Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A motorcycle rider was flown to University Hospital on Saturday night after they crashed in Osage Beach, according to a Monday press release form the Osage Beach Police Department.

The crash occurred at 10:26 p.m. Saturday, the release says.

The release says someone from Texas road a 2006 Victory Kingpin on Barry Prewitt Memorial Drive when they failed to negotiate a curve, crossed the centerline and hit a curb. The rider was thrown from the motorcycle and landed on Columbia Boulevard, the release says.

Details about the rider’s identity was not released. The release did not say if the rider was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man who pleaded guilty in 2023 to shooting and killing his ex-wife in 2020 has died in prison, according to a Monday press release from the Missouri Department of Corrections.

The DOC announced that Andrew Lucas, 59, was pronounced dead on Monday at University Hospital. An autopsy will be performed.

He was serving a 25-year sentence at Jefferson City Correctional Center after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on March 21, 2023, in the death of Robyn Lucas. He was put in the DOC’s custody the same day, the release says.

Previous reporting indicates Andrew Lucas was accused of shooting and killing Robyn Lucas in the 1900 block of Juniper Circle on Dec. 20, 2020.

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe met Monday afternoon with federal, state and local officials about security preparations for the World Cup in Kansas City.

Kansas City will host six matches, including a quarterfinal game. The city is expecting 650,000 visitors and four countries will call KC its base camp. Those countries include: Argentina, Algeria, England and the Netherlands.

Monday’s discussion included the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri National Guard, along with Kansas City officials.

A news conference took place after the meeting where Kehoe announced the activation of the Missouri National Guard to assist local law enforcement agencies with security operations throughout FIFA events.

“The National Guard’s primary mission is to serve as a visible security deterrent at three locations Kansas City Stadium, FIFA Fan Festival and the Kansas City International and Kansas City Downtown airports,” Kehoe said.

A total of 110 National Guard members will assist security efforts along with more than 100 MSHP personnel and several other safety agencies.

“KCPD has joined over 400 stakeholders for planned meetings to include federal, state, local and non-governmental partners,” Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said.

Kehoe said Monday that a Trump administration grant for Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems will be utilized by KCPD and MSHP. The Missouri DPS also received a $50 million Department of Homeland Security grant for law enforcement in Kansas City along with overtime crowd management, transportation, and emergency services.

Kehoe referenced some of the health and disaster response measures that will also be in place.

“The Missouri Disaster Medical Assistance Team has assigned over 200 medical and support team members of staff on a rotating basis at three medical locations,” Kehoe said.

Kehoe said safety has been the top priority for organizers and continues to be with fewer than 60 days to go until Kansas City and the state of Missouri are highlight on a world stage.

“This will be a great success for Kansas City and our visitors, but we must always prepare for public safety, emergencies and potential threats,” Kehoe said.

Local event organizer KC 2026 listed three pillars to success at Monday’s press conference:

Safety

Hospitality

A positive and sustainable longer-term impact on the community

“At the center of all three of those is safety and security,” KC 2026 CEO Pam Kramer said.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Public School District has issued 2,628 cellphone policy referrals so far this school year, according to the district.

The district says that number reflects incidents and not individual students, as one student can receive multiple referrals.

This marks a decrease from 3,185 in the 2024-2025 school year. In the 2023-2024 school year, the district reported 1,190 referrals, according to CPS spokesperson Michelle Baumstark.

Baumstark noted the increases in the 2024-25 school year was due to stricter enforcement of the school’s existing policy before it became state law. She added about 75% of referrals are for multiple warnings to put the device away without compliance. The remaining involves incidents of misuse, including recording, headphone use and social media.

The district implemented a “cellphone free policy” at the start of the 2025-2026 school year after Gov. Mike Kehoe signed Senate Bill 68 banning the use of cellphones during instructional time, lunch breaks, study halls and between passing periods for all students. Under the law, during school hours, cellphones must be turned off, or on silent mode and stored in student’s backpack or locker.

Before Kehoe signed the law into place, CPS already enforced a similar policy for middle school students that prohibited phone use throughout the day, including in hallways, bathrooms and lunch.

“We have more than 18,000 students in CPS. So, referrals for cell phone related offenses represents a small percentage of the total student population. Most of our students are making good choices and have done well with the increased enforcement over the last few years.” Baumstark said.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged Monday with eight felonies after allegedly running over three people early Sunday.

Boone County prosecutors charged Andy Cenobio, 19, with four counts of first-degree assault and four counts of armed criminal action.

Columbia Police say a man identified as J.E. was with three friends and his girlfriend at El Poblano restaurant in the 2500 block of Old 63 South early Sunday. A victim allegedly told the police that three suspects inside the restaurant, one being Cenobio, were being creepy to his girlfriend before leaving. The alleged victim and his group later left and saw Cenobio and his group fighting an unknown person in the parking lot, according to a probable cause statement.

J.E. reportedly told police that he and his friends went to break up the fight and help the unknown person, but then they got involved in a fight with Cenobio’s group. The suspects then got into a white 2007 Chevrolet Silverado that Cenobio was driving and turned around, hitting J.E. and his friends, the statement says.

Cenobio allegedly drove away. J.E. and three of his friends were hurt, one with a head injury and brain bleed reported by University Hospital staff, one with a fractured left ankle and one with a broken right ankle, the statement says.

Residents in the area told ABC 17 News that violence and police are not common to see.

“Absolutely not, especially for me, I haven’t seen any crime here in Colombia in general, but especially here,” resident Joshua Johnston said

“It’s a nice place. it’s a safe place, that’s kind of the first I’ve heard of anything like that around here,” resident Logan Vanalstine said.

Police wrote that Cenobio admitted to getting into a fight in the parking lot and said he was angry and drove towards J.E. and his group “trying to scare them.” He later said he “might have hit them, with his truck,” according to the probable cause statement.

J.E.’s girlfriend told police that she arrived at the restaurant to meet J.E. and the group with her friend. While at the restaurant, Cenobio’s group allegedly got close to her and her friend, asking to kiss them and to dance. J.E. and his friends later told the suspects to stop, leading to the fight, according to the statement

A manager at El Poblano told ABC 17 News that police are still investigating. They add that the fight isn’t common for the area, and they did not know what started the altercation since they were focused on operations at the time.

No hearing had been set for Cenobio as of Monday evening.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who is in the Boone County Jail awaiting a mental health commitment after allegedly throwing an unknown, caustic liquid on two people is now accused of attacking a deputy.

Maxon Castle, 23, has been held in the Boone County Jail since he allegedly sprayed the liquid on two strangers in March 2025 near the Bear Creek Trail in Columbia. Castle was ordered committed to the Department of Mental Health in January, according to court records.

Castle is newly accused of putting a deputy in a chokehold and biting the deputy’s neck during a Saturday morning scuffle in the jail. The deputy allegedly told investigators that Castle made him fear for his life.

Castle is now charged with first-degree assault, on top of the two counts of second-degree assault he was facing for the alleged chemical attack. A hearing was scheduled for Monday afternoon.

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Matthew Sanders

President Donald Trump is at war with the pope.

Over the weekend, Trump posted a long message critical of Pope Leo XIV on his Truth Social platform. That was followed by an illustration of Trump as a Jesus-like figure, healing a sick man.

Reports have also emerged of the administration telling a Vatican ambassador that the pope had better get on Trump’s good side, invoking the Avignon Papacy.

Do you agree with Trump’s attacks on the pope? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two people suffered serious injuries after a single-vehicle crash in Montgomery County on Sunday night.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a 29-year-old man from Kansas City was driving a 2014 Toyota Tundra eastbound on Interstate 70 at the 166-mile marker in Montgomery County at 9:50 p.m. on Sunday.

The crash report states the vehicle went off the left side of the road before the man steered back to the right and returned to the road when it overcorrected.

Troopers said the truck overturned multiple times, rolling down an embankment and striking several trees.

The driver and his passenger, a 30-year-old woman, were both taken to University Hospital by Montgomery County ambulance with serious injuries.

The driver was not wearing a seatbelt.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A new project is bringing Columbia’s history to life right from the sidewalks of downtown.

CoMo Preservation is honoring six historic buildings through a new initiative called CoMo Brick & Mortar, designed to showcase the city’s rich architectural past in a modern, interactive way.

The project transforms downtown Columbia into a self-guided walking history tour using small window clings with QR codes placed on select buildings. When scanned, the codes give visitors a deeper look into each building’s history and how it has evolved over time.

Three of the featured locations are along East Broadway, including the Howard Municipal Building at 600 E. Broadway and the Herald Building at 1020 E. Broadway. Other sites include The Tiger Hotel on South Eighth Street, the Hall Theatre on Ninth Street, and the Crane-Cho Building on East Walnut.

Organizers said each building represents a unique piece of Columbia’s story.

“Columbia has changed over the years.” said Matt Fetterly, a CoMo Preservation Historian. “In fact, hardly any buildings downtown are being used today for their original purpose and most have seen many iterations of different businesses, different uses throughout the years.”

The first QR code was installed at a downtown location known as Wynnsome on Sunday afternoon, marking the beginning of what organizers hope will become a long-term community resource.

Fetterly said the goal is not only to highlight history but to help people better understand and appreciate architecture.

“We have some pretty cool buildings architecturally in downtown Columbia, and people need the vocabulary to know how to talk about these buildings,” Fetterly said.

The project comes at a relatively low cost, just a few hundred dollars to produce the QR code clings.

“It’s a small investment for a huge reward,” Fetterly added.

The initiative is made possible through a partnership with Columbia’s Downtown District.

“It’s really cool to know that, you know, the building that you’re standing in had been something major in the past. It has contributed to the city in one way or another,” said Nickie Davis with the District.

Organizers hope to expand the project by adding six more buildings each year, with plans to eventually reach beyond downtown Columbia.

“We could spend two decades just in downtown,” Fetterly said. “We want to expand a little bit to other places that might be interested. Perhaps one of our three college campuses.”

Check back for updates.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Police Department arrested a 19-year-old Columbia man Sunday for assault on Old Highway 63.

According to a CPD social media post, Andy Cenobio was arrested after police were called to investigate three injured victims at a local hospital just before 3 a.m. He is facing charges of assault and armed criminal action in connection.

CPD believes those individuals were run over by a vehicle linked to Cenobio near the 2500 block of Old Highway 63, leaving one person with life-threatening injuries. The two other people had non-life threatening injuries.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol pulled Cenobio over in Osage County, leading to his arrest. CPD said it used flock cameras to track and locate the car.

Cenobio is currently being held in the Boone County jail on no bond.

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