Category: kmiz-local-news

Lucas Geisler

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) –

Boone County firefighters put out a trailer fire Wednesday afternoon east of Columbia that damaged at least two homes.

Boone County Fire Protection District assistant chief Chuck Doss told ABC 17 News that a trailer caught fire near two homes in the 7400 block of Suncrest Court.

Joey Rimel with the Boone County Fire District says that units were dispatched around 11:40 a.m. due to multiple reports of a trailer fire.

Eight trucks carrying 16 firefighters got to the scene and found the trailer in flames, with damage to two adjacent homes. One home’s garage was damaged and the vinyl siding was melted on the other.

Boone County Fire Protection District reports no injuries.

There will be an investigation to identify the cause of the fire, which might be a lithium-ion battery, says Rimel. “So it sounds like, what was in the trailer was lithium-ion batteries that he was using for his RC airplanes. With it being hot and then being under power, there’s a possibility that that could have been a contributor to the cause”

The fire was contained and put out around 12:35 p.m.

With a hotter climate, Boone County Fire Protection District says to be home or near your lithium-ion batteries while charging and follow manufacturer specifications to avoid fire.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Springfield, Missouri, man was pronounced dead early Wednesday after getting into the Lake of the Ozarks and never coming back up.

The 25-year-old man got into the water from a boat near the 21-mile mark at Ledges Cove in Camden County, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report. Divers recovered his body, and the man was pronounced dead a little after 6 a.m.

He was not wearing a life vest, according to the report.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Montgomery County man needed surgery to repair his liver, colon, stomach and bladder after a Tuesday morning shooting, according to court documents.

Roger Fischer of Jonesburg was charged Wednesday with first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action after allegedly shooting a man during an argument. A no-bond warrant was issued for his arrest.

Fischer told investigators that he had asked the victim about “a hole in his garage door,” and that the victim began walking toward his car in “a fighting stance,” the statement says. Fischer reportedly told officers that he shot the victim several times from his car because he feared for his life.

The victim is described as a 60-year-old man, and the statement said he was shot multiple times in the torso. It wasn’t clear what condition he was in on Wednesday morning.

In the probable cause statement, Jonesburg Police Officer Ron McBride wrote that he believed Fischer drove to the victim’s residence ready for a fight “and was fully aware of his actions.” Fischer used a .22-caliber pistol in the shooting.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man convicted of causing the West Quincy levee to fail in the Great Flood of 1993 is set to have a parole hearing Wednesday after 33 years in prison.

James Scott was found guilty of causing the levee to fail and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for “causing a catastrophe.” Scott is the only person in the state ever to be convicted of that crime and to serve time for it. The Great Flood of 1993 was categorized as one of the worst floods in United States history.

Scott will be in front of the Parole Board Wednesday in the Cole County Courthouse.

In a 2018 interview with ABC 17 News, Scott maintained his innocence. Scott said, “I can’t sit here and prove to you that I did not break the West Quincy Levee. Yet, they never proved at my trial that I did. Because I did not break the West Quincy Levee.”

When Scott was asked what he would say to then Governor Mike Parson, he said, “You know I’m ready to go home. You know, I’m not the same person I was 25 years ago. I’ve done everything possible since I’ve been locked up to, uh, better my situation to make me a better person.”

It could take several days for the parole board to make a decision.

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Matthew Sanders

Missourians have enjoyed no-excuse absentee voting for many election cycles now, without evidence of any significant issues.

The period to cast such ballots started Tuesday statewide.

But that practice has come under fire by some powerful voices, namely President Donald Trump, who has supported an end to no-excuse absentee balloting as part of the SAVE Act. Pew Research says that 66% of Republicans say an excuse should be required for absentee voting.

Thus far, no-excuse absentee voting has not brought significant objections in the Republican-heavy Show-Me State, which Trump has won handily each time he ran for president.

Should no-excuse voting be allowed? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri Task Force 1 will head north to San Antonio on Wednesday ahead of another storm potentially affecting the southeastern portion of the country, a Tuesday evening press release from the Boone County Fire Protection District says.

Task Force 1 was sent to Texas last week to assist with a flood response. Tuesday’s release says TF-1 was providing water rescues along the Rio Grande.

First responders will leave from southern Texas on Wednesday morning and are expected to get to San Antonio in the afternoon.

“This strategic repositioning ensures MO-TF1 remains prepared to respond quickly should additional mission assignments arise as weather conditions develop,” the release says.

Tropical Storm Bertha has been inching toward the Gulf Coast, according to national reporting.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 36-year-old Fulton man was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash Tuesday in Audrain County, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the man rode a 2003 Honda VTX1300 eastbound on Highway 54 – west of County Road 541 — and failed to negotiate a curve.

The bike went onto the shoulder, causing the man to be ejected and the bike to overturn, the report shows. The report says the man wore a helmet. The bike was totaled.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The man who was given a life sentence for causing the 1993 Missouri flood has a parole hearing this week.

James Robert Scott, 58, was found guilty decades ago of causing a catastrophe. He is being held at Jefferson City Correctional Center. He was sentenced to life in prison on July 6, 1998.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Karen Pojman told ABC 17 News in an email that Scott has a parole hearing on Wednesday. Parole hearings are not open to the public and it can take several days for the parole board to make a decision, Pojman wrote.

Scott was accused of causing the West Quincy levee to fail. Scott spoke with ABC 17 News in 2018, where he again denied the accusation.

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Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Survey results presented by the City of Columbia on Tuesday showed homelessness and crime remain top concerns for residents.

During a Tuesday work session to discuss the city’s strategic plan, officials went over responses it received from residents through several methods.

The city included feedback from its Social Point website, which reportedly had 1,939 views, 278 contributions and 210 contributors, according to a Power Point presentation from the city. Additional feedback was collected from focus groups, interviews and forums.

Most of the respondents were from Columbia’s Fourth Ward. In the survey, residents were asked to pick their five-biggest concerns in the city, with the top responses being homelessness, crime, housing, utility rates, taxes and traffic.

“These survey results just showed us again what we saw in our community survey last year. The priorities are for people to be safe, for us to have housing options and to continue to invest in the people that are responding to those needs,” Mayor Barbara Buffaloe said.

Additionally, the five most-important areas “you’d like to see more of in Columbia” included transportation issues, police visibility and public safety quality and economic opportunity. Roads and ease of driving and public transit options were included in transportation issues.

Safety concerns and transportation were listed as the top “barriers that may prevent members from fully engaging in life in Columbia.”

Affordability, homelessness, maintaining infrastructure and crime were described as the biggest challenges for the city for the next five years; though more than half of the responses were at least “somewhat confident” the city would be a better place to live in five years.

First Ward Councilwoman Valerie Carroll said the city will use the feedback to identify specific actions and measure its progress.

“These are the items that we can do. These are the things that we measure to report on our effectiveness. And here’s how we think we can achieve the goals that we’re aiming for,” Carroll said.

City employee results

Some overlap in concerns were seen from an employee survey described in the presentation, with homelessness and crime again being the leading concerns.

Employees voted both of those reasons as the top-two barriers preventing “community members from engaging in Columbia life.” Employees also predict homelessness, crime, affordability and maintaining infrastructure as the city’s biggest challenges during the next five years.

At least 66% of responding employees expected the city were at least “somewhat confident” the city would be a better place to live in five years. There were 254 employees who were surveyed.

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