Category: kmiz-local-news

Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Public Schools is still working toward the goal of having construction work finished next month at Ridgeway Elementary.

CPS approved a $100,000 contract with PlayPower LT Inc. for work to be done at the school during one of its meetings in May. The work began on May 13 and is expected to be completed by Sept. 15, according to the agreement.

Social media posts from the Ridgeway Elementary PTSA Outreach group show some parents are frustrated about ongoing work as the school year approaches.

Lyndsy Richardson has two children that attend the school and said she’s unhappy about the slow progress being made at the school and doesn’t feel progress is being made unless parents take initiative.

“We’ve had ongoing construction at Ridgeway for a year now…last year, the kids operated off of a playground that was probably a third of the playground just because we lost so much of it to the new bus loop,” Richardson said. “Now they have to walk through the bus loop to get to the other side, to play on the field, or to access the garden boxes.”

CPS spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark told ABC 17 News via email Monday afternoon that there is ongoing construction at the school related to the installation of a bus loop near the playground area.

Baumstark also wrote a new set for the playground has been purchased, but wont be installed until September.

“There are other pieces of play equipment that are available until the additional new set is installed in a few weeks. We have some other project elements that are slated to be completed before the start of the school year. With construction, things have to happen in a certain order,” Baumstark said.

Chief Operating Officer Lazell Ofield said there aren’t any issues with the playground structure as it is, and children can safely play on it. He said the wrapping up on work this week and installing fences and coordinating with contractors on remaining site items.

Ofield also said the district is taking steps toward being more transparent.

“I have got an opportunity to meet with the parents at their PTA meetings to give them an update throughout this project and so we really want to make sure that we’re being transparent and making sure that we inform our families of the work that’s going on at their site,” Ofield said.

An email was sent out to parents regarding the timeline of the project on Monday around 7 p.m.

Richardson said in addition to better communication, she’d like to see better planning.

“Not having one construction company who may come in at the lowest bid that’s not always the right answer. Find somebody who’s going to do quality work and is going to do it effectively and efficiently,” Richardson said.

The Columbia Board of Education also approved the addition of 2-gas meter bollards, a playground gate and repairs to the existing retaining wall at the school.

Board members also unanimously approved a contract to replace the exterior doors at Rock Bridge High School and voted 5-1 to approve a student transfer policy. Board President John Lyman abstained from the vote.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Boone County man who was previously sentenced to 11 years in prison was sentenced again after pleading guilty to a lower charge.

Charles Waddill pleaded guilty on Monday to second-degree involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in a death. He was sentenced to a year in jail and was given credit for time served.

Waddill previously pleaded guilty to first-degree involuntary manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident and evidence tampering in the 2019 killing of a pedestrian on Range Line Street in Columbia with his car. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison but appealed the decision in January 2022 in the Boone County Circuit Court.

Court records say Waddill’s conviction was overturned after he argued his counsel was ineffective.

A wrongful death lawsuit against Waddill and the company for which he was driving at the time of the crash was filed and quickly settled in January 2020.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man and a woman were charged on Monday after the former was accused of shooting at a home, while the latter was accused of tampering with evidence.

Marlon Meija-Fuentez was charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. He is not listed on the Boone County Jail roster on Monday afternoon. A no-bond warrant was ordered.

Jacquelin Ramirez was charged with tampering with evidence in a felony prosecution. Court filings from Monday indicate she posted a $1,500 bond.

A probable cause statement says police were called at 7:02 p.m. Saturday to the 4400 block of Brown Station Road for a report of shots being fired. The victim allegedly told law enforcement that Ramirez’s husband had asked them to point a camera at the residence after allegations of infidelity occurred.

The victim saw someone from a Chevrolet Malibu with temp tags fire about two-to-four shots, the statement says. The home allegedly had damage from the shots being fired, police wrote. Ramirez allegedly told police that Meija-Fuentez shot at the home after she got into an ongoing feud with the victim after they gave video footage – of Meija-Fuentez at the home — to her husband, court documents say.

Another witness provided police with video evidence of the shooting, court documents say. In a second probable cause statement Ramirez allegedly told police she had a camera at the residence, but footage show the camera be moved to a different view before two shots were heard and a vehicle accelerates, the statement says. The camera view then moved back to where it was before, court documents say.

A Flock camera allegedly gave police a notification about the car with temp tags from Indiana driving toward the area about eight minutes before the shooting occurred, the statement says

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia Police Department cruiser was damaged while officers were at the scene of a previous crash Monday.

Police were called a little after 11 a.m. with a crash involving a concrete truck at Walnut Street and College Avenue. It’s not clear if anyone was hurt in the crash.

A tow truck clipped a CPD cruiser’s rear bumper as it was taking the concrete truck from the scene. A CPD spokesperson didn’t have information on Monday afternoon about the cost of the damage.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A California, Missouri, man was charged with several felonies after he led law enforcement on a chase on Sunday morning.

Stephen Curtner, 48, was charged on Monday in Callaway County with second-degree assault, misdemeanor driving while intoxicated, resisting arrest, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of first-degree property damage. He is being held at the Callaway County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says Curtner was accused of driving with a missing child. The child’s mother allegedly reported the youth missing and in danger after Curtner did not bring the child home the night before, the statement says.

Jefferson City police found Curtner driving a Toyota and tried to conduct a traffic stop on Highway 54, but Curtner sped away at 115 miles per hour with the child in the truck, according to the probable cause statement.

After getting off and back on the highway, Curtner then allegedly drove his truck into oncoming traffic at Simon Boulevard in Holts Summit and crashed into a street sign, the statement says. Officers tried to arrest Curtner, but then he allegedly tried to back into law enforcement and crashed into patrol vehicles from the Jefferson City and Holts Summit police departments, the statement says.

Police eventually forced Curtner to stop and the child was found in the backseat, the statement says. Curtner allegedly tested positive for using methamphetamine and weed, court documents say.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was detained by police following a multi-hour standoff at Stephens Lake Park on Monday.

The Columbia Police Department urged the public to avoid Stephens Lake Park on Monday afternoon as police tried to talk down a man having a mental health crisis.

“Please avoid Stephens Lake Park! Columbia Police are currently responding to an active incident. We’re asking the public to avoid the area while the incident unfolds,” CPD wrote in a social media post.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw officers with rifles at the scene. A CPD spokesman said police were sent to the park at about 2:20 p.m. for a call of a suicidal person. The man had a knife and had threatened “suicide by cop.”

Police were trying to negotiate his safe surrender a little after 4 p.m. A K-9 and the SWAT team were on the scene at 6:18 p.m. Police appeared to use cannisters at 6:49 p.m. and the man was put in handcuffs shortly after.   

The park on East Broadway is one of the city’s largest and most popular, a frequent stop for exercise enthusiasts and picnickers.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Hermann man was charged with first-degree murder in Gasconade County on Friday.

Court filings say a warrant was served on Friday to David Luecke Jr. He is being held on a $500,000 bond. A court date has not been scheduled. A mugshot was not immediately available.

The probable cause statement says authorities were called on May 23 to Route T for a reported suicide by hanging. The statement says the victim’s body was “in a position inconsistent with death by hanging” and that they were on the ground for an extended period of time. The victim had other cuts, bruises and scrapes that could not be immediately explained, the statement says.

The Gasconade County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Saturday social media post that the victim was Noah Cantlon.

Court documents say the autopsy determined debris was inside the victim’s mouth and eyes. People described as witnesses allegedly told law enforcement that Luecke accused the victim of “snitching” to law enforcement, the statement says.

Another witness allegedly told law enforcement that they saw Luecke attack and strangle the victim in the woods, the statement says. The victim’s body was eventually found without a shirt, the statement says.  A witness allegedly saw Luecke carrying the shirt, court documents say.

Court documents say a leather belt was used to strangle the victim and it was recovered by law enforcement after a search.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Public Schools is falling short of its goal to reduce suspension and discipline referrals, according to Columbia Board of Education documents.

The district set a goal to decrease out-of-school suspension by 50% and office referrals by 10% between 2022 and 2027.

During the 2022-2023 school year, the district reported 3,684 out-of-school suspensions with a plan to decrease that number by 10% each year starting in the 2023-2024 school year. An updated report from CPS found that out-of-school suspensions decreased by 13% with a little more than 3,200 suspensions in the first year, but slowed down during the 2024-2025 year, decreasing by 1%, with 3,173 suspensions.

While rates of out-of-school suspensions have not followed the 10% per year decrease, CPS teacher and Columbia Missouri National Education Association President Noelle Gilzow said the application of out-of-school suspensions has been improved after CPS began following a behavior matrix.

“It was only rolled out a couple of years ago, and I think there was a learning curve in applying it and applying it fairly and I think we’re now seeing the fruits of that kind of being settled,” Gilzow said.

The report does not measure the total number of office referrals. However, it does show a 6% increase in overall behavioural incidents during the 2023 school year and 16% during the 2024 school year, with 31,154 incidents.

Both Gilzow and CPS spokesperson Michelle Baumstark said the school’s addition of tighter cellphone rules has increased the rate of incidents. The school also reports that the overall rate of behavioral incidents is lower than pre-pandemic numbers.

“We have taken a harder line against cell phones in schools,” Gilzow said. “While they disrupt the learning environment, they are not severe or super disruptive like a fight or something like that would be.”

In assessment scores, the district has seen growth across the board with the rate of students with proficient MAP scores increasing steadily for English, math, science and government. The most significant change was in math and science, with rates increasing by over 3% for math and over 4% for science between the 2024 and 2025 school years.

CPS strategic updateDownload

CPS will discuss the report today during its summer session Board of Education meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Check back for updates.

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Keriana Gamboa

MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three people are in custody after Mexico police responded to a shooting that damaged property near the 600 block of Grove Street on Saturday evening.

Two 15-year-old boys were taken to a juvenile detention center, the Mexico Department of Public Safety stated in a news release.

Cynquail C. Hardman, 18, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action and conspiracy to commit a felony. A confined docket hearing is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Audrain County Courthouse. He is being held without bond.

Police say an argument happened between two groups of people, which led to them firing guns. No one was hurt.

Court documents say video from the area showed Hardman with a gun, shooting toward an occupied home. Another suspect was found and admitted to shooting the gun, saying Hardman had given it to him, investigators allege. That suspect allegedly said Hardman was shooting as well, and afterward, they split up, and Hardman took the gun, the probable cause statement says.

The statement says when police arrested Hardman, he allegedly admitted he was there but denied knowing a shooting would happen and denied giving or taking the gun. He later said he was drunk, couldn’t remember what happened, and ran away because he was scared, court documents say.

Three homes, a shed and a vehicle were damaged in the incident.

Ceayra Henderson and her 2-year-old son were inside when two groups got into a fight and started shooting outside their home. She said she thought it was fireworks at first.

“So I get up to come outside to tell them to stop, and my son’s father comes running in the door and tells me to get down because they’re shooting outside,” Henderson said.

She told ABC 17 News her house and car were damaged. Neighbor Aaron Leg told ABC 17 News he was outside when it happened.

“They had sent shots down towards the house,  had struck the Kia,  and they  had hit the house a couple of times and also returned fire towards my neighbor’s shed,” Led said.

Data shows two gun crimes committed by people aged 10-17 have happened this year within Mexico city limit.

ABC 17 News reached out to the Mexico Public Safety Chief Brice Mesko for numbers on juvenile crimes in the area and he declined to comment.

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Matthew Sanders

Another week of Mizzou football fall camp is in the books, along with the second scrimmage of camp.

Coach Eli Drinkwitz took questions from reporters after practice, including the one that’s on a lot of fans’ minds: Who will be the starting quarterback when the season opens later this month?

The coach said after Saturday’s performance, it’s still too close to call between Beau Pribula and Sam Horn.

Which one is your favorite to earn the starting nod for Game 1? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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