Category: kmiz-local-news

Euphenie Andre

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Carlos Graham is the newest member of the Jefferson City Board of Education.

Graham was unanimously picked by the board to take the open seat left by former board President Erika Leonard. The board made its decision by a public vote during its Thursday night meeting.

Graham was sworn in immediately following the vote and wasted no time stepping into his new role. Moments after taking the oath, he took his seat at the board table, officially beginning his service.

“I just really want to work with the current board members and see what issues are out there, if any,” Graham said. “And make sure that our students are prepared to go to the next level.”

Leonard retired in December, saying she wanted to dedicate more time to her family and career. Following her resignation, the board opened the application process to fill the vacant seat from Dec. 11 through Jan. 7. Two candidates applied during that period: Graham and Ryan Towner.

Towner congratulated Graham following the decision.

“I’ve worked with Carlos on a couple other city commissions. He’s great. He’ll do a great job, and I congratulate him for winning,” Towner said.

Towner is also running for a seat in the April election.

“I think it is important that Jefferson City is distinguished from other schools. I think it’s important that everybody that grows up here returns and continues to give back, especially those that live here,” Towner said.

Graham has two daughters who graduated from Jefferson City High School. He has worked at Lincoln University in roles that include residential life director and interim chief of staff.

“I think our role is to make sure that our school district is promoting students who are ready to prepare for college,” Graham said. “Our teachers do a great job, and it’s about providing the support they need to help students get to that next level.”

Graham is also involved in local public service organizations and was recently awarded the Fisher Family Good Samaritan Award in 2024.

“I’m just very excited to be a part of this,” Graham said. “I want to thank the school board members for having the faith and confidence in me. I promise to do the best of my ability while serving in this role.”

Although Towner was not selected for the vacant school board seat Thursday, his application showed extensive professional and community experience.

Towner is the owner and the president of Towner Communication Systems Inc. He holds degrees in psychology and philosophy and a master’s degree in business administration. He has been on the city’s Transportation and Traffic Commission and the United Way’s fund allocation committee. He has also spent time of the advisory boards of the Nichols Career Center, State Tech, the Salvation Army and the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce.

“Being a product of public school, I’d like for my kids and other kids to have the same positive experience I did,” Towner wrote in his application. “[Two] of my five kids are new to public school and I want to help educate others about how amazing JC schools are today. I believe the district is moving in the right direction and I want to help further that with all kids. I believe my experience will help me in assisting the district.”

Trent Vallandingham, who is running for the Jefferson City School Board in April, was also in attendance at Thursday night’s meeting. Vallandingham said he is seeking a seat in the spring election because he wants to serve his community.

“I went to Jeff City schools from all the way from elementary through high school.” Vallandingham said. “Both my parents were teachers. My dad was a coach in the district as well under Pete Atkins. So, you know, just really want to get back to the district,”

Graham will serve the rest of Leonard’s term, which runs through April 2027.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Hundreds of Ameren Missouri customers in the Osage County area lost power Thursday afternoon after a wave of strong thunderstorms moved through.

An Ameren Missouri spokesperson said the outages were because of the weather. About 500 meters were dark in the Loose Creek and Westphalia area early Thursday afternoon.

More than 200 Gasconade Electric Cooperative members in Pulaski County were also without power at about 2 p.m.

Wind gusts of more than 20 mph were recorded at the Columbia Regional Airport on Thursday morning and Thursday afternoon.

More storms are possible Thursday afternoon.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Boone County jury found a Fayette woman guilty of murder and other charges in an 8-month-old girl’s death from 2021.

Jennifer Johnson, 49, was found guilty on Thursday of felony murder in the second degree and two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child in the April 2021 death of Hannah Kent. She will be held at the Boone County Jail until her sentencing, which should occur within six weeks.

According to court documents, Hannah’s mother, Lanetta Hill, found the child about 8:30 a.m. unresponsive and cool to the touch after returning home and immediately noticed bruising. Hill took the infant to Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Testimony during the first two days of the trial detailed Hannah’s condition after being left in Johnson’s care. Police and medical witnesses described bruising and brain injuries consistent with recent trauma.

Hill testified she had been friends with Johnson for more than a decade and had previously trusted her to watch her children, though it was the first time Johnson had cared for Hannah.

Hannah’s sister, Jynasha Hill, testified that the baby appeared normal before she left the house that evening, but said Johnson was in the bathroom when she departed.

Jurors also heard recorded statements in which Johnson denied any knowledge of what had happened. Phone records, however, showed messages sent from her phone about drugs during hours she said she was asleep.

Investigators testified they found baby formula on Johnson’s clothing, and testing showed blood on the shirt belonged to Hannah. Johnson told police she had changed clothes after showering.

The state called its final witnesses Thursday, including a Missouri State Highway Patrol crime lab employee who testified that residue found on a bag among Johnson’s belongings tested positive for methamphetamine.

Johnson told the judge Thursday that she would not testify in her own defense. The defense then rested without calling any witnesses. The move followed the defense’s decision to reserve its opening statement on Monday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Cole County commissioners approved a 2026 budget burdened by lower-than-expected tax revenue on Thursday.

The county ended 2025 with $56.4 million in reserves and is expected to bring in $64.4 million in 2026. However, commissioners anticipate spending $92.9 million throughout the year, which includes $32.8 million in capital projects.

Cole County Auditor Jay Moore said the county needs to watch its spending this year, now that federal stimulus funds from the COVID-19 pandemic are running dry.

“Governments have a tendency, when they receive big funds of money, to maybe overspend,” Moore said. “Well, those days have come to an end. So, we’re having to cut back on our spending, watch everything we do.”

Capital improvement sales tax ended the year with only a 0.6% increase in revenue, when it was projected to grow by 2%. Moore said sales tax is one of the main streams of revenue for the county, and the new budget doesn’t project an increase — it stays flat.

“Sales tax is lagging, not growing like it could or should,” Commissioner Harry Otto said. “That may be due to too many of us buying on Amazon rather than going down to the mortar and brick store.”

There is one way the sales tax could grow, but it depends on Governor Mike Kehoe’s tax plan, which he plans to announce Tuesday at the State of the State Adress.

Kehoe has been open about his intent to eliminate income tax, and there are two ways to make that happen. The governor can either expand what is taxable to include services or increase the sales tax rate.

Otto said an expansion of the sales tax base would benefit the county because that would increase the amount of tax-eligible products and services.

The county also has a use tax for online purchases, which Moore said is bringing in more money.

The commissioners also approved a resolution to renew the capital improvement sales tax for 2027, which will need voter approval in April. If approved by voters, the sales tax will be in effect for 10 years and start in January 2027.

Cole County has a self-insurance plan and stop-gap policy, so when any county employee files a claim with their insurance that is more than $80,000, the county pays that claim and is reimbursed from the insurance, Moore said.

The county saw more people filing claims about the $80,000 line in 2025, and also saw a 20% increase in health insurance premiums for 2026, Moore said. The rising cost of claims and frequency at which people are filing them could cause the county to look at alternative insurance options.

“This will be a fund that I will continue to monitor into 2026 to see if we can continue to be self-insured going forward,” Moore said.

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Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two men accused of a 2022 murder in Columbia pleaded guilty Wednesday afternoon, just days before going to trial.

They’ll likely serve nearly two decades in prison per the terms of the plea agreement.

Oscar Ashford and Samarion Robins entered guilty pleas to second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon. Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson said the state agreed to 18 years in prison for each man. Sentencing is set for Monday.

The two were charged in the death of 15-year-old Aubry Doxley in 2022 on McKee Street.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped one count of armed criminal action.

Ashford and Robins were set for a joint trial to start on Monday. A pretrial conference was held hours before the guilty pleas were entered.

At the pretrial conference, prosecutors revealed cell phone data that they said showed Robins and Ashford in the area of McKee Street when the shooting happened that left Doxley dead and two others hurt.

One of those hurt included Tavan Williams-Patrick. Court documents placed him in the back seat of the car during the shooting. Charges were dropped against Williams-Patrick in Aug.

Prosecutors said cell phone data also placed Ashford and Robins at an area hospital following the shooting, when Williams-Patrick was dropped off.

A final disposition and sentencing hearing for Robins and Ashford is set for Monday afternoon.

Charges are still active against another defendant, Daniel Ayers. Court documents say he allegedly told Doxley’s cousin, Coriana Simmons, what had happened. Ayers claimed Ashford was driving the car while Robins fired shots out of the passenger window. Ayers told Smith he did not fire any shots.

However, the state believes the shooting was retaliation for a shooting Ayers was involved in days prior, along with conflicts dating back to 2020.

Ayers is set to go to trial in April for his charges of second-degree muder, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Eldon held a town-hall meeting on Wednesday night at the city’s community center to discuss a recent boil order.

The area was under a boil order from the Department of Natural Resources for three weeks until this past Tuesday.

City officials on Wednesday night gave a time line on the water tests that led to the boil order, and the next steps to improve the city’s water infrastructure. The city says it plans to flush the water system and gradually chlorinate the water over the next week. The flushing will be carried out by the Missouri Rural Water Association. The project is expected to cost between $8,000-$20,000 and will begin Thursday morning.

About 60 residents attended Wednesday night’s meeting, voiced their concerns and gave suggestions on how the city can do better. 

“I think it went very well. I think that a lot of our citizens were here in support of our community and the work that has been done,” City Administrator Mandy Asbury said. “We always have opportunities to learn during times like this. And so I think that any time something like this happens, in the future we know what to do a little better.”

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Legal experts are weighing in on the deadly shooting in Minneapolis involving an ICE agent that left one woman dead on Wednesday.

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were on a residential street as they heighten their immigration crackdown in Minnesota. The Department of Homeland Security claims the ICE agent shot the woman in self-defense, alleging the woman was trying to run them over. Others claim the woman was attempting to drive away from the scene.

The woman was later identified by Minneapolis city officials as Renee Nicole Good. The Honda driven by Good was registered out of Kansas City and the Missouri Department of Revenue told ABC 17 News on Wednesday afternoon that one of the two names the vehicle was registered to was Renee N. Good Macklin.

Video circulating online shows the moments leading up to the shooting, sparking mixed reactions.

Former Cole County Prosecutor Bill Tackett reviewed the video with ABC 17 News to give his legal perspective on the shooting.

Tackett says in self-defense cases, attorneys examine whether the person who fired the weapon reasonably believed they were in danger of death or serious physical injury.

“This agent right here is off to the side. He started in front of the vehicle, but the first shot has not been fired,” Tackett said. “He’s shooting from the side, not the front. This wheel is turned. The car is pulling away. That’s the first shot, his feet are clear over here, he’s on the side of the vehicle now.”

“If he’s in front of the car, if he’s have been there and she pulled directly at him then he could fire as many times as you want, nobody would say a word here,” Tackett noted.

Former Cole County Prosecutor Bill Tackett points at a screen showing a video of an ICE agent near a Honda Pilot seconds before the agent opened fire and killed a woman on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Tackett added that by the second and third shots, the ICE agent was feet away from the vehicle, which Tackett claims did not justify firing the weapon.

“You can’t claim that [self-defense], it seems to me. I would not ,as a prosecutor, you want to have this as a ‘proper use of deadly force’ based on this video, because the position of his feet when he shoots,” Tackett said. “There’s too many avenues to stop the vehicle and make this arrest without putting three bullets in the head of the driver when there just isn’t that threat.”

Defense attorney Dan Viets agreed with Tackett’s perspective on the video.

“He was not in front of the vehicle, she was not coming toward him. She was, if anything, trying to get away,” Viets said. “It’s obvious there is no threat to the shooter or to any other officer. That video makes clear this was an instance of cold-blooded murder.”

With protests happening across the country, questions about people’s rights are taking center stage.

Both Tackett and Viets say everyone has a Constitutional right to express themselves, with political speech protected under the First Amendment. If law enforcement approaches a demonstrator, Tackett says it’s important to cooperate.

“You have to identify yourself to law enforcement, really at any time, if they’re approaching you. So locking the door and not communicating is going to cause a problem and they do have a right at that point because they don’t know whether you have a gun, they don’t know what your motive is, what you’ve done,” Tackett said.

Viets offered a different perspective.

“There’s no obligation to do so. There’s no law that requires us to show our identity, to show our papers to government agentsl unless you’re driving a motor vehicle. In which case, you do, of course. You have to produce a driver’s license,” Viets said.

If law enforcement approaches a person’s home, Viets says a the resident does not have the obligation to open the door unless law enforcement has a search warrant signed by a judge.

Tackett gave another perspective on if a law enforcement officer approaches a vehicle.

“Not when an officer is telling you to stop the car, he’s investigating. At that point you would have to stop the vehicle,” Tackett said. “In a perfect world, she would have stopped and identified herself, she should have done that. But then the officer, from what I’ve seen of this video, was not in imminent danger of death or serious fiscal injury.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Chinese national was charged in the Western District of Missouri on Wednesday after authorities claim he took photographs of military installation and equipment without authorization, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

Qilin Wu, 35, is accused of driving a minivan on Dec. 2 at Whiteman Air Force Base and admitting to taking photos and recordings without permission, according to the release.

He was seen in the same minivan the next day and allegedly admitted to taking videos of an aircraft and photos of the fencing, gate and military equipment, the release says.

The release claims Wu illegally entered the country on June 22, 2023, in Arizona. He was detained then, but was released on his own recognizance. An immigration hearing was originally scheduled for Feb. 9, 2027.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Police Department announced in a social media post that it arrested a man on Wednesday afternoon after a 20-minute chase.

Police wrote that detectives talked to a man with “several felony warrants” at 2:30 p.m. The man allegedly told police he had a gun and sped away.

The chase occurred on northbound Highway 63 before going on Route B toward Hallsville, the post says. Once the chase reached Hallsville, the man drove southbound back toward Columbia and then went west on Highway 124, the post says.

The man then drove through several fields before getting back on southbound Highway 63, police wrote. He was eventually arrested around 2:50 p.m. near Highway 63 and Dripping Springs Road, police wrote.

The man’s name was not revealed on Wednesday afternoon.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Boone County Sheriff’s Office gave an inside look at its new $20 million Law Enforcement Training Institute on Wednesday.

The facility will hold classes and trainings for prospective and current officers 48 weeks out of the year, sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Brian Leer said.

“We averaged just over 30 students per academy, so about 100 students a year that’ll come through here,” said Damon Reynolds, LETI’s director of training.

The institute will have 20 instructors from 15 different law enforcement agencies across the Mid-Missouri region.

Reynolds said about 30% of training will take place in the classroom, with their main focus on providing hands-on experience.

“If we don’t do the practical and scenario-based training, our folks aren’t going to be prepared,” said Boone County Sheriff Dwayne Carey. “So we’ve got to give them something to pull from in the back of their head in order to get through that incident when they’re dealing with it in real life, and that’s what this whole building is about.”

Boone County’s newest recruit class started Monday. Reynolds said the 31 recruits will move over to the new building in February. However, Reynolds detailed bigger plans for the building.

“The weeks that we don’t have the academy, we can open this thing up and have really large-scale, training conferences, classroom activities to a bigger group,” Reynolds said.

Boone County Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick said the funding for the building came from the state, taxpayer dollars and special bonds.

The state provided $4 million. Other funding was local, including special revenue bonds, Kendrick said.

Carey said Wednesday the building plans took two years to complete.

“We are getting students from as far as four or five hours away that are coming to us,” Reynolds said. “We have students that are coming from Steeleville, Cuba, even locally, Randolph County Sheriff’s Department, Moberly Police Department.”

The new facility also comes with new mandatory training. Carey said all Boone County Sheriff’s personnel are now required to complete two hours of defense tactical training each month.

“We can talk about our use of force, our policies, our laws and then we can go right to the mat and we can recreate and start working through some of that,” Reynolds said.

The new defense tactical training room will also be open to other law enforcement officials in the region to use.

“What we want is all of our people, jail staff and on the road to be comfortable when they have to use levels of force to where we’re not making mistakes that we’ve seen at the national level,” Carey said.

Austin Kidwell, an instructor for LETI, explained that the tactical approach is multi-faceted with a heavy jujitsu influence.

“You’re going to limit liability for every agency and every law enforcement manager, and it’s just such a big piece of what they do every day,” Carey said.

Driving and firearms training simulations will also be apart of training at the facility.

Boone County is also using virtual reality simulations.

The push for hands-on training extends beyond law enforcement with the incorporation of joint communication trainees. The new facility has a mock joint communication setup for dispatchers to train alongside law enforcement recruits.

“This is going to be critical for the joint communications dispatchers as well as for law enforcement,” Kendrick said.

Reynolds said they hope to have a cross-training simulation between dispatchers and law enforcement take place once a month.

“We can do the most basic of how to do a car stop when we’re talking about the academy students. Where do you stand? What are you supposed to say?” Reynolds said.

They’ll also train prospective Department of Corrections officers at LETI.

“We are going to be training detention staff from both Boone County and surrounding area. So we have created a jail cell so we can do scenario-based training for jail officers,” Reynolds said. “We can learn cell extraction, we can do de-escalation.”

An on-site child care facility for Boone County public safety workers is also under construction. Kendrick said the child care facility should be complete and open by August.

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