Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 65-year-old woman from Columbia was seriously injured in a crash in the 4900 block of Route F in Callaway County on Thursday morning, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the 2016 Toyota Camry was heading west when it went off the right side of the road and hit a ditch. The woman was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the report.

She was brought to University Hospital in Columbia with serious injuries, the report says.

The Toyota had extensive damage. MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was found guilty on Friday of multiple child sex crimes in Osage County, according to a press release from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.

Louis Galvan was found guilty of first-degree statutory sodomy, first-degree child molestation and second-degree child molestation. He was accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a child who was younger than 12 years old, the release says.

The trial last two days and the jury deliberated for two hours, according to the release. Galvan faces a possible sentence of 10-30 years. A sentencing date was not announced.

“This verdict belongs to the victim who never stopped fighting for justice,” Osage County Prosecuting Attorney Amanda Grellner said in the release. “Our community can be proud that she had the courage to face her abuser and tell her story. Working together with the Attorney General’s Office ensured we had the resources needed to present the strongest possible case, but it was her bravery that made this outcome possible.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A registered sex offender in Hallsville who was arrested on Thursday was charged with two felonies.

Eric Gathings, 51, was charged on Friday with failure to register as a sex offender and residing too close to a school.

He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled. He is also being held on a U.S. Marshal hold.

Gathings was arrested on Thursday at his residence above the Sassafras Moon at the corner of Route B and East Highway 124 around 4 p.m. A large law enforcement response, including an armored vehicle, were seen in the area.

The residence Gathings stayed at is within 1,000 feet of a preschool and the Hallsville School District, the probable cause statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Crews next week will make concrete repairs to a portion of West Ash Street in Columbia near the entrance to the parking lot of the Activity and Recreation Center.

The ARC is located at 1701 W. Ash St., across the street from Gerbes. Crews will start work at 7 a.m. Monday and are expected to wrap up work by 4 p.m. Tuesday. Work will last from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. each day, the release says. Crews could work on Wednesday if a weather delay occurs, the release says.

Temporary lane closures will be required, but one lane of traffic will be open at all times, according to the release.

Traffic signs and flaggers will be present and the sidewalk will remain open, the release says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A senior property tax exemption that went into effect last year will result in Boone County issuing more than $2.2 million in tax credits to seniors.

Eligible seniors are able to apply for an exemption by each summer and voters in August approved decided to expand the law to apply to levies.

Boone County Collector Brian McCollum told ABC 17 News in an email on Thursday that the total credits to eligible taxpayers’ bill is $2,219,785.05. McCollum wrote that “taxpayers will see any eligible credit stated on the face of their real estate tax bill for their primary residence.  They will need remit the balance due by December 31, 2025, to avoid any delinquent charges.”

The law to allow the freeze was approved by state lawmakers in 2023 and Boone County voters OK’d it last year.

To be eligible taxpayers must be:

62 years old or older by Jan. 1 of the initial credit year;

An owner of record of their primary residence or has a legal or equitable interest in such primary residence as evidenced by a written instrument; and

Liable for the payment of real property taxes on the homestead.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No one was injured after a building caught fire Thursday night at 3100 Dogwood Dr. in Fulton, according to a Friday press release from the Fulton Fire Department.

The release says crews were called to the address of Monet Desauw at 10:41 p.m. and saw flames going through the roof. The fire was brought under control by 11:28 p.m., the release says.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged with several sex crimes after he was accused of repeatedly raping and sodomizing a child over the course of several years.

Zackary Ray, 27, was charged with two counts of first-degree rape of a child younger than 12 years old, one count of first-degree sodomy of a child younger than 12 years old and a count of first-degree child molestation. He is being held at the Callaway County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The victim’s father reported to law enforcement in June that the youth told him they were sexually abused for years when they were younger, the statement says. The assaults began when the victim was 10 or 11 years old and that Ray would assault them after the child’s mother left for work, the statement says.

The victim gave graphic details to law enforcement during an interview, and claimed that Ray threatened to kill the victim’s mother and grandmother if they came forward with information, the statement says.

Ray initially denied the allegations but eventually claimed “if this happened, I don’t remember it,” while talking with law enforcement, court documents say. Ray and others who spoke with deputies talked about his repeated drug use during the time, court documents show.

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Association of Counties is looking for buyers of 10 old cars, including four hearses and two limousines, as it continues to convert the former Buescher Funeral Home into offices.

The vehicles were discovered as crews were clearing out junk from the building. The lineup comprises four hearses, a station wagon, two limos and three four-door sedans. Bids are being accepted until Nov. 1.

MAC deputy director David Owen said the cars were found in the building’s basement/garage area. A timeline for the renovation is not yet clear as cleanup continues, he said.

The oldest vehicle is a 1954 Packard-Henney. Several Cadillac sedans are among the cars up for bid.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County commissioners are set to help keep the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri afloat as low-income locals worry the shutdown will mean no federal food assistance.

The commission is amending its contract to provide the food bank with American Rescue Act Funds to pour in an additional $50,000 to support operations and keep shelves stocked.

Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick said the additional funding is intended to supplement food banks as food insecurity rises because of SNAP and WIC benefits being delayed while the government remains shut down.

“If the shutdown continues into November, then [those benefits] appear to be basically running out at the end of this month, so we know that it’s going to create a lot of food insecurity,” Kendrick said.

Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri spokesperson Katie Adkins said Boone County is already seeing a high demand on top of people losing SNAP benefits and federal workers not getting paid.

“We serve a lot of people who are using SNAP dollars, and we serve a lot of people who are not using the SNAP program,” Adkins said. “The Food Bank is generally the safety net to the safety net program.”

Adkins said the Food Bank Market serves about 11,000 to 12,000 people a month.

Adkins also said that because the Food Bank buys in bulk, it can purchase three meals for every dollar spent.

During the last government shutdown, which lasted 35 days in 2018, Adkins said SNAP had extra funding, but that hasn’t happened this time.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Kansas City) and other representatives wrote a letter to the Department of Agriculture urging the agency to use contingency reserve dollars to temporarily fund SNAP.

“Choosing not to ensure SNAP benefits reach those in need this November would be a gross dereliction of your responsibilities to the American people,” Cleaver and other lawmakers wrote in the letter.

The letter states there’s enough in the contingency reserve to give Americans nearly two-thirds of the full SNAP benefits for November.

The ABC 17 News team spoke with U.S. Rep. Mark Alford on Friday who said the Democrats plan sounds solid, but earlier in the interview he said he wants the government to reopen.

“We need some Democrats to wake up, to put their pride aside, to put their fear aside and join us in opening the government,” Alford said.

Governor Mike Kehoe also joined the national talk on SNAP benefits and the government shutdown when he posted Thursday to X, urging Missourians to donate to local food banks.

“Missouri is all about neighbors helping neighbors. Across our state, food banks and pantries have been hard at work preparing for an increase in need as the Democrat-led federal government shutdown continues,” Kehoe wrote.

It’s uncertain right now how a prolonged shutdown will affect WIC benefits.

A Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services spokesperson said they are closely monitoring funds with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and will know more next week.

In the meantime, Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services continues to schedule and see families in the clinic as it awaits a clear answer on November benefits.

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Jefferson City firefighters encountered “heavy fire conditions” in the front of a house during a call Friday morning.

Firefighters were sent to the 100 block of North Polk Street a little before 8 a.m. and found the flames when they arrived, according to a Jefferson City Fire Department news release. Everyone inside had already gotten out safely by the time firefighters arrived.

Firefighters had the blaze under control in about 20 minutes, but remained to help with the investigation into the fire’s cause. That cause remained unknown late Friday morning.

The American Red Cross was called in to help the displaced residents, the release says.

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