WATCH: Coach Drinkwitz talks about upcoming Gator Bowl
Matthew Sanders
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (KMIZ)
The Mizzou Tigers will play Virginia in the Gator Bowl on Saturday.
Watch the coaches talk in the media player.
Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Camdenton man arrested after Miller County chase ends in crash
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Camdenton man was in the Miller County Jail on Friday morning after his arrest following a chase and crash on Christmas night.
Robert E. Smith, 52, was arrested on suspicion of felony DWI, felony leaving the scene of a crash, felony resisting arrest and driving while revoked, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol arrest report.
The high-speed chase started in Eldon and was later terminated, said Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop F spokesman Sgt. Kyle Green. Authorities later found the vehicle crashed in a field near Highway 54 and Atchison Road in Miller County, he said.
Smith was jailed without bond. Other details were not immediately available.
Missouri courts were closed Friday, so information about the case was not available.
Two teens suffer serious injuries in Christmas Eve crash
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A 17-year-old driver and his 16-year-old passenger suffered serious injuries in a crash late Wednesday in Randolph County.
The driver from Cairo, Missouri, went off the left side of the road and crashed into a creek on West Shore Drive, about 4 miles west of Jacksonville, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report. The driver and his passenger, who is from Kansas City, were taken to University Hospital by ambulance.
Neither of the boys was wearing a seat belt, the report says.
Police shoot man armed with knife who reportedly tried to assault officer inside Columbia gas station
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Police shot a man armed with a knife after he reportedly tried to assault an officer on Christmas morning at a southeast Columbia gas station.
Officers were called to the Break Time at East Stadium and Maguire boulevards a little after 10:30 a.m. Thursday. They shot a man who had the knife, and he was taken to a hospital, a Columbia Police Department spokesperson said.
Boone County sheriff’s deputies and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers were also at the scene.
CPD spokesperson said MSHP is investigating the incident because it was an officer-involved shooting.
CPD Deputy Chief Matt Stephens said no officers were hurt, but the two officers involved in the incident are on administrative leave, per CPD policy, Stephens said.
The confrontation happened inside the gas station, Stephens said. Officers tried to use a stun gun before shooting at the suspect, Stephens said.
The 911 call reported the suspect was nearby on Cinnamon Hill, but police found him at the Break Time station.
Stephens said the suspect went into surgery and came out of it, but couldn’t give an update on his condition.
Stephens also couldn’t release the names of the suspect or the officers.
Residents said the timing made the situation even more frightening. With many businesses closed for the holiday, the gas station was one of the few places open.
“It’s scary, especially on a big holiday,” said Kennedy Killian, who lives nearby. “It’s a gas station, there aren’t many places open on Christmas. People stop to grab a drink or a snack before seeing family. To think someone was armed or that shots were fired is terrifying.”
Columbia Police dispatch records show officers have responded to numerous calls in the area around the shooting. In December alone, Columbia Police handled 11 dispatch calls in the area of Cinnamon Hill Lane, ranging from disturbances and welfare checks to accidents, harassment and 911 checks.
Residents living in the apartment complex next to where the shooting occurred said the violence hits close to home.
“It’s scary to know that kind of thing can just happen around the place we are staying,” said resident Jowei Tien. “So I feel a bit worried about the shooting.”
Police activity in the area extends beyond just this month. Since the beginning of the year, dispatch records show 51 calls to the 3200 block of East Stadium Boulevard. The most common calls involved checking open businesses, larceny reports and accidents.
Killian said the shooting reflects a broader concern about safety across Columbia.
“I would say everything in Columbia is pretty close to downtown. I’m not very far, this place isn’t very far from downtown.” Killian said. “There have been numerous shootings and attacks, so it just doesn’t seem like a safe place for kids and families to want to stay.”
Tien said she is grateful many people were out of town for the holiday.
“I feel like it’s just a bit crazy to suddenly know a shooting can happen so random. And I’m also glad that people are out to their hometown so they’re not around,” she said.
Break Time closed in the aftermath of the shooting. An employee told to ABC 17 the store plans to reopen Friday.
1 dead, 1 badly hurt in Christmas Eve pedestrian crash in Cole County
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Jefferson City man died, and a woman was flown to University Hospital with serious injuries after they were hit by a car while crossing a highway on Christmas Eve.
The 85-year-old man and 86-year-old woman were crossing Route M west of Stoney Gap Road in Taos at about 8:20 p.m. when they were hit by a Honda Accord driven by a 16-year-old boy from Jefferson City, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.
The man was pronounced dead at Capital Region Medical Center.
The 16-year-old driver was not hurt.
CPD set to graduate third in-house academy class, but still struggling with staffing numbers
Olivia Hayes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Columbia Police Department is set to graduate its third recruit class from its in-house training academy launched Nov. 2024.
The 14 Police Officers in Training will graduate January 16th, 2026 and add their names to the list of the other 21 students from the academy’s first two classes from March and Aug. of 2025.
However, even with its new members the department is sitting at around 17 vacancies for its sworn positions and 18 vacancies for its civilian positions, according to Lt. Clint Sinclair, with CPD.
Following graduation from the academy, the incoming officers will still have to go through field training. That means another four to five months until they can work on their own.
CPD isn’t the only law enforcement agency struggling with staffing in the Mid Missouri area. The Missouri State Highway Patrol tells ABC 17 News it has 133 vacancies across its nine troops, according to Capt. Scott White.
On Friday, the Patrol’s Law Enforcement Academy held its graduation for 25 new troopers. The troopers of the 124th recruit class will report to duty for their assigned troops on Jan. 5, 2026.
CPD and CFD caution residents of safety hazards during holiday celebrations
Olivia Hayes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Columbia Police Department is cautioning residents to be aware of the risk around home robbers and package thieves this holiday season.
Lt. Clint Sinclair, with CPD, tells ABC 17 News the holidays create the perfect opportunity for them to commit their crimes. He said people should not leave things, like boxes from big name items, in plain sight for everyone to see.
Sinclair also suggested home lighting, specifically motion lights, as a way to deter criminals.
If someone is not home but they are still recieving packages their door, Sinclar said to ask a neighbor or trusted friend to grab the package and hold onto it. He said leaving a car in the driveway can also help people’s homes look occupied if no one is home either.
Columbia Fire officials tell ABC 17 News its also the peak time for home fires. Colin Wright, Columbia Assistant Fire Marshal, said the months of December, January and February make up about 40% of all home fires in the country. One of those causes being candle fires. Wright said 12% of all candle fires happpen in Dec. and 10% happen in Jan.
Wright said the candle fires tend to stem from candles mixed with home decorations, or in Christmas trees. He suggested fake or electronic candles as a safer alternative.
Cooking fires also make up between 42% to 48% of all fires in the U.S. with an noticeable increase around the holidays. Wright said CFD responds to at least two to three unattended cooking fires each year during the holidays. He recommends setting timers and staying in the kitchen to best avoid the possibility of a fire.
Wright listed Christmas lights as another hazard, a hazard many people may not even think to look out for.
“Before you put your Christmas lights up, you should be looking over your wires, making sure that everything is intact, everything’s working well,” Wright said. “If you’re still using older incandescent light bulbs, switch to LED lights they don’t produce as much heat as the incandescent bulbs.”
According to Wright, CFD has seen a decrease in Christmas tree fires that they credit to ongoing education. Wright said reports tally about 143 Christmas tree fires each year.
Charges allege ER doc committed sexual assault, domestic violence at Ashland address
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man who court documents say is an emergency room doctor was charged Tuesday with four felonies after an alleged sexual and domestic assault in Ashland.
Jeffrey L. Teeter, 46, was arrested early Tuesday at an Ashland address after a woman told deputies that he had slapped her, punched her, raped her and threatened her with a gun, including firing it out a window, according to a probable cause statement.
Teeter was charged with first-degree domestic assault, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action and first-degree sodomy. He was in the Boone County Jail on Wednesday without bond.
Boone County deputies found a gun and shell casings at the scene that matched the victim’s story, the statement says. The woman also recorded audio of the incident, according to the statement.
The victim went to the emergency room for a sexual assault exam, the statement says.
The statement says Teeter is an emergency room doctor at a hospital in Pettis County. He has a Jefferson City address listed in court records.
Jefferson City Salvation Army says it could cut programs without adequate Red Kettle donations
Alison Patton
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Jefferson City Salvation Army is wrapping up the final hours of its Red Kettle Campaign on Wednesday, but the nonprofit says it needs even more donations to keep running its current programs.
Spokesperson Melinda Jennings said the goal was to raise $410,000, but as of Tuesday afternoon, the Salvation Army needed $76,000 to reach it.
“If we do not close this gap, we will be forced to make difficult decisions, including potentially reducing or cutting essential programs that support vulnerable families and individuals in our area,” Jennings said.
Salvation Army Major April Clarke said if the goal isn’t met, she might have to consider cutting programs or staff to fit operations into a tighter budget.
“We’re going to have to look at our budget and say, ‘Where can some cuts happen?’ and ‘Where can the biggest impacting with the least amount of felt impact be made?’,” Clarke said.
That could mean letting go of a part-time chef and instead relying on volunteers to help out in the kitchen, Clarke said.
The 2025 Red Kettle Campaign started on the 38th day of the 43-day federal government shutdown.
ABC 17 News spoke with Clarke in November, who said the Salvation Army was seeing an increased need among people who were relying on the free resources before the shutdown, furloughed workers and people who lost SNAP benefits during the shutdown.
On Wednesday, Clarke said people are still feeling that financial strain.
“Many people are living paycheck to paycheck, so even though they’re back to work, they’re not caught up on bills,” Clarke said. “They’re still using our food pantry, they’re still trying to alleviate some of the financial struggle that they encountered.”
The Red Kettle Campaign collections go until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, which is the last day volunteers will be accepting donations. However, people can still donate to the Red Kettle Campaign online and in person at 927 Jefferson St. through Dec. 31.
Here’s where the winning $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot ticket was sold
CNN Newsource
By Toni Odejimi, CNN
(CNN) — It’s a very happy holiday for a lucky lottery player in Arkansas, who nabbed a $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve, according to the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery.
The winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA gas station in Cabot, Arkansas.
Last minute ticket sales in Wednesday’s drawing pushed the jackpot to $1.817 billion – with a cash option of $834.9 million – making it the second-largest US lottery jackpot ever, Powerball said in a statement.
The winning numbers were 4, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with red Powerball 19, and a Power Play multiplier of 2. It was the 47th drawing in this run, a record for the most in a jackpot cycle, and the largest Powerball prize of the year, the lotto said.
“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, said.
Cabot is a suburb of Little Rock with more than 27,000 residents.
While there was only one big winner Wednesday, eight tickets nabbed $1 million to stuff their stockings. Those tickets were sold in California, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Nationwide, 114 tickets won a $50,000 prize and 31 tickets won $100,000, Powerball said.
The Powerball jackpot now resets to $20 million for Saturday’s drawing.
The lottery game has generated some of the largest jackpots in US history, including the record $2.04 billion in 2022.
Multiple jackpots have been won either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, according to Powerball, but none of them have ever reached $1 billion – until now.
Jackpot winners have two options to get paid: either through an annuitized prize plan, with one upfront payment and 29 yearly payments increasing by 5%, or through one lump sum payout. The annuitized prize plan takes interest into account. Most lottery winners take the lump sum.
The drawings are scheduled for every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 ET.
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