Category: kmiz-local-news

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Public Safety has filed a petition to discipline a former Ashland police chief, alleging criminal activity by using a law enforcement database for purposes that weren’t job-related.

Former Chief Gabe Edwards resigned after a settlement was reached in 2023. Edwards had sued the City of Ashland after he was suspended that summer for criticizing the mayor on social media. The city settled a lawsuit brought by Tom Whitener, a former officer under Edwards, earlier this month. Whitener will receive $1 million in the settlement.

Whitener had alleged that Edwards fired him in retaliation for reporting the chief’s misuse of the law enforcement database known as MULES.

Whitener alleged that Edwards used the database to search the mayor’s criminal background and post the information on Facebook,

Those allegations resurface in the petition filed Monday with the Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission. The Department of Public Safety is asking the commission to take disciplinary action against Edwards’ peace officer license.

A hearing has been set for Dec. 15.

The petition states that Edwards admitted to misusing the system under the alias “Keith Beavers” during a 2023 interview with the Ashland city administrator.

Gabe Edwards petitionDownload

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe said Thursday afternoon that she was OK after her car was in a crash involving a city bus.

The crash shut down College Avenue at University Avenue at about 4 p.m. Thursday, according to an alert sent by Boone County emergency dispatchers. It wasn’t clear whether anyone on the bus was hurt. Damage was visible on Buffaloe’s vehicle and on the bus.

The scene was clear by about 5 p.m.

Buffaloe told ABC 17 News that a car ran a red light and hit her vehicle, which then hit a city bus. The car that hit Buffaloe was traveling south on College, she said.

“They hit the rear passenger side of my car, and it pushed me into the front of the bus, driver’s side,” Buffaloe wrote in a text message.

Police officers at the scene declined to comment on the details of the crash.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three members of the Galloping Goose Motorcycle Club have pleaded guilty in federal court to racketeering and other charges related to a deadly brawl outside a Lake of the Ozarks bar and grill in July 2021.

Tonka Way Con Ponder, 55, pleaded guilty on May 13 to two counts of a crime of violence in aid of racketeering, one count of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence in aid of racketeering, one count of shooting a gun in furtherance of a crime of violence, three methamphetamine-related charges and two counts of having an unregistered gun.

Tretch Lawrence, 50, pleaded guilty to one count of a crime of violence in aid of racketeering and a count of attempted extortion on Wednesday.

Keith Nolen, 36, pleaded guilty May 5 to one count of a crime of violence in aid of racketeering, a count of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence in aid of racketeering and a count of being a felon in possession of a gun.

An indictment filed in June 2024 alleged that Ponder was the leader of the motorcycle club’s Lake of the Ozarks chapter.

A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office states that Ponder, Nolen and Lawrence were part of an assault on members of the Iron Celtics Motorcycle Association in July 2021 outside Casablanca Pub and Grille. A man identified in court documents as “B.C.” was fatally shot in the confrontation.

Investigators alleged after the shooting that security video from outside the pub showed Ponder pull out a gun and shoot another man after a gun was pointed at him.

The men also admitted to assaulting Iron Celtics members in another confrontation at the Chuckwagon Cafe in Camdenton in December 2021.

Ponder and Nolen also pleaded guilty to conspiring with other members of the Galloping Goose club to attack members of the Iron Celtics and the Mongols Motorcycle Club, leading to the deadly confrontation outside Casablanca, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Ponder also admitted to selling methamphetamine and owning a silencer, the release states.

Lawrence admitted to threatening two Iron Celtics members at their home and demanding money from them, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City business owner who was already accused of withholding more than $935,000 in employee wages has been charged in federal court with harboring several people with “an illegal immigration status.”

Federal court documents accuse Danny Cheng — who owns Dragon Kitchen in the 2200 block of Missouri Boulevard – of running a “dormitory” of people who were not citizens in the 800 block of Crestmere Court.

Court documents say the home in which the migrants stayed was determined to be dangerous and declared a nuisance, per Jefferson City’s ordinances.

Details in the court documents described more than one employee working 12 hours per day, six days a week at the restaurant and were not given paystubs. Migrants were described as being from China and Mexico in the statement.

A search warrant was served at the Crestmere Court building on Tuesday, and law enforcement noted that a document written in Mandarin and Spanish was taped to a wall stating it was for employee residence only.

The document also included rules, which included employees needing to be ready for work at 9:40 a.m. and telling the residents “not to gather in the front yard to prevent attracting attention from the police.”

At least five people were seen living in the home, according to the probable cause statement.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Moberly man who was already booked in the Randolph County Jail has been charged with two felonies.

Ross Van Cleve, 46, was charged on Thursday with felony stealing and second-degree burglary. He is being held on a $10,000 bond. He was charged earlier this week with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. A hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday in both cases.

The probable cause statement says a Randolph County deputy had his patrol vehicle parked at a location for repairs since March 26, and the shop owner told them on April 7 that it looked like someone broke into the vehicle.  A radar and other items totaling $3,930 were stolen, the statement says.

Van Cleve was being interviewed for his other court case when law enforcement found several items that matched the deputy’s stolen items, including the radar, the statement says.

Van Cleve allegedly told authorities that “it was probably him that stole the items” but he did not remember doing so, the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A corrections officer at Boonville Correctional Center was charged with two felonies on Wednesday after authorities claimed she had sexual relations with an inmate.

Emmalee Walker, of Boonville, was charged in Cooper County with first-degree sodomy and committing sexual conduct in the course of public duty. A $10,000 bond was issued on Thursday, though her information did not appear on the Cooper County Jail’s online roster.

The probable cause statement alleges that Walker engaged in sexual relations with an inmate between October 2025-March 23, 2026, while inside a staff restroom area. Walker and the inmate allegedly talked about their sexual encounters during phone calls that were recorded at the jail between March 27-April 12, court documents say.

Video footage allegedly showed Walker and the inmate enter the staff restroom area for several minutes three separate times in March, the statement says.

Walker and the inmate denied having any physical or sexual contact to authorities, the statement says.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two men received probation in a deadly shooting case Thursday after pleading guilty to reduced charges.

Tavion Johnson, 21, and Daevion McCray, 22, were originally charged with felony murder in the 2024 shooting death of Orrion Moody, 28. They each pleaded guilty in April to two counts of second-degree assault and a count of unlawful use of a weapon.

Circuit Judge Joshua Devine sentenced Johnson and McCray each to five years of supervised probation with a suspended imposition of sentence.

Cellphone information had allegedly tracked them to the location of the Oct. 20, 2024, shooting in the 3900 block of Clark Lane.

Court documents say one person admitted to firing a gun after being fired at from another residence and that Johnson was one of the shooters. Investigators used Instagram videos showing Johnson waving guns at the scene before the shooting to corroborate the identification.

“We are really thankful for Judge Devine’s decision today,” said Jeffrey Hillbrenner, defense attorney for Johnson. “Boone County is fortunate to have judges who take the time to look at the whole person, the entire case, and all of the facts. Judge Devine did exactly that today, and we are grateful for it.

“Tavion has been through an extraordinary amount of pain. The tragic death in this case was his own brother — the only father figure he ever had. Tavion was present during a chaotic, violent event and watched his brother get shot and die. He will carry that loss for the rest of his life.”

Court records say several factors went into Johnson’s sentencing, including the fact that no evidence showed that he fired a gun on the night of Moody’s death. Records also noted that Johnson has been jailed for about 20 months.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 7-year-old boy was pronounced dead at University Hospital after he crashed a side-by-side Wednesday on a gravel road in Morgan County near Proctor.

The Stover boy was driving the vehicle on Blackbird Road near Birch Road at about 5:30 p.m. when the UTV skidded on the gravel, went off the left side of the road and overturned, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report. The boy and a 42-year-old passenger, who had minor injuries, were each taken by ambulance to the hospital.

The death was the seventh traffic-related death this month in the Patrol’s Troop F region.

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Alison Patton

UNION, Mo. (KMIZ)

A judge imposed the death penalty Thursday on a man who was found guilty of murdering a Hermann police officer and injuring another in a Casey’s gas station

A jury found Kenneth Simpson guilty of first-degree murder, armed criminal action, assault, drug possession and other charges in January. Jurors also recommended a death sentence for Simpson, according to previous reporting.

Judge Craig Hellman sentenced Simpson to death after hearing victim statements, including from Officer Adam Sullentrup, who is still recovering from that night at Casey’s. Hellman also heard new evidence in the form of texts, voice messages and video calls from Simpon’s time in jail.

One voice recording is Simpson talking to another person about guns. In the recording, he mentioned a specific type of gun and said “That’s what I used to kill the cop with,” and followed that with, “It’ll go through a vest, ‘cuz I proved that.”

The hearing began at 1 p.m., with the sentence coming down at about 3:30 p.m.

During that time, family and friends of Sullentrup and Sgt. Mason Griffith, who was killed, spoke about how Simpson’s actions were intentional and continue to follow them.

One of Sullentrup’s aunts said she didn’t recognize him when she visited him in the hospital after he was shot. She said her nephew was permanently and catastrophically injured.

Many of Sullentrup’s family spoke, and detailed how he had to relearn basic tasks, like how to walk and talk.

In his own testimony, Sullentrup spoke in a whisper with a hoarse voice and told the courtroom he misses his independence and his friend Griffith.

Simpson was accused of shooting and killing Sgt. Mason Griffith and injuring Officer Adam Sullentrup in March 2023. Sullentrup testified at the sentencing hearing.

Check back for updates.

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Euphenie Andre

ROLLA, Mo. (KMIZ)

State leaders, industry experts, researchers and business stakeholders gathered in Rolla on Thursday to discuss the future of artificial intelligence and data center development in Missouri.

Gov. Mike Kehoe hosted the conference at Missouri S&T’s new Proto-Plex building, bringing together leaders from across the state to explore how Missouri can position itself as artificial intelligence technology continues to grow.

The event began at 9 a.m. and is scheduled to run through 3:30 p.m.

Gov. Mike Kehoe was joined by Tim Marczewski of the Missouri Office of Administration, as well as Missouri S&T faculty members Dr. Amaury Lendasse and Dr. Genda Chen.

As AI technology becomes increasingly integrated into daily life and business operations, researchers and engineers said data centers play a critical role in supporting those systems. Data centers provide the computing power and infrastructure needed to keep AI programs operating around the clock.

According to AI experts, the five key components of a data center are computing, cooling, power, security and operations.

Dr. Chen said that a data center building could last decades years, while IT equipment needed to be refreshed multiple times:

Servers: 3-7 years

Storage Systems: 3-8 years

Network Equipment: 5-10 years

UPS Systems: 10-20 years

Cooling Systems: 15-25 years

Generators: 20-30+ yeas

Building Structure: 30-60+ years

The conference drew a large crowd of industry leaders, researchers, educators and community members interested in the technology’s future and its potential economic impact on Missouri.

However, not everyone supported the state’s efforts to encourage additional AI and data center development.

A group of protesters gathered outside the conference with posters, raising concerns about the environmental, economic and community impacts of large-scale data centers.

Marsha Snodgrass, who is running for Missouri House District 143, said residents she hopes to represent have concerns about the potential impact data centers could have on utility costs, water resources and quality of life.

“They’re concerned about their electric prices going up,” Snodgrass said. “They feel that these data centers are like a runaway train, that they’re just plowing into their communities.”

Supporters of the projects argue that data centers could bring significant economic benefits to Missouri. Organizers said each facility could create hundreds of jobs, including positions for engineers, researchers, electricians, construction workers and other skilled trades.

They also pointed to Missouri’s available land and existing energy infrastructure as advantages that make the state attractive for future development.

But for some rural residents, those same factors have become a source of concern.

“They’re worried about the effect that the light and noise is going to have on their neighborhood,” Snodgrass said. “There’s a reason why people live in rural Missouri, because Missouri is beautiful and we love it that way.”

Franklin County resident Jeff Hayden said he is concerned that two proposed data centers near his home could negatively affect his property and quality of life.

“Things have been going really poorly for the public due to non-disclosure agreements by commissioners and people in power not listening to the public,” Hayden said.

State leaders and researchers sought to address many of those concerns during the event.

Gov. Kehoe said Missouri intends to pursue data center development while balancing economic growth and community interests.

“But we’re going to do it the Missouri way with common sense responsibility and with a focus on making sure this technology serves people and not the other way around,” Kehoe said.

Dr. Genda Chen, a researcher at Missouri S&T, said Amazon’s planned $10 billion investment in Missouri would help fund the energy infrastructure upgrades needed to support the facilities, rather than placing those costs directly on residents.

Chen also pushed back on concerns about water usage, saying Missouri has abundant water resources that can support future development.

Kehoe acknowledged that energy prices are expected to rise over time because of growing demand, regardless of whether the proposed data centers move forward.

The governor also connected the projects to broader President Donald Trump’s national efforts to strengthen the country’s technological competitiveness.

“Just like generations before us stepped up to meet big moments in history, it’s our opportunity to step up and secure America’s leadership in this next generation of innovation,” Kehoe said.

Snodgrass said she still feels Thursday’s press conference was informational but believes residents are not receiving full transparency about the projects.

According to the presentation, more than half of recent job postings now require AI-related skills. Those skills also command higher pay, with workers earning an average of 28% more, roughly $18,000 annually.

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