Category: kmiz-local-news

Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA. Mo. (KMIZ)

Reign Bar’s lawyer sent a response letter to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office after Attorney General Catherine Hanaway described the bar as having “persistent nuisance conditions.”

The letter, sent by Jermaine Wooten, disputed claims of nuisance activity on and around the bar’s owned premises, stating that no violent incidents have occurred in those areas.

“The incidents referenced occurred beyond Reign’s property line and involved patrons ofneighboring establishments — not Reign patrons,” wrote Wooten in the letter. “Describing an event as occurring ‘directly outside Reign’ does not establish that it occurred on Reign-controlled property, involved Reign customers, or resulted from Reign’s conduct.”

Reign ResponseDownload

Wooten said the purpose of the letter was not to challenge the AG’s office, but rather to get on the same page.

“We were under the impression that the AG’s office had some misinformation. So we wanted to find out what information they had, specifically the incident reports, and provide us with the police reports,” said Wooten. “Once we get a police report, so we know what incidents the AG’s office is referring to as it relates to any criminal activity that’s occurring inside or outside of Reign’s doors. So we can all sit down and address those issues just based on the information we were privy to.”

Because Reign Bar has not received any reports of incidents happening inside the bar or directly outside on their property line, Wooten said he is hoping to get clarity on what violent activities the AG’s office is referring to, because right now there is no factual evidence for the claims made.

“And of course Reign believes that it’s a bit, not irresponsible, but unfair to hold them responsible for the criminal activity that takes place downtown Columbia simply because they have a nightclub in that area,” said Wooten.

The letter is requesting clarity on the following:

Reports for each event attributed to Reign Bar. Evidence supporting a patron participating in nuisance activity was admitted, served, or departing from Reign Bar. Documents used to decide that an event occurred on Reign Bar’s property. Data showing support that Reign Bar increased violent crime while the bar was open. Evidence to support the statement that Reign Bar resisted operational changes requested by law enforcement.

In the letter, Reign Bar states that it will continue the “good-faith safety measures” it previously implemented. Measures include security guards, capacity limits, conduct rules, camera coverage, coordination with law enforcement, neighborhood coordination and reviews of Reign’s premises.

The letter from Hanaway stated that Reign had 14 days to respond or the office would “pursue all available legal action against Reign Bar.” Hanaway published the letter to the bar online last month, accusing Reign of causing a “noticeable uptick in unruly activity that interferes with public safety, peace, and comfort in downtown Columbia.”

Wooten said he is hoping the next steps can be a conversation with the AG’s office to address the concerns with factual evidence.

“I think it would be a bit premature to file any kind of lawsuit when we’re willing to come to the table and say, ‘Hey, tell us what you have and let us know what we can address’,” said Wooten. “We can have a conversation because, bottom line, the facts do matter. I understand, she, the AG, responded, and said it just didn’t really matter; factually, it didn’t matter what was going on. Reign was the problem downtown.”

Reign Bar’s patrons are not the people causing downtown safety concerns, according to Wooten. He said Reign Bar makes sure its customers are safe.

“They make sure their patrons leave peacefully, make it to their cars, don’t cause any type of issues on the streets of Columbia downtown,” said Wooten.

Wooten said everyone in Columbia wants a safer downtown, including Reign Bar, and unless factual evidence can be provided, there is little the bar can do.

“I’m asking for it I’ve asked for it in writing, I’ve asked for it verbally yesterday, and I’m asking for it again today. So that’s all we’re asking for,” said Wooten. “If there are any issues that we need to address at Reign Club, they will be addressed because, like I say, safety is a priority for the citizens of Columbia who want to go out and try to enjoy a good time downtown.”

The AG’s office confirmed it received the letter from Reign Bar and is still reviewing it. A spokesperson for Hanaway said that if no resolution comes from the letters and communication between the office and the bar, then the AG will take legal action.

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Gabrielle Teiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A tractor-trailer crash on eastbound Interstate 70 east of Columbia that spilled protein shakes partially blocked the road for several hours Thursday.

According to a social media post from the Missouri State Highway Patrol posted just before 2 a.m., troopers investigated a crash involving an overturned tractor-trailer at mile marker 137 in western Callaway County.

The Highway Patrol says the trailer had broken open and contained protein shakes. The patrol said the road is partially blocked.

An online MSHP crash report says the 2024 Freightliner went off the road, hit a concrete wall and overturned at about 1 a.m. The 31-year-old driver from Yuma, Arizona, was taken by ambulance to University Hospital with minor injuries.

A MoDOT Traveler Map camera at the 137.9-mile marker at 7:20 a.m. showed traffic moving in both directions. The map showed no traffic impact alerts in that area.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR’S NOTE: A source error has been corrected to say the victim was a pedestrian, not a cyclist.

A morning crash killed a 43-year-old pedestrian on Paris Road in Columbia, police said.

The crash happened at about 6:40 a.m. in the 2500 block of Paris Road, and the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Columbia Police Department news release. Two vehicles were involved, and their drivers were not injured, police say.

Columbia Police Department Lt. Clint Sinclair told ABC 17 News on the scene that officers were investigating a deadly crash involving a pedestrian on Paris Road. A CPD spokesman later mistakenly said the crash involved a bicyclist.

CPD does not identify the victims of fatal crashes.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw CPD officers put up crime scene tape at the intersection of Wabash Drive and Vandiver Drive at 6:53 a.m.

At 6:51 a.m., Boone County Joint Communication sent an alert about a crash at Paris Road and Nelwood Drive. Another message went out at 6:54 a.m. that reads, “Wabash Drive at Vandiver Drive also closed due to collision. Choose alternate route.”

Sinclair said the incidents were related.

An ABC 17 News reporter on scene saw officers put a white sheet over a body on Wabash Drive and a white Tesla with flashing hazard lights nearby. A coroner’s van arrived just before 9:40 a.m. and put the body in a body bag and into the van.

Crime scene tape came down shortly after the coroner arrived, and a tow truck removed the Tesla from the scene.

Police cleared the scene shortly after 10 a.m., after the fire department washed down the area.

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Matthew Sanders

Plenty of people, on both sides of the political aisle, are unhappy about an ad campaign produced by the Trump administration and funded with taxpayer money.

A firm that tracks TV advertising reports the campaign has already cost at least $2.5 million, with $20 million allocated from public funds. Multiple Republican senators have criticized the use of taxpayer money for the ad campaign, which comes just weeks before the midterm elections, in which President Donald Trump has told voters to pretend he’s on the ballot.

However, some in the party continue to defend Trump. A resolution to officially criticize the use of taxpayer money on the ads was blocked in the Senate on Wednesday.

Do you think using public funds on these ads is acceptable? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Olivia Hayes

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

In a new effort by Missouri law enforcement to try and generate tips through inmates, 2,000 decks of playing cards that feature dozens of victims in unsolved crimes are now in every state prison.

Each card features a photo and details about an unsolved homicide, missing person, or unidentified remains case adding up to a total 52 cases. The initiative encourages offenders with information to come forward and assist investigators with new information.

Ten of the cases featured are from Columbia. Nine cold cases are unsolved homicides out of the 17 total CPD is currently investigating including:

James Hickem Virginia Davis James Hundle George Showalter Timothy Jones Antonio Houston and Danielle Marine Michael J. Walker Jr. and Jeffery D. Jones Mark Dailey Bryant Wilkes ll

The 10th case featured from CPD is the October 1994 disappearance of Kristina Bishop.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol also unveiled a new cold case investigative unit on Wednesday. Two dedicated investigators from the Division of Drug and Crime Control will work cases at the request of local police departments. This process similar to how the FBI takes on its cases to investigate.

Chris Ormerod, the special agent in charge of Kansas City’s Field Office, said the office has recently fully cleared their DNA backlog.

“If you look today, there’s a lot of cases with rapid DNA and genealogy back, so we look at the family trees on some of these, DNA that we don’t have in CODIS to help solve some of the cases,” Ormerod said. 

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Advertisements seemingly part of TikTok’s company have been popping up in users’ feeds, leading people to third-party apps with the promise of payment.

The ads appear differently than typical TikTok Shop or other mainstream retailers.

The font and graphics are in a similar style to TikTok’s app design and often prevent users from returning to the app by taking up the full screen and removing the app’s bottom menu options.

The advertisement explicitly refers to itself as a “partner app.” It also suggests that users 13 years old and older are eligible to earn more than $100 per hour through the app.

Screenshots of a ‘get-paid-to’ advertisement on TikTok.

The Better Business Bureau has seen similar ads trying to blend into other platforms and calls similar ploys “get-paid-to” scams. Users may be encouraged to play games, take surveys or use a social media platform to earn money.

“You’re scrolling and you’re into your phone or whatever you’re doing, and then this ad pops up in a kind of seamless way, announcing that, ‘Oh, congratulations, we saw your resume or we saw your profile somewhere and you’re going to be awarded this job,'” BBB’s Columbia Region Director Khesha Duncan said. “It’s flexible, it’s remote, you’ll get to use your phone and like, follow, subscribe, boost videos, etc., and then you find out it’s not real.”

An ABC 17 News peporter downloaded the suggested app from the viral ad, Freecash, which focuses on tracking and earning money from third-party game apps that the user has to also download. These games included Pixel Flow, Monopoly GO and Solitaire Doll.

On Freecash, users will be prompted to input their age and connect either PayPal, Visa, Amazon or bank account to the app to receive “payouts.” Similar activity management apps like Freecash included “Just Play” and “Swagbucks.”

Simple interactions like navigating either the Freecash app or game apps resulted in low payouts, around 10 cents to around $10. Payouts increase to around $15 to thousands if the user pays to enter a leaderboard with other players. Users can then play the games to earn the most points to win the leaderboard prize.

On both the Freecash app and game apps, the user often needs to earn a preset amount of money before they are able to cash out, which is where users typically lose their winnings.

The BBB’s scam tracker has several reports on Freecash. The most recent post was from Sept. 28, with a user reportedly losing $916.

“I was able to make $700 doing this. However, as I continued to use my time and money to be successful on this app and make some income, my cashouts were suddenly put on hold. Now, they’re saying there’s nothing I can do to fight it or prove my identity, so over $900 that I made through their tasks are inaccessible to me,” a user wrote in the report.

“You’re ready to get your payout, they tell you they can’t pay you because you went through the levels ‘too quickly’ or you violated a policy of some kind that you didn’t even know existed in the first place, or worse, they’ll ask you to send them money to be able to cash out,” Duncan said.

Smaller payouts can sometimes go through, but it depends on the app and should not be relied on.

“There are some scammers out there that may be just barely walking up to the line of what’s a legal employer versus isn’t,” Duncan said.

Duncan added that interaction is often the main goal for scammers.

“Your personal information is just as valuable to them, and they see that as currency, just like they do actual money,” Duncan said. “They want to get your name, any information they can, where you live, phone number, anything that they can get to, maybe plan to use it in an identity theft situation.”

TikTok confirmed in a statement Wednesday that the Freecash ad is not their brand or part of a product campaign.

“We’ve removed content and accounts for violating our policies against deceptive practices and misleading content, and are continuing to take action against this content. TikTok prohibits fraudulent activity in both advertising and user-generated content, and we continuously remove such content and accounts as they’re detected or reported,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

Duncan advises users who run into a suspected ad to turn off their phone or reset the app. She adds that most scams involve companies leading users to a third-party, off-platform app.

Officials also report that TikTok’s monetization program for video creators is the only form of payment users can participate in.

Parents can also use UNICEF’s Digital Parenting initiative as a resource when informing their children on internet safety.

“Anything that you see on your phone or text or even email, it sounds too good to be true, it usually is too good to be true, and if it requires such urgent language and they’re trying to force you to make a deal, make a decision to participate right now, or the opportunities is going to go away, that’s usually a scam as well,” Duncan said.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

MU Health Care announced on Thursday that it is expanding specialized care to Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City to include urology services.

A press release from MU Health Care says the new clinic will be located on the third floor of the Madison Street Medical Building and surgeries can begin as early as Thursday.

“One of the promises we made through the integration was that patients in Jefferson City and surrounding communities would gain access to more specialized care close to home,” MU Health Care CEO Ric Ransom was quoted in the release. “The addition of urology services is a tangible example of that commitment. By expanding both clinic and surgical capabilities locally, we’re making it easier for patients to receive the care they need without traveling to Columbia.”

New surgical technology, including a laser system, can be used there for procedures procedures for kidney stones, benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate enlargement and certain tumor treatments.

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Demetra Alarcon

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Missouri senator announced on Wednesday he is introducing a new bill related to automatic license plate readers like Flock.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the “Stop Flock Abuse Act” to establish basic safeguards for AI-powered cameras and to “protect Americans’ fundamental constitutional rights,” Senator Hawley said.

This comes as use of the technology has come under scrutiny. Concerns over Flock cameras have continued to grow, with more than 150 cities across the country canceling their contracts or deactivating the cameras. That includes the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, which announced it would deactivate its Flock cameras last month.

“AI-powered cameras produced by Flock and its competitors are tracking and creating digital footprints of everyday Americans — a nightmare for individual liberties unless Congress enacts meaningful rules and accountability. Last week, my hearing on Flock brought to light the threat that these AI-powered cameras pose to national security and the privacy of everyday Americans,” Hawley said. 

Hawley’s website says that this bill would establish the following common-sense guardrails:

Never sell data, meaning that local government cannot sell or share data with non-governmental third parties. Next is no rogue searches, meaning that an approval must be written to authorize a search. A search log must be preserved, showing who searched it, why, and who approved it Data must be encrypted and must not leave the United States Limit on data retention: agencies must permanently delete data after ten days No hardware or software from foreign adversaries Prohibition on facial recognition technology

Jefferson City renewed its agreement with Flock in August, with Police Chief Eric Wilde publicly saying the use of Flock cameras has helped the department solve three homicides. Columbia has stated it will hold a public meeting regarding Flock.

Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order earlier this month to put stricter restrictions on automatic license plate readers like Flock cameras. The order requires the Department of Public Safety to issue best practice guidelines for ALPRS.

A Wednesday evening press release from the Department of Public Safety says it spent two weeks speaking with law enforcement agencies around the state. Some recommendations it made include making sure:

A legitimate law enforcement purpose for any ALPR data search; Individual accountability for anyone with access to ALPR data; Independent verification of ALPR alerts before enforcement; Limited (30 days in most cases) retention of ALPR data; Routine auditing (at least monthly) and targeted reviews of ALPR use; and Prohibiting the integration of artificial intelligence facial recognition technology with ALPR systems.

The DPS’ document regarding its recommendations can be viewed below.

alpr-best-practices-guideDownload

Columbia Police Department declined an interview regarding Flock cameras.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Emery Sapp and Sons and ESS Companies will move its headquarters to a new location in 2028.

A Thursday press release from the contracting company says it closed on a location at 101 North Keene St. in Columbia, the current location of MEM.

“Columbia is where Emery Sapp & Sons got its start more than 50 years ago, and it remains an important part of who we are today. We’re proud to continue investing in the community that has grown alongside us” said Brian Burks, who is the vice president, operations at ESS. “This new headquarters will bring our employee-owners, clients and community partners together while creating a foundation for continued growth— both here at home and wherever we go next.”

Jessica Bukowski at ESS Companies told ABC 17 News that the company plans on selling its old building on I-70 Drive. Laura Gerding at MEM said the company will move out at the end of 2027.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was accused of raping an 81-year-old dementia patient at a nursing home while he was employed as a certified nursing assistant has pleaded down to lesser charges.

Joseph Hull, of Jefferson City, was originally charged with first-degree rape and first-degree sexual conduct with a nursing facility resident. He pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of misdemeanor elderly abuse.

He was sentenced to a year in jail, but an order for his release was filed on Tuesday after he was given credit for 730 days of time served, court filings show.

Hull was charged with two felonies in May 2024.

According to the probable cause statement, a witness stated that the sexual assault was recorded and provided the recording to law enforcement. One of the witnesses says the victim often calls other men by her dead husband’s name, including Hull.

Hull allegedly admitted to law enforcement that he had intercourse with the victim and knew it was illegal for him to do so, the probable cause statement says.

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