Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The state safety coordinator of the Missouri Department of Transportation denies that he wielded a gun during a road-rage incident in Jefferson City.

Harry Adrian IV, of Tuscumbia, was charged Wednesday in Cole County with felony unlawful use of a weapon. A criminal summons was issued for him the same day, and an entry of appearance and not guilty plea were entered on Friday.

Adrian’s lawyer, Ben Faber, said the claims were made up.

“My client denies these charges,” Faber told ABC 17 News. “They were filed after a disgruntled driver made a false police report. Unfortunately, because this person made an allegation against Mr. Adrian, he has been charged with a felony offense and now must defend himself not only in court, but in the court of public opinion. We are confident that Mr. Adrian will be cleared of these charges and look forward to putting this nonsense to rest.”

The probable cause statement says Adrian was accused by two people of pulling out a gun and pointing it at them during a road rage incident around 3 p.m. Sept. 22.

A deputy wrote that he stopped Adrian’s vehicle while he was following the alleged victim’s vehicle in the 3000 block of Highway 54 East in Cole County.

Adrian allegedly told deputies that he was involved in a road rage incident, but claimed he held a cellphone instead of a gun, the statement says. Deputies found a handgun in Adrian’s Ford F-250, the statement says.

Online records show Adrian has worked for MoDOT for 12 years.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Winter trout season has officially kicked off at city ponds around Mid-Missouri.

The City of Columbia announced in a Monday press release that today was the official start to its winter trout season at Cosmo-Bethel Park.

All trout that are caught must be released and unharmed through Jan. 31, 2026. Only artificial baits can be used during this season. Anglers can start keeping trout on Feb. 1. A fishing permit with a trout stamp is required.

Jefferson City Parks and Recreation announced in a social media post that roughly 2,500 rainbow trout were stocked on Monday at McKay Lake. The same restrictions for anglers apply at McKay Lake, as well at Veterans Lak in Fulton, Kiwanis Lake in Mexico and Lake Minesa in Marshall.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri officials said Monday that they’re waiting to receive federal guidance amid reports that the Trump administration has a plan to partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The administration has committed $4.65 billion to the program but said using the emergency funds could take “a few weeks up to several months,” a USDA official said in a federal court filing, according to ABC News. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration last week to use emergency funds to pay for SNAP by this Wednesday.

A spokesperson for Missouri’s Department of Social Services said the state is tracking the developments and awaiting more information from the federal government.

“DSS will review all federal guidance as soon as it is available and share updates with stakeholders and participants promptly,” a department spokesperson wrote in response to emailed questions.

The department maintains a website to provide updates on SNAP benefits.

Benefits ended Saturday because of the continuing government shutdown, which is nearing the record for the longest in the country’s history.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A November ballot in an odd-numbered year is usually pretty thin.

But this year, if you live in Hallsville, you have the chance to decide on three big questions:

The first is whether the Hallsville School District should continue its four-day week for another 10 years. The district has used the abbreviated week for a few years to save costs and help attract and retain teachers.

The district also wants to borrow $6.5 million to improve buildings and infrastructure, including a multi-use sports field. Voters approved the same bond issue 832-282 back in April, but State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick refused to certify the result, citing issues with how the notice of election was posted.

And City of Hallsville residents will decide whether to levy a use tax that’s the same rate as the city’s sales tax. Use taxes are charged on items bought elsewhere, such as online. The total sales tax in Hallsville is 8.6%.

Jefferson City lodging tax

Jefferson City leaders want to see voters approve an extension of a 7% tax on hotel and motel rooms and short-term rentals. Voters first approved the tax in 2011, lasting until 2035.

Tuesday’s ballot asks Jefferson City voters to extend the 7% tax through 2060. The city uses 4% of the tax to help fund its plan to build a hotel and conference center, and a lawsuit has been filed over the tax ahead of the election.

Other ballot issues

Voters in the Macks Creek School District will vote on a $1.5 million bond issue to pay for repairs and renovations, including the kitchen, cafeteria and gymnasium. The money will also be used for asbestos abatement. The bond issue would not increase the district debt levy.

Fayette voters will decide whether to change from an elected city marshal to an appointed police chief.

Morgan County R-1 wants to raise its operating tax levy by 63 cents per $100 of assessed value to help with repairs and renovations. The increase would sunset after 20 years.

State Fair Community College is asking voters in Petties, Morgan, Cooper and Benton counties to increase its operating tax levy by 10 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Maries County voters will decide whether to implement a 1-cent sales tax to pay for emergency dispatching. The tax would replace a 15% tax on landline phones.

The City of Marceline in Chariton County hopes voters will approve a $30 million bond issue to improve the combined water and sewer system. The bonds would be retired through user fees.

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Gabrielle Teiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An 83-year-old Belleville, Illinois, man is dead after he drowned at Truman Lake in Benton County, just before 10 a.m. Friday, according to an incident report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report states the man fell into the water under a boat lift at the Osage Bluff Marina and couldn’t get out. A family member jumped into the water and tried to save the man, but also got stuck in the water.

Witnesses helped both the man and the family member until EMS arrived.

The report states the man was not wearing a life jacket.

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Lucas Geisler

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) –

A Cole County judge denied the Missouri NAACP’s request to put an early hold on the state’s new congressional map.

Judge Chris Limbaugh’s two-paragraph order on Friday rejected the group’s ask for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. The NAACP, along with three Missourians, wanted a judge to halt the state’s new congressional district map from taking effect.

The new map would likely make the Fifth Congressional District, held by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Kansas City), a seat more favorable to Republicans by stretching it from the Kansas City area east to Jefferson City.

NAACP v Kehoe decisionDownload

The NAACP claimed Gov. Mike Kehoe’s call for a special session in August was unconstitutional because the Missouri Constitution only allows congressional redistricting to happen after the census. The group wanted an early injunction stopping the map from taking effect.

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office argued that the request was irrelevant because lawmakers had already passed and the governor signed the map into law.

The case is set for a status update on Tuesday in Jefferson City. Sharon Jones, an attorney for the NAACP, declined to comment to ABC 17 News until the hearing.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR’S NOTE: AI was used to help research the background for this story.

A Jefferson City man accused of stabbing the mother of his child began his bench trial at the Boone County Courthouse on Monday.

Sergio Sayles, 39, faces charges of first-degree murder, armed criminal action, tampering with evidence and first-degree stalking related to the death of Jasmine King in April 2023.

During the trial, the state brought King’s foster mother, Deborah Luebbering, and several Jefferson City Police Department officers and detectives who worked on the case. Dashcam footage of Sayles’ arrest and the initial 911 call between Luebbering and King.

The state claimed that Sayles was guilty. Luebbering shared that King and Sayles’ relationship was on-and-off, with frequent fights and King calling whenever she wanted to leave Sayles.

“I thought he was controlling over her,” Leubbering said. “He always said she was allowed to talk to us, but she wasn’t allowed to talk to us.”

JCPD officers spoke on the details of the investigation. King was reportedly found in her apartment bedroom with 25 total stab wounds to her face, head, neck, torso and back. Neighbors reported seeing Sayles coming in and out of the apartment complex three days before her death.

John Lehman with the Jefferson City Police Department was contacted while off duty to help with the scene. Lehman described King’s injuries as “very severe” and “very deep”, adding that King had “defensive wounds.”

Officers also reported seeing Sayles going into a nearby park’s bathroom holding an unknown item in his hand and walking out without it. The bathroom was later searched twice following Sayles’ arrest, where police found a plastic bag in the trash can of the Women’s restroom. Inside the bag, police found a bloody knife, clothing that was seen on Sayles’ YouTube channel with Jasmine’s blood on it, a white shirt with Sayles’ DNA and a piece of paper that had Sayles’ phone number written on it.

“The evidence in this case is overwhelming that Mr. Sayles killed King,” Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Locke Thompson, who was representing the state.

Sayles initially filed a notice to represent himself and requested a jury trial, but he has since retracted that decision, opting to keep his lawyer and proceed with a bench trial.

The defense also renewed a request to dismiss the case, arguing that Sayles’ car, evidence in the case, was destroyed after his arrest, but the judge denied this motion as well.

The defense claimed that Sayles did not commit premeditated murder, adding that Sayles and King were bonded due to being in the foster care system together. They also claimed that the poor handling of potential evidence weakens the case.

The defense reported that no blood was found inside of Sayles’ car. Samples of fingernails and fingerprints that were found were also not sent to the lab to be processed. The defense also claimed that the police did not investigate the camera footage from the Break Time King worked at the night before her death, as well as her cellphone for potential suspects.

When cross-examining the officers on the case, the defense also confirmed that Sayles complied with the police during his arrest. Police also confirmed that Sayles was parked in a visible area in the park before entering the restroom and that the park was well-populated at the time.

The defense also showed photos taken from the crime scene of drugs and two fast-food cups with straws, which police confirmed were not tested for DNA.

“No blood on Sergio, on Mr. Sayles’ shoes, no blood located in his car, in his home,” defense attorney Heather Vodnansky said, “Police misconduct has made them fixate on Sergio Sayles, this fixation is folly, Sergio Sayles is not guilty.”

In April 2023, police found Jasmine King dead from multiple stab wounds in her home on West Ashley Street. Witness statements and surveillance video reportedly connected Sayles to the crime scene, and police recovered the murder weapon and some of Sayles’ belongings in a trash bag at McClung Park.

King had previously reported harassment and stalking by Sayles, including a complaint in 2021 where she alleged that Sayles threatened to shoot her.

Judge Jonathan Jacobs, who’s overseeing the case, expects the trial to continue to Friday.

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Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A group backing a referendum petition to put the “Missouri First” map on the November 2026 ballot will have to wait to argue before a judge.

A Monday bench trial in a lawsuit the group People Not Politicians filed against Secretary of State Denny Hoskins was delayed after Judge Daniel Green came down sick. The trial is now set for Nov. 12.

This is one of four other lawsuits challenging the new map.

People Not Politicians filed its petition shortly after the new congressional map was passed through the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives, but before Gov. Mike Kehoe signed it into law, according to a pretrial briefing filed by People Not Politicians.

Hoskins and the attorney general argue this lawsuit is irrelevant now because the group’s referendum was approved for circulation on Oct. 15, according to lawsuit documents from the attorney general.

The state legislature voted to redistrict the state outside of a census year in September, following a push from President Donald Trump to get more Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives. The new map could cut out current U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver in Missouri’s Fifth District.

In an October news conference, U.S. Rep. Mark Alford (R-Raytown) said he intends to run for Cleaver’s seat.

Hoskins is also suing People Not Politicians to stop the referendum from getting on the ballot. A federal judge in the Eastern District of Missouri will hear arguments on Nov. 25.

Two more hearings are scheduled for Tuesday morning, both challenging the new congressional districts.

Check back for updates.

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man was charged Saturday with manslaughter after a deadly electric scooter crash on Highway 50.

Jervontaye I. Warmack, 32, was charged with second-degree involuntary manslaughter, two counts of child endangerment and driving while intoxicated.

Police say Warmack was driving a Chevrolet SUV when he hit the unnamed electric scooter rider a little before 7 p.m. in the 3600 block of Highway 50 westbound. The scooter rider was killed.

Police smelled marijuana on Warmack and say his speech was slurred and he was “giggly” when they spoke to him after the crash. Warmack failed a field sobriety test, according to a probable cause statement. Officers arrested him on suspicion of driving while under the influence of marijuana, and a blood sample was taken, the statement says.

The 15-year-old victim was identified as Antony Reyes in a news release from the company GoFundMe. Fundraisers in Antony’s memory have been set up on the platform.

The money will go toward funeral expenses and taking Antony’s body to Nicaragua, where he has family.

Warmack told officers he had not smoked marijuana, the statement says. Warmack allegedly told police that he didn’t see the victim before the crash.

Two children were also in the car, the statement says.

Warmack was in the Cole County Jail on Monday on no bond. His first court hearing was set for Monday afternoon.

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Matthew Sanders

It took extra innings in Game 7, but the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off a championship repeat in this year’s World Series.

Their opponent was the Toronto Blue Jays, who tried to take the trophy back to Canada a few decades after the great Jays teams of the 1990s.

Ratings for the final game aren’t in, but the series has offered some thrilling moments and even an 18-inning marathon that ended on a walk-off home run.

Did you watch any of this year’s Fall Classic? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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