Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An associate pastor at Broadway Christian Church who was accused of stealing campaign signs during the mayoral election has had his charges dropped.

The Rev. Andrew Lawrence Taylor-Peck, 46, of Columbia, was originally charged with misdemeanor stealing. Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson told ABC 17 News in an email that the case was resolved through a deferred prosecution agreement.

Johnson wrote Taylor-Peck waives statute of limitation defenses and must comply with specific conditions for three years. If Taylor-Peck fails to comply with the conditions, the prosecution picks up again, Johnson wrote.

ABC 17 News reached out to Taylor-Peck’s attorney to learn the conditions he must comply with, but were told the attorney needs to speak with his client first before sharing any details.

Johnson wrote that the victim in the case did not want the charges to move forward and that Taylor-Peck allegedly apologized to the victim.

“Between the public nature of the case and the personal amends made, he felt the defendant had been held accountable. Our office is ultimately responsible for deciding how to resolve cases, and sometimes we proceed even where the victim asks for charges to be dismissed,” Johnson wrote. “But based on the defendant’s lack of criminal history, taking responsibility for his actions, and making meaningful amends to the satisfaction of the victim, we believe this was the most appropriate and just resolution.”

Taylor-Peck at the time was suspended by the church after he was charged.

Court documents in previous reporting say that deputies were called around 5:30 p.m. April 4 to Coastal Electric in the 3600 block of Scott Boulevard for a reported theft. Someone at the location told law enforcement that they saw a man take off with a “Vote For Murph” campaign sign, the statement says.

Taylor-Peck was arrested and allegedly admitted to taking five signs between Gillespie Bridge Road and Vawter School Road, court documents in previous reporting say. He then allegedly admitted to dumping the signs in two trash cans on Mesa Drive, court documents say.

ABC 17 News has reached out to Broadway Christian Church.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri House of Representatives will begin a series of informational hearings on property tax reform on Wednesday, which will be held statewide.

The Special Interim Committee will be holding these statewide meetings and encourages Missourians to attend to share their thoughts and perspectives on property tax reform.

The first of six hearings will be taking place on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the State Capitol in House Hearing Room 3. The other hearings will continue across the state.

July 30 — 5:30 p.m. Wallace Center, 325 Harwood Ave, Lebanon, MO

August 13 — 5:30 p.m. Board Room at Union Station, 30 W Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO

August 20 — 5:30 p.m. Center of Clayton, 50 Gay Ave, Clayton, MO

August 27 — 5:30 p.m. Macon Comfort Inn, 1821 N Missouri, Macon, MO

September 3 — 11:00 AM State Capitol, House Hearing Room 3, Jefferson City, MO

According to the Chair of the Special Interim Committee, Rep. Tim Taylor, the committee wants to hear directly from citizens, local officials and stakeholders about how to improve the property tax system, according to a press release.

“The goal of this committee is to work together to find common-sense reforms and solutions that protect homeowners, promote economic stability, and ensure accountability to benefit all citizens of our state,” said Taylor.

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Matthew Sanders

SEC Media Days kicked off in Atlanta on Tuesday.

The multi-day event is a chance for the powerhouse SEC to show off its football programs, including the Mizzou Tigers.

And this year, the Tigers are gunning for their third straight 10-win season. It would be the first time the program has accomplished the feat.

Do you think they can do it? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Lucas Geisler

BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

One man was injured Tuesday night after an apparent drive-by shooting in Boone County.

The man was shot while in a car near Santa Anna Drive and El Chapparal Avenue, according to Captain Brian Leer with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.

Leer told ABC 17 News in a text that someone in another car shot the man, who suffered a non-life-threatening injury.

Leer said the information provided to them was “limited at best.”

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Ryan Shiner

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 10-year case in Cole County has ended.

A satisfaction of judgement has ended in Aaron Malin’s case against the Cole County Prosecutor’s Office. Malin had previously asked a judge to reprimand the office for not disclosing documents between the prosecutor’s office and a drug task force, according to previous reporting.

A judgement entered on June 12 indicates that $48,362.50 will be paid to Malin to cover attorney fees, costs and expenses.

“I’m glad this litigation has finally wrapped up. Unfortunately, the office’s initial response to Mr. Malin’s request back in 2015 set the tone for some fairly contentious litigation,” Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson wrote in an email on Tuesday. “I am appreciative that Mr. Malin agreed to come to the table to find an amicable solution to the case. Once everyone had a better understanding of the intent behind the request and our ability to find responsive records given the wording of the initial request, we were able to provide documents that were of particular interest to Mr. Malin.”

Malin’s attorney told ABC 17 News that the final check was received on Monday.

“Ten years ago Aaron Malin set out to make sure that the Cole County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office would be required to obey the Sunshine Law. It turned out to be a much longer, much harder fight than he possibly could have imagined, including three trips to the Court of Appeals and back. But the courts finally – and fully – vindicated his position, along the way establishing precedents that will help Missourians enjoy government transparency for years to come,” Dave Roland, director of litigation for the Freedom Center of Missouri, said in an email.

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Erika McGuire

BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The first night of the Boone County Fair kicked off Tuesday evening with the use of a weapons detection systems loaned by Columbia Public Schools.

CPS loaned the fair a total of four systems and two-to-four will be used depending on the day and volume of fair goers. It’s an upgrade from last year when the fair used hand held weapon scanners that took time away from fair goers.

Boone County Fair President Matt Lewis said safety is a top priority and the process is to get in with the walk-through systems is simple.

“Knowing what’s going on with big events we decided safety was going to a big priority to us this year,” Lewis said. “So when they get there this year, they’ll go through the gate, walk down and go through the first scanner. As long as everything is clear, they’ll go right into the fair. If there’s any detection, they’ll go through a secondary scanner,”

Fair organizers say the change will make getting into the fair quicker and more efficient—especially after an incident last year that raised safety concerns.

“We had a little incident last year and after that we decided to step up our security measures and so we reached out to CPS and we were able to get body scanner to prevent stuff that happened in the past,” Lewis said.

The fair last year amended safety measures the third day of the event after an “incident with youth” occurred. Previous reporting shows that a “scuffle” occurred between two attendees, but vendors told ABC 17 News at the time that police handled the situation and the youth were allowed to leave.

Lewis said a private company will operate the weapons detection system each night of the fair, which runs through Saturday from 5-10 p.m. each night at 5212 Oakland Gravel Road.

Columbia police officers and Citadel Security will also be on site to provide extra security.

Fair Manager Jessie Kempf said the fair expects between 10,000-15,000, guests so lines could forum at the gate but the visitors can help speed things up.

“We’ll do our best to get people through and if visitors can make it easy for us by following those no backpacks and clear bag guidelines that would help us out as well,” Kempf said.

Clear bags no larger than 6-by-12 inches are allowed, along with diaper bags and medical bags. But coolers and backpacks are not allowed, and there’s no re-entry once you leave.

The Boone County Fair must return the four weapons detection systems to CPS by Sunday.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Cole County Auditor Mark Ruether will retire on Aug. 1, according to Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman.

Ruether had submitted a letter of resignation weeks ago and it was accepted by the commission. Gov. Mike Kehoe will appoint his successor.

Ruether was appointed by former Gov. Mike Parson in 2022 to serve the remained of Kristen Berhorst’s term.

Bushman said in an email “He had been an Auditor with the State of Missouri, retired, and came to work for our Treasurer. Our Auditor took a job elsewhere, and Mark was appointed by Governor Parson to fill the Auditor position.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Stover man was charged on Tuesday after he was accused of sexually assaulting children.

Joseph Kucera, 79, was charged with four counts of third-degree child molestation. He was not listed on the Morgan County Jail roster on Tuesday evening. A warrant was issued and a $250,000 bond was set.

Parents of a youth had reported a sexual assault by Kucera on June 10 and the victim – during a June 25 interview — described multiple assaults and inappropriate behaviors, according to the probable cause statement. A second victim also described multiple assaults to law enforcement, the statement says.

Kucera allegedly admitted to law enforcement during a Tuesday interview that he molested one of the youths, but denied touching the other one, court documents say.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was charged with two child sex crimes on Tuesday in Boone County.

John Harvey, 26, was charged with first-degree statutory rape of a child younger than 14 years old and statutory sodomy of a child younger than 14 years old. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.

The probable cause statement says the child was missing on Wednesday, July 9, but communicated with friends on social media with messages indicating they were in Columbia with a man. The child allegedly gave a friend an address and claimed they were raped, the statement says.

Columbia police found Harvey and the child on Friday and Harvey was allegedly identified in explicit videos on the youth’s cellphone, the statement says.

Harvey allegedly admitted to law enforcement that he sexually assaulted the child, the statement says.  

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged two felonies and a misdemeanor after he was accused of stabbing a woman in her back.

Nick Burris, 31, was charged with first-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action and misdemeanor tampering with a witness. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.

According to the probable cause statement, the victim told police on Monday that she was stabbed by Burris on Saturday night at the Stoney Creek Hotel after he used meth and she used Xanax. Burris allegedly told her that he was going to steal her wallet — that contained money and pills – before leaving.

The victim turned her back and was stabbed, the statement says. Burris allegedly would not allow the victim to go to a hospital by herself and demanded she lie to medical staff about what happened, the statement says. She initially gave an alternate story to medical staff before telling police.

The cut was about 2-3 inches long and required 13 stitches, the statement says.

In another case, he pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance and drug possession and was sentenced to probation. His probation was revoked on Tuesday and a hearing is scheduled for Monday.

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