Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man who pleaded guilty in April to first-degree child molestation was sentenced to life in prison on Monday, Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Locke Thompson announced in an afternoon press release.

Gary Owens, 60, was originally charged in 2024 with two counts of first-degree child molestation, first-degree sodomy, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and incest. 

The release says Owens’ attorney asked for the minimum sentence of 10 years, but Judge Cotton Walker imposed the maximum sentence.

Court documents in previous reporting say the victim told law enforcement that they had been abused by Owens for at least four years.

Owens confessed to authorities when he was confronted, but claimed he “only” did it once before admitting to more assaults, previous reporting shows.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Osage Beach announced in a Monday press release that it is canceling its Independence Day parade.

“This decision was made after feedback from the affected businesses and careful consideration of potential impact during this busy weekend in our community,” the release says.

Other festivities for the Heart of the Lake FreedomFest will still occur, the release says. A festival will occur from 3-9 p.m. July 4 at Osage Beach City Park and will include bounce houses, a hot dog eating contest, beer garden, live music and more, according to information on the city’s website.

A fireworks display is scheduled for 9 p.m.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The victim’s name has been corrected.

Prosecutors have filed two new charges against two suspects in the death of a Moberly teenager whose remains were found in a conservation area last month.

Christopher Hull, 23, and Hunter Ames, 19, both of Moberly, were charged Friday with first-degree property damage and first-degree burglary for allegedly pouring oil or antifreeze into Kayla Huff’s gas tank the night of her death, according to court documents.

The two were already charged with kidnapping and evidence tampering, and Ames is charged with first-degree murder. Alayna Mason is also charged with first-degree murder, while Julian Mason has been charged with kidnapping and evidence tampering.

A juvenile has also been charged in the case.

Huff was last seen May 6 before her body was found about a week later.

Ames and Alayna Mason allegedly told police that the group killed Huff by shooting her.

Hull had a hearing Monday afternoon, and Ames has a hearing set for July 23.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man was charged on Monday after authorities claim he forced himself on a woman he walked home on Saturday night.

Nathan Huff, 43, was charged in Cole County with first-degree burglary, first-degree sexual abuse and third-degree assault. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. A mugshot was not available on the jail roster.

Court filings show an attempt at holding an arraignment occurred on Monday but were “unable to complete initial appearance because of defendant repeated interruptions.” The arraignment was rescheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, June 22.

The probable cause statement says Huff walked the victim home on Saturday night and she allowed him to go into her home to use the restroom. Huff then allegedly started assaulting the victim and repeatedly tried removing her clothing, despite the victim telling him to stop and to leave, court documents say. Huff also allegedly threw the victim into a bathroom mirror, the statement says.

Police noted in the probable cause statement that, “The defendant was placed into custody and taken to the Jefferson City Police Department for an interview. The defendant was uncooperative and became agitated, and was unable to conduct the interview.”

Police also noted the victim had bruising on her neck and arm when she spoke with authorities.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man was charged with four felonies on Monday after he allegedly admitted to shooting his girlfriend during an argument on Saturday.

Jerome Malone, 60, was charged in Cole County with first-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and illegal gun possession. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond.

An arraignment was held on Monday and Malone pleaded not guilty by video from the jail. Malone stated he wanted to hire private counsel for the case during the arraignment, court filings on Monday show. A counsel status hearing will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday and a preliminary hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 14.

The probable cause statement says Malone called first responders at 11:26 a.m. Saturday and stated he shot his girlfriend.

Malone allegedly told police that the victim was upset “with him regarding his relationship with other women,” the statement says. He allegedly told police that the victim pushed him, which caused his hand to get caught in an “already broken windowpane,” the statement says.

He then allegedly went to a different room, found a gun and then went back to shoot the victim, court documents allege. Police wrote that Malone appeared to be intoxicated and he admitted to drinking alcohol before the shooting, the statement says.

The victim allegedly told police that she did not push Malone and that he “was upset about her relationship with other men,” the statement says.

Police wrote that they found a gun, the bullet and a broken windowpane covered in blood, the statement says. The victim was brought to University Hospital for the gunshot wound, the statement says.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Amazon will spend about $10 billion to create a data center in Montgomery County, including millions for infrastructure and other local projects, according to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office.

Kehoe was at a groundbreaking for the project in Montgomery City on Monday. In a news release after the event, Kehoe’s office stated the $10 billion includes more than $1 million for a “community gathering space” at the county fairgrounds, $3 million for community programs, a $150,000 grand fund for community projects and a previously reported $3 million for emergency dispatching services.

The campus will be built on about 1,000 acres north of Interstate 70 between New Florence and High Hill.

Amazon is in line for nearly $1 billion in property tax breaks.

Kehoe’s office says the project will create 400 direct jobs and thousands of construction jobs.

“Montgomery County estimates this investment will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new property tax revenue over the next 25 years,” the governor’s office stated in the news release.

Amazon is working with the company Arable Labs to implement new technology to help farmers with irrigation and reduce the amount of water wasted, the release states.

Water use is one complaint aired by local residents at public meetings on the project. Other complaints include the high power loads required by data centers and the use of productive farmland for the project.

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Jessica Hafner

The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for the potential of severe thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon into the evening.

A Tornado Watch is in effect until 10:00 p.m. for all counties shaded in yellow, including Columbia and Jefferson City. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for all counties in pink until 10:00 p.m.

A Wind Advisory is in place for wind gusts in excess of 40 mph possible late this morning through the afternoon. The advisory extends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

This wind will be amplified by an approaching low-pressure system that brings our main threat for storms Wednesday evening.

A low-pressure system in the northern plains is drawing a south wind across Mid-Missouri. A complex of storms near the warm front is tracking across northeast Missouri into central Illinois, keeping any severe threat northeast of Mid-Missouri.

Wednesday afternoon will be hot and humid ahead of the evening cold front, allowing the atmosphere to become increasingly unstable and provide energy for storms to sustain severe limits as they develop. We’ll also have strong low-level winds increasing moisture across the region starting late Tuesday night. Wind shear will be sufficient at the low and mid-levels for storms to quickly become severe.

Storms are expected to fire along a trailing cold front between 3 and 5 p.m. These initial storms could be discrete supercells capable of producing large hail and tornadoes.

From here, we’ll have to watch to see if storms congeal into a line, or remain somewhat supercellular. It’s possible that some, if not all, congeal into a line along the front, but there is some uncertainty regarding this. Whether a line or individual cells, storms will generally move north to south, exiting and weakening after midnight.

All hazards will be possible with these storms, but the main concern going into the evening will be damaging winds and heavy rain. Moisture levels in the atmosphere will be high, meaning storms could have high rainfall rates, leaving another 1-2″+ through Thursday morning. Almost all of Mid-Missouri is in a level 3/5 severe risk from the Storm Prediction Center on Wednesday.

There remains uncertainty in timing and severity from morning to evening. While it looks likely that morning rain will miss the region, and allow for abundant storm energy for the cold front to use in the late afternoon and evening, one of the main questions remaining is exactly what mode these storms take on. There appears to be some potential for both line segments and/or individual cells. Differences in storm mode will mean differences in what severe threats we can expect. The main threat appears to be damaging wind, as we expect this with both individual supercells and line segments.

Individual supercells would favor a higher threat for tornadoes and larger hail. In either scenario, wind will likely be the most common impact, but this keeps the potential for strong tornadoes (up to EF-2) on the table for now. Stay tuned for details on how this forecast evolves.

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Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Some members of the Jefferson City planning and zoning commission are not on board with rezoning a building that the Jefferson City Room at the Inn would use to expand its homeless shelter and create a new day room.

The board voted 4-3 on Thursday not to recommend the zoning change to the city council.

“We have probably spent the whole weekend just kind of licking our wounds,” RATI Chair Sarah Hamilton said Sunday.

RATI leadership is considering buying a building on 107 Adam St. that would have a day center on the bottom floor for people experiencing homelessness to spend time and set goals to get back on their feet. It would also have laundry facilities and showers.

The second floor would be the overnight shelter with 30 beds, which is 10 more than RATI’s current space at the First Baptist Church, located at 301 E. Capitol Ave.

However, the building needs to be rezoned before RATI can purchase it for $500,000 and make about $500,000 in renovations, Hamilton said.

The city council will have the final decision on whether the building can be rezoned at the Aug. 3 council meeting.

Planning and zoning commissioner Bunnie Trickey Cotten, who voted in support of RATI, said the council isn’t required to follow the commission’s recommendation.

“The city council often does not take our recommendation and this is definitely one time I hope they do not take our recommendation,” Cotten said.

Hamilton said there was no explanation for why the commission voted the way it did, especially after over 53 people sent in letters of support, compared to 17 community members against the zoning change.

“Nobody wants a homeless shelter in their backyard and we understand that, but that doesn’t make the problem go away and that doesn’t help the folks who are in need of help,” Hamilton said.

People opposed to the shelter are worried that it will cause harm to the people who live on East Capitol Avenue and put time into revitalizing it, Hamilton said.

RATI hasn’t given up hope on the proposed building, and Hamilton said the nonprofit will look at other buildings to rezone if the council turns down the Adams Street proposal.

If it is approved, RATI can move forward with fundraising for a down payment. They already have $200,000 saved up.

Regardless of the council’s decision, the emergency shelter will stay at the First Baptist Church for the winter while renovations happen.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A new report shows Columbia’s Flock Safety camera system alerted police thousands of times over the past year.

The Columbia Police Department says the system generated 5,521 total alerts in the first year of operation. Of those alerts, 2,877 were linked to outstanding warrants, 1,452 involved stolen license plates and 1,192 were connected to stolen vehicles.

The Flock system was approved by the Columbia city council in Oct. 2024. Since then, more than 100 license plate reader cameras have been installed across the city.

Two years ago, Police Chief Jill Schlude previously said the system is intended in part to deter crime.

“The idea is to set up a system where there is a fear that your numbers are going to get drawn or that your queries are going to get looked at, and that’s kind of a deterrent,” Schlude said.

The technology has drawn criticism from some community members who have raised concerns about privacy and government surveillance. Despite those concerns, police said the cameras have helped identify wanted individuals and recover stolen property.

According to the department’s annual report, the system has been linked to 217 criminal cases since its deployment. More than half of those cases either led to an arrest or provided investigators with useful leads, including 69 arrests and 52 investigative leads.

The report also details the cost of the system.

Columbia spent nearly $585,000 to install and launch the Flock Safety camera system in 2025.

City officials expect to spend about $515,000 in fiscal year 2026 to maintain the network, including $476,000 from police and general city funds and $39,000 from parks and recreation.

While the system costs more than half a million dollars per year, city officials believe the expense is justified when spread across the population and weighed against the public safety benefits they said the cameras provide.

The city’s current contract with Flock expires in March 2027, when officials will decide whether to renew the agreement.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Cole County/Jefferson City Office of Emergency Management is working on a new storm damage portal to streamline the recovery process.

OEM Deputy Director Mackinley Kennedy said the portal isn’t open to the public yet, but once it is, residents will be able to upload photos of damage like flooding, damaged trees, debris, blocked roadway and others. The form also asks users to identify the cause of damage, some options include rain, snow or tornado, among others.

“They can submit those photos to us, and then it’s all rolled into a big repository where we can, as the Office of Emergency Management, we can comb through that information and hopefully provide a more efficient response,” Kennedy said.

The idea is for users to assess any damage to their property following the weather event, when it’s safe to do so.

OEM soft-launched an update to the county’s GIS map that allows staff to attach photos to road conditions.

“We do feel like it is important to be transparent with the public and the community,” Kennedy said. “So if they’re curious about where damage is occurring or what it looks like, they can do that safely from anywhere that they have internet access.”

Kennedy said the map was updated Monday, following heavy rainfall and flooding Sunday night.

It’s unclear when Cole County residents will be able to access the full portal.

“I’ll tell you that it is a priority for us, and it’s an active project. So we’re working diligently to get that ready to roll out to the community, but as of right now, I don’t have a definitive time to tell you that we’re going to roll it out,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy also said the portal won’t replace 911 when there is an immediate emergency.

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