Category: kmiz-local-news

Jazsmin Halliburton

HOWARD COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Boonville man accused of shooting another man in Howard County last week is expected to face a judge Tuesday morning for an initial arraignment.

Johntelle Millens, 39, was charged on Friday with first-degree assault, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and illegal gun possession. Millens is being held at the Howard County Jail without bond after the court decided that he was a significant threat to public safety and the victim. Millens will have his arraignment with Judge Mason Gebhardt at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The shooting happened last Thursday and the victim drove himself to downtown Booneville, where officers were called to the intersection of Main and High streets to find them with multiple gunshot wounds. He was flown to the hospital for treatment.

The victim was then with a friend, who allegedly told police Millens shot the victim, the statement says. The victim’s vehicle had a broken window and a spent shell casing was found.

According to court documents, witnesses told law enforcement they saw two men parked near the Port Authority before one man got out of an SUV with what appeared to be a gun.

Millens was arrested three hours after the shooting, near where the victim was found in Boonville. At the time of Millens’ arrest, he denied being involved in the shooting and refused to give a DNA sample, according to the statement.

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Haley Swaino

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Lori Smith was mowing her lawn Thursday when she saw a pickup truck coming around the corner of County Road 391.

“There was nothing indicating that this individual that was driving was doing anything wrong at all,” Smith said.

She has lived across the street from the Katy Trail crossing on County Road 391 for six years and said though she often sees vehicles speed around that area, that truck was not.

A 21-year-old woman from Holts Summit was driving the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado and a 23-year-old man from Jefferson City was riding in the truck.

Smith said no sooner had she turned to continue mowing, she heard the impact. A 9-year-old boy was hit.

Smith said she and her husband, both who work in Jefferson City Corrections, raced down the driveway.

“I was trying to take a pulse and was really not getting anything,” Smith said. “My husband immediately went into first aid, CPR techniques.”

She said Monday that Thursday’s accident was not the fault of those involved, but a product of many problems in that location.

“There’s no good signage here neither on the roadway to indicate that the trail is right here nor on the trail.”

County Road 391 has few posted speed signs and ABC 17 News saw no indicators driving down it giving a warning of the Katy Trail ahead. Smith said the path was barely visible to approaching drivers that day due to nearly seven foot high weeds.

On the trail, there is little signage warning of the road ahead and the stop sign bikers and trailgoers must yield to was blocked Thursday, according to Smith.

“The small stop sign that’s here had tree debris. There was a big limb that had fell down and then the debris was hanging over it,” Smith said. “And I’m not one to measure, but I would say it’s probably about eight inches in diameter, give or take. Obviously not something that’s going to flag to somebody, “Hey stop, we’ve got a roadway here or an intersection here.”

Smith said she hopes changes can be made to make the area safer for bikers and trailgoers.

Jefferson City resident Julie Carel agrees. She rides the Katy Trail frequently and is having a hard time processing the death of the boy.

“We (she and her husband) feel so badly for the family,” Carel said.

That’s why she decided to take action Monday morning. 

Carel said she mailed a letter to Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Kurt Schaefer and sent copies to Gov. Mike Kehoe and Missouri State Parks Director Laura Hendrickson.

“I asked them to specifically install crossing gates at each intersection,” Carel said.

She asked for gates at the intersection of County Road 391 where the boy was hit and at Dogwood Drive, which is the following intersection going west.

“Stagger those gates so that people would be forced to get off their bikes and walk across each intersection,” Carel said. “It would also be helpful to have a larger stop sign for riders. We have never seen anybody come to a complete stop at the intersections. Most everyone, including us, slows down looks for traffic and then goes on through.”

Vegetation is another issue Carel said needs addressed, but one she’s not sure who is in charge of fixing.

“Vegetation needs to be cut, but I think that’s probably the county,“ Carel said.

Smith said vegetation along County Road 391 is one thing that has looked different since the crash. ABC 17 News saw a tractor going up and down the road trimming back overhanging trees and excess vegetation.

“I am assuming it’s the county because the type of equipment,” Smith said. “They were sitting by our mailbox and it’s got the big arm.”

Smith said she has never seen these tractors clearing near her home until after the boy died.

“It is dangerous right now and will continue to be until they put up those gates,” Carel said. “I think it’s important that they [the state] take this seriously and do it quickly to prevent another accident. This is a priority.”

Smith agrees and wonders if this tragedy would have happened had there been more signs and less weeds.

“I don’t know that you will ever 100% prevent things like this, but this could have truly been a lot less likely to have occurred,” Smith said.

Katy Trail State Park is primarily managed and maintained by Missouri State Parks’ staff, according to MSP Deputy Regional Director Daniel Brigman.

“Vegetation management depends on the location,” Brigman said in an email. “Along the right-of-way, vegetation management is based on who manages the Katy Trail right-of-way, which can include MODOT, the respective county, the respective city, etc.”

ABC 17 News has reached out to see who manages the vegetation at the Katy Trail on County Road 391.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia has a youth violence problem, and it’s only been portrayed more in recent months. At least that’s what Columbia business owner Dimetrious Woods believes.

Woods owns Woods Auto Spa on Business Loop 70 and Essentialz convenience store in downtown Columbia on East Broadway. To Woods, the downtown area has become a place where juveniles flock to hangout at night, especially on the weekends.

But sometimes, those hangouts escalate into larger problems.

“We see younger people that I deemed shouldn’t be outside at that time of night…14, 15-year-olds and groups kind of hanging out and you know, innocent fun has a wya of turning disruptive amongst juveniles,” Woods said.

Woods said he’s seen that escalation first hand. From arguments, to fights, to robberies between juveniles, Woods said he’s seen it all happen right outside the doors of his business. One of those incidents happened July 13.

Woods said an employee inside of the business heard a noise, which turned out to be the sound of the front window of the business being shaken. What ensued next, according to Woods, was a group of people fighting on the sidewalk right outside his business. Woods said he wasn’t sure on the exact ages of those involved, but he claimed they appeared to be on the younger side.

After seeing the group, Woods went outside to attempt to deescalate the situation with pepper spray, and yelled at the group to stop. When no one listened, out of fear for what could happen if he didn’t put an end to it, he said he showed he had a gun, which prompted those involved to leave the area.

In the video of the incident provided by Woods, a voice can be heard saying people are about to start fighting, followed by a brawl on the sidewalk and screams.

A Columbia teenager was also killed in June after an armed robbery. Zarian Simpson, 18, was found dead with a gunshot wound at the Eastgate apartment complex. Court documents say the vehicles allegedly involved in the robbery were seen outside Essentialz shortly before the shooting.

Court documents, along with surveillance video obtained by ABC 17 News, shows four people rob Simpson at gunpoint outside of the store.

Steven Paden, 34, is charged with robbery in the first degree, armed criminal action and second-degree murder in connection with Simpson’s death. Two juveniles are also accused in his death.

Woods said it’s those situations that make him believe a curfew for juveniles in the city could be beneficial.

“I remember when I was a child, what kept me in check was a juvenile curfew,” Woods said. “I respected it and I didn’t want my mom to get up. She had to go to work and I respected that very well. I don’t have all the ideas. I just know that sitting down and doing nothing and talking about it is not how we’re going to have a safer, more pleasant Columbia so we need ideas, we need action.”

Woods took to his social media page, pushing for the idea of juvenile curfew after the July 13 incident.

Columbia leaders have discussed the possibility of a juvenile curfew in the city, but no official proposals have been made.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

President Donald Trump has requested Missouri to redraw its congressional district lines in an effort to shift the current partisan balance from 6-2 to 7-1, giving Republicans an even greater advantage in the state’s delegation.

The media outlet Punchbowl News first reported the White House was interested Missouri lawmakers considering a redraw of congressional maps. This comes after Texas Republicans floated redistricting its state last week, according to a report from the Associated Press, again at Trump’s request.

In the U.S. House right now, Republicans hold a slim majority, controlling 219 seats to Democrats’ 213, with a few vacancies. Trump’s team is pushing Missouri Republicans to target the Kansas City-based 5th Congressional District, currently held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver in an effort to flip it into a Republican seat. It’s a move to ensure the GOP keeps the majority in the 2026 midterms.

“Republicans have a two or three person majority and it makes it really hard to pass anything,” Charles Zug , a political science professor with the University of Missouri, said.

Typically, redistricting happens once a decade, and Missouri last redrew its lines in 2022 based on 2020 Census data. Zug says a new round of redistricting could be significant.

“The National Republican party can redeploy campaign funding to other districts, having a Republican or Democratic member totally changes interest, groups, voters people residing in that area,” Zug said.

According to Zug, Republicans will likely use common redistricting strategies known as “packing and cracking.”

“Pack’ the party you don’t want to be on power you can pack them into a really small space,” Zug said. “Cracking’ means you take an area where they’re living and divide it into lots of smaller districts, so they don’t have a majority in any single district,”

However, Zug said pushing to redraw the maps carries risks for Republicans.

“Competitive for Republicans, assuming it doesn’t end up — and this would be the qualifier assuming — it doesn’t end up making another district in Missouri which is currently safe for Republicans less safe. that would be the question,” Zug said.

In an email to ABC 17 News Monday afternoon, Cleaver said in a statement: “While I believe that efforts to redistrict Missouri without the benefit of the data from the 2030 census are unconstitutional and will fail, the discussions to do so will likely further intensify and widen existing cleavages between the two parties. Any attempt to implement a mid-decade gerrymander that silences the legitimate voices of communities across Western Missouri will be met with a strong legal challenge.”

In a a video posted to X on Saturday, Rep. Bob Onder (R-Augusta) said he had spokes with Trump about possible redistricting.

“Every statewide-elected official is Republican. We have Republican supermajorities in the House and in the Senate, and yet for some reason unknown to me we are sending two progressive Democrats to Washington, D.C.,” Onder said. “That could make the difference between control of the U.S. by Hakeem Jeffries and continuous Trump impeachment hearings for the last two years of the Trump presidency, or continuing the America First agenda. I don’t know about you, but I vote for a 7-1 map.”

For maps to be redrawn three years after its last round, Gov. Mike Kehoe would have to call for a special session.

In an email to ABC 17 News Monday morning, Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office issued a statement saying,“Gov. Kehoe and his team are aware of the redistricting efforts in Texas, and discussions are always being held to ensure that conservative Missouri values are represented in Washington. Gov. Kehoe will always consider options that provide congressional districts that best represent Missourians.”

“If the Governor makes the call we’ll start conversations with senate members. Until then this is all conjecture and I have nothing to consider or comment on,” Missouri Senate President Pro-Tem Cindy O’Laughlin (R-Shelbina) said.

State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R-Jefferson County) supported the idea in an email on Monday morning.

“We should have written a 7-1 map in 2022. Our failure to do so almost cost the GOP the majority in congress. I’m up for it!” she wrote.

The Missouri Freedom Caucus also supported redistricting on its social media on Friday.

“The most current Congressional map that was passed was a weak compromise- inconsistent with the political will of Missouri voters,” a statement in the post says. “It’s time this super-majority Republican Party in Missouri grows a spine and actually delivers the Congressional map that reflects the stronger conservative values of this great state, as the political makeup of this state clearly demands.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman was flown to University Hospital from the Lake of the Ozarks after she fell from a cliff near the 6 mile-maker, according to a social media post from the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Troop F.

Deputy Chief Steve Lucas, of the Osage Beach Fire Protection District, told ABC 17 News on Monday that first responders were called at 1:21 p.m. Sunday for a woman he needed to by rescued. First responders had to conduct a rope rescue to get the woman off an edge of the bluff, Lucas said.

Lucas said the woman suffered heat-related injuries and was unconscious.  

🚨MSHP Assists With Cliff Rescue🚨

Troopers, along with the Osage Beach Fire Department, Camden County Sheriff’s Office, and Miller County Ambulance District, rescued a woman who fell near the 6MM at Lake of the Ozarks.

MU Air transported the woman due to her serious injuries. pic.twitter.com/HO7Ycl3vcX

— MSHP Troop F (@MSHPTrooperF) July 27, 2025

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia will hold more town halls about the fiscal year 2026 budget on Monday, Aug. 11, according to a Monday press release from the city.

The release says the meeting will run from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. in conference rooms 1A/1B at city hall. The same information will be shown at both meetings.

Town halls are open to the public, but residents can register online.

“We believe it’s essential to involve our residents in the budgeting process and help them better understand how we plan and allocate our resources,” Finance Director Matthew Lue was quoted in the release. “These town halls are a great opportunity for Columbia residents to gain insight into how the budget process works in a fun way, which we hope will empower them to participate more actively in shaping the City’s financial decisions and priorities.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man who is accused of shooting and killing another man at a gas station last year is facing more charges after he was indicted by a grand jury again on Friday.

Seth Brinegar is now charged with second-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and a single count of misdemeanor second-degree endangering the welfare of a child after a superseding indictment was filed on Friday. He was previously charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child.

He posted a $600,000 bond last year and is not currently on the Boone County Jail roster. He has hearings scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 11 and 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14.

Court documents in previous reporting say Brinegar is accused of shooting and killing Corey Bilger at the FastLane parking lot on West Boulevard on Feb. 1, 2024. Bilger was 33.

Court documents say security video shows Bilger talking on a phone while pumping gas when Brinegar pulled into the parking lot. The video allegedly shows Brinegar with his window down and talking to someone before stopping behind Bilger’s vehicle. Bilger approached Brinegar’s vehicle and was gunned down, the probable cause statement says.

Several customers were at the open gas station, police previously said. A car with a 6-month-old passenger was hit, but the baby wasn’t hurt, court documents say.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Callaway County man was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor after he allegedly fired a gun and chased someone trying to repossess a trailer.

Clayton Lehenbauer, of Auxvasse, was charged on Friday with unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action and misdemeanor fourth-degree assault. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Friday.

The probable cause statement says someone was attempting to repossess a trailer at Lehenbauer’s residence on Thursday. The victim was allegedly looking to speak with someone at the residence, but started to leave when no one came out, the statement says.

Lehenbauer then allegedly came out of the residence and fired four shots in the area, the statement says. He then got into a car and started chasing the repo man, the statement says.

A witness allegedly gave the man directions to the residence and then heard four or five shots being fired later, the statement says.

Lehenbauer allegedly admitted to firing the gun and chasing the victim, the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged with two felonies after he was accused of threatening a man with a knife before a fight occurred on Saturday in central Columbia.

Glenn Bennett Jr., 36, was charged on Monday with unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance was held on Monday afternoon.

According to the probable cause statement, police were called just before 10 p.m. Saturday for a reported stabbing. Officers had first detained the victim, who was allegedly identified as the person who stabbed Bennett, the statement says.

The person described as the victim in court documents allegedly told police that he was drinking with Bennett before an argument occurred and Bennett pulled out a knife. The victim then allegedly went inside a home and came back out with a knife and stabbed Bennett after Bennett “put his hands on him,” court documents say.

After Bennett was stabbed, he allegedly put the victim in a chokehold until he was unconscious, the statement says.

Bennett came back to the area with a stab wound on his head and “would not cooperate with medics or police on scene,” the statement says. Bennett allegedly yelled that he “did not want to be a victim or cooperate with police,” the statement says.

Another person allegedly told police they saw the alleged victim walk into the home and was told Bennett had a knife, the statement says. That person also allegedly told police they saw the man go back outside with a knife and fight Bennett, court documents say.

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Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former Maries County high school employee charged with child sex crimes in 2023 was sentenced to probation.

Rikki Laughlin, 26, pleaded guilty to an amended charge of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child creating susbstanial risk with no sexual contact in a Grundy County courtroom on Thursday.

Court records show Maries County Prosecutor Richard Skouby filed an amended complaint at the start of a hearing on Thursday for endangering the welfare of a child. Online records show Laughlin waived her formal arraignment to the amended charge and pleaded guilty.

Laughlin was senteced to five years of supervised probation and special conditions that are redacted. If Laughlin violates her probation she will be senteced to five years in the Department of Corrections.

Court documents state she endangered the child between Sept. 8 and Oct. 19, 2023 in Maries County by acting in a manner that “created substanial risk to the life, body and health of Confidential Victim to engage in acts that are illegal in the State of Missouri and injurious to a minors health and well-being.”

The case was moved to Grundy County from Maries County in March 2024 but a hearing was not set until April 2025.

She was originally charged in 2023 with seven child sex crime realted felonies. Court documents said the student victim accused her of sending pronographic material over Snapchat and phyiscial contact at the school. Laughlin denied the allegations to law enforcement when interviewed.

ABC 17 News has reached out to the Maries County Prosecutor for a statement but is waiting to hear back.

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