Category: kmiz-local-news

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was detained by police following a multi-hour standoff at Stephens Lake Park on Monday.

The Columbia Police Department urged the public to avoid Stephens Lake Park on Monday afternoon as police tried to talk down a man having a mental health crisis.

“Please avoid Stephens Lake Park! Columbia Police are currently responding to an active incident. We’re asking the public to avoid the area while the incident unfolds,” CPD wrote in a social media post.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw officers with rifles at the scene. A CPD spokesman said police were sent to the park at about 2:20 p.m. for a call of a suicidal person. The man had a knife and had threatened “suicide by cop.”

Police were trying to negotiate his safe surrender a little after 4 p.m. A K-9 and the SWAT team were on the scene at 6:18 p.m. Police appeared to use cannisters at 6:49 p.m. and the man was put in handcuffs shortly after.   

The park on East Broadway is one of the city’s largest and most popular, a frequent stop for exercise enthusiasts and picnickers.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Hermann man was charged with first-degree murder in Gasconade County on Friday.

Court filings say a warrant was served on Friday to David Luecke Jr. He is being held on a $500,000 bond. A court date has not been scheduled. A mugshot was not immediately available.

The probable cause statement says authorities were called on May 23 to Route T for a reported suicide by hanging. The statement says the victim’s body was “in a position inconsistent with death by hanging” and that they were on the ground for an extended period of time. The victim had other cuts, bruises and scrapes that could not be immediately explained, the statement says.

The Gasconade County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Saturday social media post that the victim was Noah Cantlon.

Court documents say the autopsy determined debris was inside the victim’s mouth and eyes. People described as witnesses allegedly told law enforcement that Luecke accused the victim of “snitching” to law enforcement, the statement says.

Another witness allegedly told law enforcement that they saw Luecke attack and strangle the victim in the woods, the statement says. The victim’s body was eventually found without a shirt, the statement says.  A witness allegedly saw Luecke carrying the shirt, court documents say.

Court documents say a leather belt was used to strangle the victim and it was recovered by law enforcement after a search.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Public Schools is falling short of its goal to reduce suspension and discipline referrals, according to Columbia Board of Education documents.

The district set a goal to decrease out-of-school suspension by 50% and office referrals by 10% between 2022 and 2027.

During the 2022-2023 school year, the district reported 3,684 out-of-school suspensions with a plan to decrease that number by 10% each year starting in the 2023-2024 school year. An updated report from CPS found that out-of-school suspensions decreased by 13% with a little more than 3,200 suspensions in the first year, but slowed down during the 2024-2025 year, decreasing by 1%, with 3,173 suspensions.

While rates of out-of-school suspensions have not followed the 10% per year decrease, CPS teacher and Columbia Missouri National Education Association President Noelle Gilzow said the application of out-of-school suspensions has been improved after CPS began following a behavior matrix.

“It was only rolled out a couple of years ago, and I think there was a learning curve in applying it and applying it fairly and I think we’re now seeing the fruits of that kind of being settled,” Gilzow said.

The report does not measure the total number of office referrals. However, it does show a 6% increase in overall behavioural incidents during the 2023 school year and 16% during the 2024 school year, with 31,154 incidents.

Both Gilzow and CPS spokesperson Michelle Baumstark said the school’s addition of tighter cellphone rules has increased the rate of incidents. The school also reports that the overall rate of behavioral incidents is lower than pre-pandemic numbers.

“We have taken a harder line against cell phones in schools,” Gilzow said. “While they disrupt the learning environment, they are not severe or super disruptive like a fight or something like that would be.”

In assessment scores, the district has seen growth across the board with the rate of students with proficient MAP scores increasing steadily for English, math, science and government. The most significant change was in math and science, with rates increasing by over 3% for math and over 4% for science between the 2024 and 2025 school years.

CPS strategic updateDownload

CPS will discuss the report today during its summer session Board of Education meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Check back for updates.

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Keriana Gamboa

MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three people are in custody after Mexico police responded to a shooting that damaged property near the 600 block of Grove Street on Saturday evening.

Two 15-year-old boys were taken to a juvenile detention center, the Mexico Department of Public Safety stated in a news release.

Cynquail C. Hardman, 18, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action and conspiracy to commit a felony. A confined docket hearing is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Audrain County Courthouse. He is being held without bond.

Police say an argument happened between two groups of people, which led to them firing guns. No one was hurt.

Court documents say video from the area showed Hardman with a gun, shooting toward an occupied home. Another suspect was found and admitted to shooting the gun, saying Hardman had given it to him, investigators allege. That suspect allegedly said Hardman was shooting as well, and afterward, they split up, and Hardman took the gun, the probable cause statement says.

The statement says when police arrested Hardman, he allegedly admitted he was there but denied knowing a shooting would happen and denied giving or taking the gun. He later said he was drunk, couldn’t remember what happened, and ran away because he was scared, court documents say.

Three homes, a shed and a vehicle were damaged in the incident.

Ceayra Henderson and her 2-year-old son were inside when two groups got into a fight and started shooting outside their home. She said she thought it was fireworks at first.

“So I get up to come outside to tell them to stop, and my son’s father comes running in the door and tells me to get down because they’re shooting outside,” Henderson said.

She told ABC 17 News her house and car were damaged. Neighbor Aaron Leg told ABC 17 News he was outside when it happened.

“They had sent shots down towards the house,  had struck the Kia,  and they  had hit the house a couple of times and also returned fire towards my neighbor’s shed,” Led said.

Data shows two gun crimes committed by people aged 10-17 have happened this year within Mexico city limit.

ABC 17 News reached out to the Mexico Public Safety Chief Brice Mesko for numbers on juvenile crimes in the area and he declined to comment.

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Matthew Sanders

Another week of Mizzou football fall camp is in the books, along with the second scrimmage of camp.

Coach Eli Drinkwitz took questions from reporters after practice, including the one that’s on a lot of fans’ minds: Who will be the starting quarterback when the season opens later this month?

The coach said after Saturday’s performance, it’s still too close to call between Beau Pribula and Sam Horn.

Which one is your favorite to earn the starting nod for Game 1? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia city leaders are inviting the public to learn about the city’s budget process for the 2026 fiscal year.

There will be two meetings taking place, one from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and the second from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., in Columbia City Hall conference rooms 1A and 1B.

The 2026 fiscal year budget includes $600 million in expenses, but the city is only expecting to bring in about $560 million, leaving a $40 million deficit. Council members will hold a final vote on the budget in September before the fiscal year begins and the plan takes effect in October.

Residents will have three opportunities to give public comments on the proposed budget during regular city council meetings, with the first one on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m.

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Nia Hinson

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Delano, Minnesota woman was injured after getting into an ATV crash in Camden County early Saturday morning.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, the 19-year-old woman was driving a 2019 Polaris Sportsman on Central Ozarks Road just before 1 a.m. The crash happened as the vehicle overturned– rolled over– and ejected the woman and a passenger from the vehicle.

The woman was taken to University Hospital by helicopter with serious injuries.

The passenger in the vehicle, a 20-year-old Delano, Minnesota woman suffered moderate injuries.

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Nia Hinson

HOLTS SUMMIT, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was taken into custody on Sunday after allegedly leading law enforcement on a chase in Holts Summit and crashing into a police vehicle.

According to a press release from the Holts Summit Police Department, police learned that the Jefferson City Police Department was attempting to a stop a vehicle in reference to a missing child around 11 a.m.

Holts Summit police learned the vehicle was driving away from JCPD and entered the city limits of Holts Summit. The vehicle continued driving west on Simon Boulevard from U.S. Highway 54.

The release states the vehicle appeared to have crashed near the intersection of Simon Boulevard and South Summit Drive. As police attempted to assist in the traffic stop, the vehicle attempted to drive away, reversing into the front of a Holts Summit police vehicle, the release says.

The suspect tried to drive away again onto South Summit Drive.

Holts Summit and JCPD were able to stop the vehicle near the intersection of South Summit Drive and City Plaza Drive. The man was taken into custody without further incident. The child was found safe inside the vehicle.

Multiple police vehicles were damaged in the incident. No injuries were reported.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo.

The Columbia Board of Education will vote on changes to the school district’s transfer policy for students Monday night.

This is all apart of its summer session meetings ahead of the 2025-26 school year.

The district called transfers a privilege, not a right. The school district will evaluate student transfer requests from non-district employees on a case-by-case basis, considering educational needs of the student rather than convenience, according to the board’s agenda.

Once a transfer has been approved, the student may continue to attend the transfer school. This is new, as previous transfer requests would need to be renewed for a student each year. Parents and guardians will not have to re-apply for a transfer.

The district may, however, rescind a transfer for cause, including disciplinary issues, poor attendance and more. If a student chooses to return to their home school, they will not be eligible for another transfer for one full school year.

The school district will grant district employees’ requests for transfers to non-lottery schools. All transfers are also subject to building space availability. The school district will not provide transportation for transfer students unless required by law.

John Lyman, the board’s President, told ABC 17 News that the majority of the transfer requests they receive are from employees for their children.

“It helps employees out. If you live in Beulah Ralph’s district, but then you work at Paxton Keeley, it makes sense for your kids to go to Paxton Keely,” Lyman said.

Transfer requests to the district administration building on or before April 1st of the school year prior to the year the transfer is requested will be considered first. Requests can still be submitted after April 1st, but they will not be looked at until all the requests made before the deadline are completed.

Transfer decisions for those applying by April 1 will be made no later than May 1. Transfer decisions made by those applying after April 1 will be made by June 1st, or 14 days after the application is submitted, whichever comes later.

The school district will not grant transfer requests to lottery or autonomous schools unless the request is from a district employee currently physically employed at the school requested, the placement at the lottery school is related to a student’s IEP plan, or if it’s required by law.

Students who move from one school attendance area to another school attendance area during the school year will be allowed to complete the school year at their original school without transportation. To remain at that school a transfer request will need to be made.

A student who has suffered from a violent crime or has been seriously injured at their school may also transfer to another public school in the district upon request.

However, even if the board passes the changes, Lyman says there’s still more work to be done before the 2026-27 school year when the changes would go into effect.

“The administration has to have written procedures out for the board to review to look at these things and see how in practice then are they going to work,” Lyman said.

Those procedures will be due from the superintendent’s office by January 31, 2026.

Monday’s meeting is at 5:30 p.m. at the Aslin Administration Building.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is reminding drivers to be ready for traffic changes as an increased number of school buses, student drivers, and cyclists are expected to join them on the road when school starts this August.

According to the MSHP, there were 843 crashes involving school buses last year. They add that most traffic crashes involving young drivers under 21 occur during school dismissal times between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the most dangerous part of the bus ride is during loading and unloading, called the “danger zone,” with children often crossing in front of and behind the bus or running near traffic.

Drivers are reminded to slow down around school zones and playgrounds and to stop when they see a school bus with red lights and a stop-arm out. It is illegal in all states to pass a school bus when it is stopped with the stop-arm out. Driving past can result in a fine of at least $250 and a suspended license.

Based on a survey of bus drivers in 2023, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services estimated there were more than 43.5 million illegal school bus passings in the United States during the 2022-2023 school year.

Parents are encouraged to be at bus stops during pick-up and drop-off times and to remind their kids to drive responsibly and wear proper safety gear when biking to school. Cyclists are reminded to ride as near to the right side of the roadway and use the proper hand signals.

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