Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Federal court filings from Wednesday show a man who ran a daycare at his Fulton home will plead guilty to multiple charges related to child sex abuse material.

Jacob Stockglausner, 39, entered a plea agreement on May 31 to producing child sex abuse material, distributing child sex abuse material and possessing child sex abuse material. He is currently being held at the Callaway County Jail without bond. His next federal hearing was not listed in federal court records.

He is still charged in Callaway County with three counts of statutory sodomy of a person younger than 12 years old. A county court filing from June 5 shows his prior charges of first-degree promoting child sex abuse material were dropped “to allow for federal prosecution.”

Court documents in previous reporting in the Callaway County case say a computer with an IP address registered to Stockglausner uploaded child pornography to an online platform. When a search warrant was being served in July 2024 at the daycare, a parent was able to identify their child in an image showed by law enforcement, court documents say

Court information claims Stockglausner sexually assaulted a toddler, filmed it and shared it online. Additional material of other children was also found, filings in previous reporting say.

A hearing in his Callaway County case is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, July 27.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

There were 280 Consolidated Electric Cooperative members without power in Audrain County on Thursday afternoon after storms rolled through Mid-Missouri.

The outages were reported on the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperative’s map. It also shows 37 customers in Callaway County without power, with 35 being Consolidated Electric Cooperative members.

There were 94 members of Missouri Rural Electric Cooperative in Shelby County experiencing an outage.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Mizzou Athletics will have a new concessions vendor this upcoming school year for all of its sports and athletic venues.

The athletic department announced in a Thursday morning press release that it has picked Sodexo Live! as its new hospitality partner.

The release from MU claims Sodexo will use local food partners.

According to its website, Sodexo is used at a number of NFL and MLB stadiums, including for teams such as the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins and Seattle Mariners.

ABC 17 News has requested a copy of the contract between Mizzou Athletics and Sodexo.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Salem, Missouri, man was sentenced to nine consecutive life sentences on Thursday in a child sex crime case, the Phelps County prosecuting attorney announced in a social media post.

Dustin Drennan, 37, was found guilty by a Texas County jury on April 29 to five counts of first-degree statutory sodomy, two counts of first-degree statutory rape, one count of first-degree rape, one count of first-degree sodomy and a count of second-degree child molestation.

Dustin Drennan

Previous reporting shows he was originally charged with 11 counts of statutory sodomy, two counts of first-degree statutory rape, one count of first-degree rape and two counts of first-degree sodomy. 

The prosecutor’s post says Judge Zachary Armfield gave Drennan the maximum sentence after hearing statements from the victim and the victim’s mother.

According to a grand jury indictment in previous reporting, Drennen was accused of sexually assaulting a child or children between June 1, 2018-Jan. 16, 2021.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 45-year-old Colorado woman died in a crash Thursday afternoon on Highway 7 in Climax Springs, north of Route Z, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the Edgewater, Colorado woman drove a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado northbound when her vehicle crossed the center line and hit a 2012 Ford F450 head-on. She was pronounced dead at the scene and her body was brought to Allee-Holman-Howe Funeral Home, the report says.

The driver of the Ford – a 29-year-old Lake Ozark man – had moderate injuries, while two occupants were also injured. A 40-year-old Camdenton man had serious injuries, while a 34-year-old Newburg man had moderate injuries, according to the report. All three people were brought to Lake Regional Hospital by ambulance.

No one in the crash wore a seatbelt, according to the report. Both vehicles were totaled.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

MSHP’s Troop F – which covers much of Mid-Missouri – wrote in a 3:43 p.m. social media post that one person was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Highway 7 and that multiple people were injured.

The Camden County Sheriff’s Office shared in a 3:32 p.m. social media post that the vehicles crash head-on on Highway 7 at Gypsum Drive in Climax Springs near the Dollar General.

Check back for updates.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A major redevelopment project could reshape downtown Columbia and replace several existing buildings near the University of Missouri’s campus.

Developers asked the Planning and Zonning Comission during at Thursday night’s meeting to rezone property between Paquin Street and College Avenue to make way for a new apartment complex called “Theory Sterling Mizzou.”

The commission unanimously approved the proposal Thursday night. It now moves on to the City Council for consideration.

According to plans submitted to the city, the development would include 305 units with a maximum occupancy of about 970 residents.

The project would span 2.91 acres and require the demolition of several existing buildings, including University Place Apartments family homes and a personal services building.

“The entire block bounded by College, University, Matthews, and Paquin will be demolished if the project is approved,” according to a Wednesday statement from Development Services Manager Patrick Zenner.

For current residents of University Place, leases will end in late July. Residents scheduled to move in this August will be allowed to remain through the Spring 2027 semester before being required to relocate.

“The goal is to let that semester conclude,” architect Todd Gaines said. “Which I think is May 17 of 2027, and give them a week until May 24th of 2027 before they need to vacate.”

Gaines acknowledged that nearby residents outside University Place have not yet been notified about the project. He said the project is still in the early stages and developers were not sure whether it would move forward.

Developers plan to keep Como Spa and the barbershop located on the property.

Co-owner Cari Nichols attended Thursday’s meeting and said she is pleased developers intend to preserve the business, which has served Columbia for more than 90 years.

 “We’re grateful that building ownership proactively communicated with us their  desire to keep both Campus Barbershop and Campus Spa a part of this property’s future. We look forward to collaborating with the development team to preserve our presence in our hometown.” Nichols said.

The apartment complex would be accessible from both Matthews Street and College Avenue, per city documents.

Locator Maps U PlaceDownload

Developers said the proposed 85-foot apartment building would exceed what’s typically allowed under current zoning rules, but argue the added height fits the site’s location near downtown and the University of Missouri.

Contractors believe the taller design would allow more student housing in a walkable area and reduce pressure to build farther from campus. While the structure would cast shadows on nearby properties, the impact would be limited to a small number of buildings and only during certain times of day.

The developer is also requesting a reduction in required landscaping, lowering it from 15% to 10%. They argue the site’s urban setting and proximity to downtown make the change appropriate and would help maximize housing without increasing building height.

The plan calls for reducing required buffers from as much as 25 feet down to 10 feet. Documents show the change is intended to better match the surrounding urban character, while also creating a more pedestrian-friendly design and maximizing space for housing and infrastructure.

Overall, city staff said the project aligns with Columbia’s comprehensive plan by adding higher-density housing in an already developed area near downtown and Mizzou. While sewer upgrades will be needed to support the development, those improvements would have to be approved before construction can move forward.

Traffic Impacts

As part of the proposal, developers submitted a traffic impact study examining how the project could affect nearby roads and intersections.

The study estimates the development would generate up to 215 vehicle trips during the busiest periods of the day. Most traffic is expected to enter and exit the property directly from College Avenue.

Engineers found some traffic movements along Matthews Street would experience slightly longer delays during peak hours. However, those delays are expected to increase by fewer than five seconds, and the study concluded nearby roadways would continue operating at “acceptable” levels.

The study identified several intersections that could experience additional traffic from the development, including:

College Avenue and University Avenue

College Avenue and Paquin Street

University Avenue and Matthews Street

Paquin Street and Matthews Street

College Avenue and the proposed site driveway

Matthews Street and the proposed site driveway

The study also identified off-site improvements that may be needed to accommodate the project. Parking would be included as part of the development. According to documents, Theory Sterling Mizzou would provide 579 parking spaces.

Developers compared the proposal with other student housing developments in downtown Columbia and found Theory Sterling Mizzou would offer the most parking spaces while also housing the largest number of residents in the downtown area, with a projected capacity of 961-970 people.

Parking AnalysisDownload

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Sutton Parker

COLUMBIA MO. (KMIZ)

The National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform provided updates on the progress of the ongoing work to prevent violence around the City of Columbia.

The group was contracted in early January to explore ways the city can curb violent crime.

Since the NICJRs contract started the group has been working on 2 reports. Each of which are designed to look into prevention and intervention strategies the city can take.

The “Gun Violence Analysis” report explores fatal and non-fatal shootings in an attempt to find the drivers of gun violence around the city.

Shantay Jackson, the Director of the National Offices of Violence Prevention Network says that this report is trying to help the city figure out what stratigies they can use to help lower gun violence.

“At the end of the day, the report will help determine what evidence informed model the city should employ to continue to reduce violence,” She said.

The report is currently in the beginning stage while the institute waits on data from local law enforcement agencies regarding crime.

“We are waiting on some approvals from your law enforcement agencies here locally in regard to sharing data so that we can begin that work,” She said.

Once that data is shared with the NICJR says it could take them up to 6 months to review it.

The “Community Violence Landscape Analysis” report will look at how community and city based organizations can better help with the reduction of violence.

Jackson said their goal is to help the city identify what is already working and what the city can improve on.

“We can help you all determine where there are strengths in what we call community violence intervention ecosystem so you can build out the right support for those at the highest risk.” she said.

As for when this report will be complete, Jackson said it should be done in the next few months.

“Typically those reports take anywhere from 5-6 months in order to complete so we are looking forward to coming back here at the end of August or early September to share those public findings out.” She said.

After both reports are finished the institute plans to deploy a multi-year plan that incorporates all of the research in an effort boost violence reduction and intervention.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia Fourth Ward city council candidate is running for office while continuing her work as a lobbyist, creating an extra challenge for funding her campaign.

Missouri law prohibits a candidate from creating or maintaining a candidate committee if they’re a lobbyist.

However, a new law that takes effect at the end of August would eliminate that requirement when a lobbyist is running for a local office, including a county, municipal or school board office, according to the bill summary, as long as the candidate isn’t lobbying the office they’re running for.

Candidate Sharon Jones said the law is supposed to prevent people from running for office at the state level.

“It was meant to prevent that sort of conflict of interest, where you are lobbying the same people that you are wanting to become,” Jones said.

Jones is a registered lobbyist for seven organizations, including the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, the Missouri NAACP State Conference, Jones Advocacy Group, Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Madsen-Wright Inc., PROMO and the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission.

She’s also a civil rights attorney and worked on the NAACP lawsuit against the state, trying to overturn the 2025 congressional map.

The Fourth Ward election is Aug. 4, and while Jones waits for the new law to pass, a couple of her colleagues formed a political action committee that she won’t manage as a way to get around the roadblock the current law poses.

“It’s important to note that this PAC is not ran by Sharon,” PAC deputy treasurer Dustin Bax said. “Candidates can have PACs created and ran by friends, but those, in most instances, are controlled by that candidate. This PAC isn’t controlled by Sharon.”

Jones said she also could have unregistered as a lobbyist and registered again once the law kicks in.

“I chose not to do that because that didn’t feel transparent and authentic to me, and I would rather just look at the people of the Fourth Ward and say this is what I do for a living, this is the work I do, these are the people I represent. If you want to be a part of that, you can vote for me,” Jones said.

This isn’t the first time a lobbyist has run for office in Columbia. Former Mayor Brian Treece was told to extinguish his campaign committee in 2021, according to previous reporting. Treece worked as a lobbyist while also maintaining a campaign committee for mayor, which has existed since 2016.

In 2023, First Ward residents petitioned for a recall vote against former councilman Nick Knoth because he accepted a position as director of government affairs and regional advocacy for the Missouri Association of REALTORS, according to previous reporting. While the Missouri Ethics Commission didn’t see a legal issue, some residents said it was an ethical issue.

Jones said her situation is different.

“The major difference between what happened with Nick Knoth and my candidacy is that I have never lobbied the city council. I only lobby the legislature and the governor for things like clemency and permit vetoes,” Jones said.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission is set to meet Thursday night to discuss a potential housing project near the University of Missouri campus and another on the south side of town.

The first development up for discussion will be “The Retreat at Columbia,” located 350 feet north of Gray Oak Drive. If approved, the 194-unit multi-family development would be built on 32.7 acres, according to the meeting agenda.

This development had been tabled during the commission’s May 7 and June 4 meetings.

A landscape plan, along with a Rock Quarry Road special plan, was conducted for this potential multi-family unit.

Another potential development to be discussed is near the University of Missouri campus. It would be built northwest of the intersection of University and College Avenues. It would include the address 1205 University Ave. The development will be on an approximately 2.91-acre lot and hold 320 dwelling units.

A tree preservation plan, parking analysis, and a shadow study have been completed for the development.

A traffic impact study was also conducted for both potential developments.

Public comment will follow those discussions, according to the meeting agenda.

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Matthew Sanders

Awareness of alpha-gal syndrome is growing.

The disease can affect people bitten by lone star ticks, and those bites are growing in frequency, as shown by the increase in emergency room visits related to tick bites.

Alpha-gal syndrome leads to an allergy to mammal products, food and otherwise. Its presence in Missouri is known, but not its magnitude.

Do you know someone with alpha-gal syndrome? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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