Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Crown Linen will close its processing plant in Mexico, Missouri, on Friday, April 25, according to a press release from the company.

The company has been at the facility since 1904. The release says that a fire that destroyed two buildings last May and a decision was made to transition from a full processing center to a depot after looking at bids to rebuild.

The release says 50 employees work at the Mexico plant and that sales, service, administration and distribution operations will stay in Mexico. A total of 31 jobs will be impacted. All other operations will be moved to Crown’s location in Columbia, Illinois, the release says. The release says customers will not experience any changes to their service or product.

The release says that costs were high to maintain and rebuild the old buildings, “which no longer meet the operational efficiency or safety standards required for a commercial laundry service in today’s market.”

“This decision was not an easy one. We explored multiple options and sought assistance from local and state resources to facilitate the rebuilding and continued operation of our historic location. While we are disappointed to end our 134-year tradition in Mexico, we are grateful that Crown Linen will continue to serve as a premier commercial laundry service in the region,” owner Tim Williams said in the release.

The release says that impacted employees “will receive retention offers based on seniority, and all employee benefits will remain in place until at least May 31, 2025.”

CLSI MC1 Press Release 2025Download

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a pair of felonies in Montgomery County.

David Glispie Jr. pleaded guilty to first-degree domestic assault and armed criminal action. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Glispie pleaded guilty to stabbing the victim 14 times in 2023, according to court documents from previous reporting. A trail of blood was seen coming from the victim’s apartment.

Witnesses allegedly told deputies they saw Glispie check on the victim while they were on the ground and then “gleefully shouting and cheering that the victim was dead,” the statement says.

Law enforcement found Glipsie after a roughly eight-hour search in Montgomery County.  

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man has been charged with a misdemeanor after he allegedly exposed himself while he was in front of Douglass High School on Thursday.

Mark Dennis Jones, 64, was charged with first-degree sexual misconduct. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A hearing was held on Monday afternoon.

According to court documents, a member of the high school’s administration told police that Jones exposed himself in front of a student and their mother while he was urinating in front of them. Court documents say video footage showed the victims in a vehicle in the school’s parking lot about two minutes before Jones began urinating in front of the vehicle.

The administrator allegedly told police they recognized Jones because he “frequents the grounds of the school and observes Jones on school property ‘at least once a day,’” court documents say.

The student – who is a youth – allegedly told police they saw Jones urinate on school property and then continue to walk south while urinating, the statement says. The mother gave the same details to police.

Police allegedly asked Jones why didn’t ask the school to use a restroom and he replied that he did ask, the statement says. Police then asked why he didn’t use the bathroom at Douglass Park and Jones replied that he did not know, the statement says.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was arrested following an hours-long standoff Friday at a West Columbia apartment complex has been charged with two felonies.

Michael Whited, 59, of Columbia, was charged with second-degree making a terroristic threat, resisting arrest and three counts of misdemeanor fourth-degree assault.

He was arrested on Friday and was brought to an area hospital for a precautionary screening, police said on Friday night. Court documents say he was placed on a 96-hour hold at University Hospital for a mental evaluation.

According to the probable cause statement, the victim told police that she was walking her dog around 6:50 a.m. Friday at Ash Street Apartments when Whited pulled out a rifle and threatened to shoot her and the dog. The victim claimed they never met or interacted with Whited prior to him pulling out the gun, court documents say.

The victim ducked away and hid for cover while Whited threatened to shoot, the statement says. Two people saw Whited point the gun and Whited then pointed it at another person who saw him, the statement says. Whited allegedly was looking into windows of vehicles in the parking lot of the complex, as well, the statement says.

Another person described as “SUBJECT 1” in court documents saw Whited go in and out of the building he resided and was contacted by several people about him having the gun, the statement says. That person was able to put together Whited was the man with the gun based on descriptions given by the victims, the statement says.

That person also stated in court documents that Whited was heard screaming through apartment walls the night before. That person also stated Whited went to the main office of the complex and screamed about wanting to kill his coworkers in February, the statement says.

Police went to Whited’s apartment around 9 a.m. and he allegedly refused to open the door and told them “come back later or you’re dead,“ court documents say. He also made references to “demons,” according to the statement.

A standoff then occurred for several hours. Once police entered the apartment, they found Whited barricaded in his bathroom and found a gun in the apartment.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia police arrested a man Monday after a stabbing near an elementary school.

Arthur Hooks, 70, was arrested after a report of a stabbing in the 2900 block of Leeway Drive, near Blue Ridge Elementary School, the Columbia Police Department wrote in a news release. There was no indication in the release that the incident involved the school or that students were in danger.

Officers arrested Hooks on suspicion of first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. Charges had not been filed early Monday afternoon.

He is currently listed on the Boone County Jail’s online roster and is being held without bond.

Gabrielle Teiner

BENTON COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 37-year-old Windsor man was seriously hurt after a crash in Benton County just before 4:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report states a 17-year-old boy from Edwards was driving a 1999 Dodge south on Highway 7 at Cold Springs when he tried to pass a 2014 Toyota, with four people inside, and hit the back of the Toyota.

The Windsor man, a passenger in the Toyota, was flown to Research Hospital in Kansas City for treatment.

Two other passengers, a 35-year-old Kansas City, Kansas man and a 31-year-old Belton man, suffered minor injuries from the crash and were taken to Golden Valley Memorial Hospital by ambulance.

The driver of the Toyota, a 32-year-old woman from Basehor, Kansas, was uninjured.

It is unknown if the passengers were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, although the report states that the drivers of both cars were wearing seatbelts.

The Dodge had minor damage, but the Toyota was totaled.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

It was a violent weekend in Columbia.

Very violent.

A flurry of shots like a firefight broke out Saturday night during a party at Cosmo Park, leaving one person with critical injuries. Another person suffered serious injuries.

Two men were injured, and two minors, both male, were arrested early Sunday in a Downtown Columbia shooting. Another person was shot in the leg Friday night in south Columbia but had only minor injuries.

That wasn’t the area’s only gun violence, as a shooting also happened Sunday in Callaway County that left one person dead and another with critical injuries.

But it’s Columbia where gun violence makes frequent headlines and where residents have regularly expressed their dissatisfaction with violent crime levels. Are these just a city’s growing pains, or is Columbia’s nature radically changing?

Let us know what you think by voting in the poll.