Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two people were charged with misdemeanors after deputies found several malnourished dogs at an empty residence in Keytesville.

Vincent Brummer and Emily Brummer were charged with three counts of animal abuse and three counts of animal neglect. Warrants were issued on Monday and $1,500 bonds were set.

According to the probable cause statement, a neighbor called law enforcement saying that a German shepherd had been tangled in a chain in a backyard for several days. A Chariton County deputy on Sunday knocked on the door of the residence – where he wrote he knew both Brummers lived – and heard other dogs barking, the release says.

The deputy saw a utility shut-off notice that was taped to the door that had a Friday date. Mail for both people was in an open mailbox and postmarked for May 13, the statement says.

The deputy went to the backyard and saw a malnourished German shepherd chained to a board with an “intentionally shortened chain,” the statement says. Empty buckets and bowls were in the area and the deputy poured water out of a spigot from a neighboring yard, the statement says.

The deputy filled a 5-gallon bucket and the dog drank 5 inches from it immediately, the statement says. The deputy then went inside the residence and was “overwhelmed by a strong, putrid odor, intensified by the heat inside the uncooled home. Dog feces were present in several rooms.”

An emaciated pit bull was found, along with a dachshund that was locked in a crate without food or water, the statement says.  

“Both dogs appeared extremely malnourished and lethargic. Neither responded significantly to my presence, which I believe to be due to extreme dehydration and starvation,” court documents say.

Temperatures in the days leading up to Sunday eclipsed 80 degrees. After the dachshund was let out of the crate, it immediately ran to an empty water bowl, the deputy wrote. Law enforcement estimates the animals were without care for four or five days.

A vet determined the dogs had poor care for about six months, court documents say. The statement says that the dogs were brought to Saving Dogs Rescue in Moberly.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia held its annual labor group presentations Monday night, hosting union representatives from the Columbia Police Officers Association, Columbia Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 1055 and LiUNA Local 955, which represents a large portion of the city’s workforce.

All three unions expressed concerns over how the city was handling negotiations. 

The Annual Labor Group Presentation allows the City Council an opportunity to hear about how negotiations with city staff are going, since labor negotiations are primarily handled by the city administrator’s office. Dozens of city employees were in attendance on Monday night. 

Columbia is looking to balance its 2026 budget, as it projects to draw $31.1 million from its cash reserves during the next six years, as sales tax revenue falls short of expectations and employee wages and benefits continue to rise. However, union representatives feel that the city is not prioritizing its employees. 

Columbia Police Officers’ Association

Don Weaver, a lawyer who represents CPOA, told the City Council on Monday that they want to see changes to next year’s budget, calling the financial issues cited by the city “fabricated” and adding that if the city wants to prioritize public safety, it should be prioritizing working with CPD to help address its staffing shortage. 

On May 5th, Columbia Police Chief Jill Schulde told ABC 17 News that the department currently has 15 officer vacancies and 2 sergeant vacancies. 

“CPOA is asking the City to implement a pay step plan (predictable pay adjustments commensurate with time of successful service) to ensure CPD can attract and retain the best and brightest,” Weaver wrote in a statement to ABC 17 News. “Implementing long-term solutions to CPD’s staffing crisis is an essential step toward improving community safety.” 

The lack of a pay step plan was a point of emphasis for Weaver on Monday night, who told the council that most progressive cities in Missouri have a step plan. He added the CPOA has only had one meeting with the city since submitting its plan. 

“It would be good for the city, and for CPOA members and for the community to give officers and sergeants predictable pay increases,” Weaver told the council. 

Columbia Professional Firefighters LOCAL 1055

The Columbia Professional Firefighters’ union pointed to several longstanding issues within the city, including stagnant wages that are not competitive with comparable markets, salary compression caused by past wage freezes, and ongoing challenges with recruitment and retention as employees leave for better pay and benefits elsewhere.

“We’re at a place where we’re not making progress and the city has decided to hit the panic button, which always comes back to the employees,” Local 1055 President Zack Privette told the city council on Monday. 

Privette asked the council to build its next budget around employees to help meet inflation and CPI rates with wage adjustments. He says that employees who work to earn advanced training do not get compensated, and because of this, he feels the city is taking advantage of employees. 

Privette also added that multiple classes of employees within the fire department are earning the same pay regardless of how long they have been with the city, which has hurt their recruitment efforts as employees continue to leave for better pay and benefits elsewhere. 

LiUNA Local 955

Local 955 union claims it proposed a 7% adjustment to the current pay scale. The proposal also called for all eligible employees currently on the step scale to receive a one-step increase. 

Employees not currently on the step scale would move to the closest step without a reduction in pay, followed by a one-step increase. In addition, the union requested that three steps be added to the top of each pay scale and that the merit process be reviewed with the city administrator. According to the union, the city administrator rejected the proposal and offered no economic counter.

Andrew Hutchinson, the public employees union representative for LiUNA Local 955, told the City Council that Columbia is one of the only cities he has worked with that offers no cost-of-living adjustment.

Hutchinson told ABC 17 News that they will be meeting with the city again on Wednesday morning. 

ABC 17 News reached out to the City of Columbia for comment. Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No charges will be filed in a Sunday afternoon shooting.

The Columbia Police Department confirmed in a Tuesday press release that a road rage incident preceded a fatal shooting at the McDonald’s on Nifong Boulevard.

Police on Monday said they were not willing to discuss a possible motive, though D’Markus Thomas-Brown – of the Office of Violence Prevention – stated road rage was a likely reason.

Police wrote that Derek Gonzalez, 32, of Columbia, was pronounced dead at an area hospital after he and another driver “encountered each other in traffic” around 12:40 p.m. Sunday. The drivers pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot and fired shots at each other.

CPD wrote that it reviewed the case with the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office and that no criminal charges will be filed. However, police note the investigation is “ongoing.”

“It was two individuals, not interpersonal, traffic signal parking lot discussion, an altercation, and then followed across the street at McDonald’s to the individual getting shot and killed, and another individual being shot,” Thomas-Brown told ABC 17 News on Monday. “And so, just road rage that lends itself to a lost life.”

One person was detained at the scene but later released.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri’s hot-weather law is in effect from June 1-Sept. 30.

A Tuesday press release from the Missouri Public Service Commission says the law was made to protect residential customers of investor-owned utilities from having electric or natural gas services disconnected when extreme heat is expected.

Utility companies are prohibited from disconnecting service if the National Weather Service is predicting the temperature to rise above 95 degrees or if the heat index eclipses 105 degrees. Utility companies aren’t allowed to disconnect for the following 24 hours if that temperature is expected from 6 a.m.-9 p.m.

Consumers are still responsible for paying their bills, the release says.

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CNN Newsource

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren grilled former Missouri congressman Billy Long on Tuesday about whether the president can order the IRS to take away a nonprofit organization’s tax-free status.

Long is President Donald Trump’s nominee for IRS commissioner. Long represented southwest Missouri in Congress for 12 years before stepping down in 2023.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was charged after he allegedly assaulted a woman at a Kingdom City hotel on Feb. 28 and March 1.

Richard Allen Tripp, 34, of New Bloomfield, was charged on Monday with first-degree domestic assault, two counts of third-degree domestic assault and one count of tampering with a victim in a felony prosecution. He was booked into the Callaway County Jail on Monday evening.

The victim allegedly told law enforcement on March 13 that Tripp assaulted her multiple times during their stay at the Quality Inn in Kingdom City, according to the probable cause statement.

The victim allegedly told law enforcement that she was strangled to the point of losing consciousness and claimed Tripp said he was going to kill her, court documents say.

Tripp also allegedly assaulted the victim while she was driving on Interstate 70 on March 1, court documents say. Law enforcement reviewed medical reports from University Hospital that detailed several injuries, the statement says.

Trip is also charged in Randolph County for allegedly assaulting the same victim. He was charged on March 31 with first-degree property damage and third-degree domestic assault.

He posted a $5,000 bond in that case on April 10 and a hearing was scheduled for Monday.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three meetings are scheduled for next week for the city to gather community feedback on the Douglass Park court renovations, a Tuesday press release from the city says.

Meetings are scheduled for:

6-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 27 at the Activity and Recreation Center

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 28 in conference rooms 1A/1B at City Hall

10 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 31 in conference rooms 1A/1B at City Hall

Feedback can also be submitted online on the city’s BeHeard website. The release says city staff “also anticipates collecting additional information about existing park amenities and future improvements. Staff will address immediate concerns presented at the meetings, such as trash pickup or mowing.”

The release says “broader concerns” can be incorporated in next year’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan.

“The City of Columbia is committed to listening to our residents and making sure their voices are heard, especially when it comes to decisions that directly impact their neighborhoods and quality of life,” Parks and Recreation Director Gabe Huffington said in the release. “We value open dialogue and meaningful engagement, and we hope community members will take part in these meetings to help shape the future of Douglass Park. Your feedback matters, and we are here to listen.”

The city announced in February that it would seek additional feedback after community pushback over the new name of the court. The city wants to name one of the courts for former University of Missouri women’s basketball assistant coach Willie Cox.

Some community members said in February that they wanted to see courts named after others involved in basketball programs at the park.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Traffic on Stadium Boulevard near Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City will be closed for a portion of Friday and Saturday for the state track meet, according to a Tuesday press release from the Jefferson City Police Department.

Traffic will be restricted from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. both days between Jackson Street and Mesa Avenue.

“There will be a large number of pedestrians in the area and drivers are urged to be diligent should they be in the area. Motorists are further advised to follow the directions of police officers assigned to the detail,” the release says.

This weekend’s meet is for classes 1-3. Tickets are available on MSHSAA’s website.  Larger classes will compete May 30-31.

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Haley Swaino

EDITOR’S NOTE: The story has been corrected to say the amended bill passed.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council has approved a $1 million cost-share agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission to improve pedestrian safety features, including bigger sidewalks and better signals at the Interstate 70-Highway 63 connector.

“Over Interstate 70, there’s not a lot of places for pedestrian crossing right now,” City of Columbia Public Works Engineering Manager Allison Anderson said. “It’s not a safe place for pedestrians to cross over the highway. There’s no sidewalks over the bridge and there’s no sidewalks even going up to the bridge.”

The ordinance was introduced on May 5 and was up for a second reading at Monday’s meeting. The agreement was amended to add financial responsibilities language within the cost-share agreement and was approved.

Pedestrian safety has been an ongoing conversation in Columbia. The Columbia City Council approved a $96,550 agreement with a third-party professional engineering service in March to conduct a street and intersection pedestrian safety study across the city. The study came amid concerns of panhandlers standing in medians, according to previous reporting.

That agreement came after a previous pedestrian safety study found that from Jan. 1, 2022, to Nov. 21, 2024, 91 crashes involving pedestrians were reported within city limits, resulting in seven deaths and 25 serious injuries.

A record-high 148 pedestrians were also struck or killed across Missouri in 2024, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.

The cost-share agreement will add pedestrian improvements to the multi-year project to expand I-70 across the state. The estimated cost of pedestrian improvements is $2,032,500, according to the amendment sheet.

Additional pedestrian safety features are being proposed at four separate areas.

I-70/Highway 63 connector

The existing Improve I-70 design-build contract includes the installation of 6-foot sidewalks on the west side from Clark Lane to the Conley Road/East Boulevard roundabout. The proposed project adds a signalized pedestrian crossing across the connector at Conley Road, increases sidewalks to 8 feet on the west side of the bridge and adds 8-foot sidewalks on the east side from Clark Lane to Conley Road.

I-70 Drive S.E.

The proposed project also adds a signalized pedestrian crossing across I-70 Drive S.E. It adds 8-foot sidewalks on the south side from the connector to existing sidewalks at T.G.I Friday’s.

St. Charles Road

The existing Improve I-70 design-build contract includes the installation of 6-foot sidewalks on the west side from south of the I-70 outer road to north of Nilson-Millard Cremation and Burial Center. The proposed project increases sidewalks to 8 feet on the west side of the bridge and adds 8-foot sidewalks on the east side from south of the outage to the Phillips 66 station and from Freedom Drive to the St. Charles Road/Clark Lane roundabout.

Clark Lane

The proposed project adds 6-foot sidewalks on the north side from Lambeth Drive to the connector. It also adds base fill, culvert widening and 5-foot minimum sidewalks on the north side from Woodland Spring Court to the Clark Lane/Hanover Boulevard roundabout.

Anderson said the minimum width for many sidewalks in the city is five foot, but the new sidewalks will be wider.

“The eight foot, which is [what] we’re proposing, is helpful because it allows both walkers and bikers to use the sidewalk and have room for both of them on there,” Anderson said.

She said additional improvements will likely be added as the project continues.

“The next phase, the one where we’re going west, yes, we have a lot more discussions and stuff like that coming on what the best improvements are,” Anderson said.

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Gabrielle Teiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man pleaded guilty to murder in the courtroom an hour before jury selection was set to start on Tuesday.

John Williamson III, 28, was sentenced to 27 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for the shooting of a woman on Typhoon Court in December 2023.

He pleaded to amended charges of second-degree murder after initially being charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.

Williamson was in accompanied in the court room by his attorney, Carissa Tarnowski. Shortly after he entered his plea of guilty, Tarnowski addressed the court room and stated Williamson would reflect on the shooting for the next 27 years, but believed the shooting was an accident.

This caused confusion in the courtroom, and ultimately led to Judge Stephanie Morrell clarifying with Williamson that he was, in fact, pleading guilty to second-degree murder, meaning he intended to harm her.

Court documents state he shot Azairah Brownlee, 27, of Columbia on Dec. 8, 2023, in the neck. She later died at the hospital.

According to the statement, a witness told police that Williamson was Brownlee’s ex-boyfriend. Police reported Williamson jumped into the bed of the truck that Brownlee and the witness were sitting in and began yelling.

The witness told police Brownlee was tired of Williamson banging on the truck and got out. The two started fighting, resulting in them falling to the ground. Police said the witness reported hearing gunshots and said Williamson admitted to shooting Brownlee.

“Azairah…she was sweet you know, she cared about family. She cared about friends. She cared about who she cared about,” Brownlee’s cousin Kenya Kellin told ABC 17 News after Tuesday’s hearing. “And to see her gone for a tragedy like this, it’s heartbreaking because I didn’t expect for my family to go through a tragedy like this.”

Johnson said he found the agreed upon sentence for Williamson to be a punishment that reflects accountability. However, he said justice in murder cases is never truly reached.

“No matter what we do, we’re always coming into a case after something bad has happened and trying to figure out what to do about that,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he believes the case highlights the seriousness of domestic violence, noting that the case was a part of a string of ongoing domestic violence. According to Johnson, a case between Williamson and Brownlee was being prosecuted where he allegedly beat her with a handgun, but Brownlee was not able to assist in it.

Johnson said his office has dealt with many cases where a woman–through her own choices or intimidation– decides not to make herself available to prosecute the domestic violence.

“Ultimately, it escalates to the point where the person ends up killing the woman,” Johnson said. “So, I would really encourage people who know about, or people who are being the victims of domestic violence to come and talk to us about those cases because we want to make sure that people have agency in prosecuting the cases.”

True North of Columbia is one of several places in Mid-Missouri that offers resources and services to victims of domestic violence. Resources include:

24/7 Crisis Hotline: A confidential, around-the-clock phone line where trained advocates provide immediate crisis support, safety planning, and resource referrals;

Emergency Shelter: Safe, confidential housing for survivors and their children who are fleeing abusive situations;

Court Advocacy: Assistance navigating protective orders, court accompaniment, and referrals to legal services like Mid-Missouri Legal Services and the Child and Family Justice Clinic;

Counseling Services: Trauma-informed counseling and support groups for survivors;

Case Management: Help with safety planning, goal setting, referrals for housing, employment, childcare, and medical services;

Children’s Programming: Helps children who have witnessed violence heal and supports their parents through the transition;

Hospital Advocacy: Staff and volunteers provide 24/7 advocacy at the hospital;

Community Education and Prevention: Trainings and awareness campaigns to educate the community about intimate partner violence, sexual violence, sex trafficking, and stalking. Promote healthy relationships through partnership with the Columbia Police Department to youth and young adults in Boone County.

“Intimate partner violence is often very hidden and under reported because of the stigma surrounding it,” Executive Director Michele Snodderley told ABC 17 News via email “It is a public health, human rights, and community safety issue that affects people of every age, race, gender, and socioeconomic status.”

ABC 17 News asked Tarnowski for comment. She declined to provide further comment than what was said in the courtroom.

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