger to the public are based on previous allegations, and not ongoing dangers.

The state argued that Sanders’ prior allegations were enough to prove she is a danger to the community.

Prosecutor Ryan Conway added that Sanders also promised owners of deceased dogs that their remains would be cremated, but instead they were put into trash bags.

“The non-action is the action,” Conway said.

Devine pushed back against the state. While he agreed there are serious allegations in past conduct, “That is different to an ongoing present danger.”

According to court documents, it was argued that the animal abuse charges were bailable offenses and that Sanders was not a flight risk. The state argued Sanders was a flight risk due to being in a relationship with someone from Texas.

Sanders claimed in court that the person from Texas died.

The state pushed that despite the death, Sanders may still have connections in Texas and voiced concern with Texas bordering Mexico. The state also argued that due to Sanders having notoriety in the dog breeding community, she also has connections to people in the Netherlands or Ireland.

Sanders’ lawyer argued against this, claiming Sanders is willing to give up her passport during court proceedings and that an ankle monitor is enough to track Sanders’ location.

Sanders’ family was also present in the courtroom with Russek arguing they are willing to house Sanders through court proceedings in Lee’s Summit.

Russek added that Sanders was aware of animal control communicating with her before her arrest.

“That was time to flee if she was interested in fleeing,” Russek said.

Devine also pushed back against the state, asking if prosecutors had evidence that she would leave.

“We all have the ability to leave,” Devine said.

The state also argued in court documents against the venue change on the basis that there was no reason given for the change and that it was filed too late.

Devine set a control court date for 9:30 a.m. Jan. 20 at the Boone County Courthouse. However, he may decide on a bond and change of venue earlier than the expected date.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Sheridan Beardshear was closing her store on the west side of Columbia as usual around 7 p.m. Saturday night.

She did the normal closing procedures in the back of the store, when she heard what she originally believed was a car backfiring. She walked outside of the store and was greeted by a barrage of police vehicles, sirens and fire trucks and quickly realized what she was seeing was bigger than what she thought.

“I thought it was a demonstration or some kind of coordinated event because there was so many of them,” Beardshear said.

Beardshear works at Buff City Soap at The Shoppes on Stadium, which is about a three-minute walk from Dick’s Sporting Goods. The store was the scene of a massive police response on Saturday night when someone allegedly fired a gun inside the store.

A 17-year-old boy was eventually arrested by state troopers on suspicion of three counts of first-degree assault, one count of first-degree property damage, vehicle hijacking, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of armed criminal action, in connection with the incident.

The Columbia Police Department said the teenager ran away, stole a vehicle and drove away onto Interstate 70 after firing the gun. CPD spokesman Colin Imhoff told ABC 17 News on Monday afternoon that police still aren’t sure of the teenager’s motive in the shooting. Imhoff said he was not aware of any property damage to the store and an ABC 17 News reporter did not observe any noticeable damage on Monday.

Imhoff also said there was a victim inside of the vehicle that was carjacked. No injuries were reported.

The suspect was taken into custody by the Missouri State Highway Patrol around 8:30 p.m. in Pettis County after crashing on Route V near Bahner Road. Troopers initiated a traffic stop near Sedalia after spotting a grey Nissan Altima– a vehicle the agency had been on high alert for after CPD entered the license plate into the Flock camera system.

“When a plate is entered into the system, if the plate passes through an area with a camera, it will send a notification to the agency entering the plate. That information can then be relayed to other agencies,” Troop A spokesman Cpl. Justin Ewing wrote in an email to ABC 17 News on Monday.

CPD said they were originally called to the area for an active assailant and shots fired around 7 p.m. on Saturday night. Beardshear said after seeing the large response, she decided she didn’t need to stick around any longer to know it wasn’t an area she should be in, and left.

“I get disappointed sometimes when something like that happens and there’s so many people around, but nobody comes over to check on anybody or let them know even that there’s an assailant,” Beardshear said. “I don’t know if they knew at that time where he’d went and so I didn’t either but I know that when it’s that big of an ordeal and when there’s so many moving parts, that’s probably something that isn’t at the forefront of their mind.”

Beardshear wasn’t the only one feeling panic and anxiety after seeing the large police presence. Sophia Diya, a junior at the University of Missouri, said she was driving by the area when she saw the large scene.

The two later learned after scrolling on Facebook what had happened.

“I felt nervous and wanted to get away for sure as fast as possible because it’s not something you want to be close to,” Diya said. “We found out later on that it was a shooting, so we were glad we stayed away as quick as we could.”

The pair said they believe there is a lot of crime in the Columbia area, but said it sometimes can feel like there’s more than there actually is due to it being a smaller town. However, they said as of recently, it feels as though crime has been encroaching more in areas that they would visit during their day-to-day life.

“It was definitely a time of day where we easily could have been going to Dicks or the mall or somewhere,” Lexie Diya– who’s lived in Columbia her entire life said. “That is a little scary, especially with kids now. I just wouldn’t want to be caught out alone with my baby in a situation like that so it does feel a little closer to home, in this area especially.”

An ABC 17 News reporter saw a security guard working at the front of the Dick’s Sporting Goods on Monday afternoon.

Beardshear commended the efforts of police to quickly arrive on scene Saturday night and for having that large of a response. She said while she feels OK since being so close to the incident, it’s caused her to be more vigilant.

“I don’t have anything lingering, it’s just something that makes me a little more cautious when it’s dark and that’s just a normal way to be,” Beardshear said.

ABC 17 News reached out to Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson, who said his office had not received any referrals as of Monday.

Another shooting incident at the The Greens — an apartment complex on the opposite side of the city — on Sunday led to one woman being killed and two others with life-threatening injuries.

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe claimed that violent crime numbers for last year are down, but claimed one incident “too many.” D’Markus Thomas Brown, of the city’s Office of Violence Prevention Administrator, said his office is working to address crime.

“We’re looking at an ecosystem of care that goes into place when we’re looking at what the causes are, what is the psyche of the individuals doing the acts of violence, what are the resources they’re accessing, who has access to them,” Thomas Brown said.

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