Category: kmiz-local-news

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former Pulaski County substitute teacher and paraprofessional charged with 19 felonies a year for allegedly offering children money, drugs and alcohol for sex has been sentenced to prison.

Carissa J. Smith, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to one count of child endangerment and two counts of having sexual contact with a student.

Smith worked in the Dixon School District but resigned a few months before charges were made public in November 2024. The investigation started when detectives interviewed a victim who said they had been coerced into sex with Smith — including her supplying marijuana, alcohol and money — on multiple occasions, according to a probable cause statement.

The statement identified at least five victims.

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Matthew Sanders

EDITOR’S NOTE: Charges against Jimmy Kenda were dropped after officers learned that the suspect gave a false identity. The suspect’s name will be released after formal charges are filed, police say.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A report of a man repeatedly harassing a woman at a gas station kicked off a high-speed pursuit early Friday in Jefferson City.

Jimmy Kenda was charged with first-degree sexual abuse, aggravated fleeing a stop and first-degree harassment, all felonies.

Officers were called to the Break Time at 326 Ellis Blvd. at about 2:45 a.m., where a woman said a man repeatedly made unwanted advances that included touching her and offering to pay her for sex, according to a probable cause statement. The man followed her to the drink station and continued to touch her inappropriately, the victim told police.

Officers soon found the suspect’s vehicle at another gas station. An officer began to question Kenda, who took off down Route C at speeds up to 100 mph in heavy rain, the statement says. Kenda crashed at the intersection of Route C and Rock Ridge Road and was arrested, police say.

Kenda was taken to University Hospital with a compound fracture of his leg. He was not in Cole County Jail custody on Friday morning.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The sole occupant of a boat on the Lake of the Ozarks was not hurt in a Thursday afternoon explosion and fire.

Firefighters were called to the 3.5 mile marker a little after 4 p.m. Thursday for a call of a boat and dock fire, the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District stated in a news release. The boat was on fire in the middle of a cove when firefighters arrived.

The lone occupant of the boat had been rescued by people on another boat, the release states.

Information about what started the fire and the victim’s name was not released.

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Matthew Sanders

People in Mid-Missouri were sickened to learn the macabre details after a Boone County woman had been charged with animal abuse.

Under Missouri law, no authorities were under an obligation to inspect Sanders’ operation, legally classified as a “hobby,” unless complaints were filed.

Do you think the state should have tougher requirements? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Four more people have been charged after more than 20 stolen guns were recovered in Columbia this week.

Two people were initially charged on Thursday after 14 guns were found in an apartment and vehicle on Radcliffe Drive while police served a search warrant Wednesday, according to court documents. Another nine were found in a bag in Kiwanis Park. Court documents now say 10 of the 23 guns were stolen from Macon County.

Kayla Dugan, 36, of Columbia, was charged with two counts of illegal gun possession, one count of stealing a gun and drug possession. Justin Shelton, 30, of Columbia, was charged with two counts of illegal gun possession and one count of stealing a gun. Dugan is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. Shelton’s name did not appear on the online jail roster on Friday afternoon.

Dugan has a hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday and a preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. April 25. Dugan appeared in court Friday by video from the jail. Shelton had an initial court appearance on Friday.

Prosecutors filed charges Friday against Gerald Bell, 44, of Centralia; Thomas Abbey Jr., 37, of Columbia; Robert Ruble, 38, of Columbia; and Tyrone Sabb, 49, of Columbia. Bell, Abbey and Sabb were listed on the Boone County Jail roster on Friday afternoon. Ruble was not listed on the jail roster, though he appeared on the county arrest report.

Bell is charged with illegal gun possession and stealing a gun. Abbey is charged with illegal gun possession, stealing a gun and drug possession. Ruble is charged with receiving stolen property, drug possession and unlawful use of a gun. Sabb is charged with receiving stolen property, four counts of illegal gun possession and two counts of armed criminal action.

The probable cause statement says Bell drove Dugan to Macon County to steal the guns. Shelton allegedly told investigators that Bell was attempting to sell the guns and had “been involved since the guns arrived at the house.” Court documents claim Bell admitted to handling guns and trying to find buyers.

Another statement says that a SWAT team served a warrant at Abbey’s residence on Dickinson Drive on Thursday after Dugan allegedly told police she sold guns to Abbey. Police allegedly found a stolen gun and methamphetamine at the residence, the statement says. Abbey was arrested during a traffic stop.

Abbey told police that he was with another person when they bought two guns from Dugan and that the guns were traded for a Dodge truck, the statement says.

Another probable cause statement says Dugan sold guns to Ruble and a search warrant was executed at his home near Boone Hospital on Bass Avenue on Thursday. Police wrote that a stolen gun was found along with methamphetamine. Ruble was arrested during a traffic stop and allegedly told police that he thought the gun was stolen “because he only paid $150 for the gun,” the probable cause statement says.

Dugan also admitted to selling guns to Sabb, who was identified through CashApp’s online database, the statement says. Four guns were found at Sabb’s residence near Rock Quarry Park, one of which was from Macon County, according to the statement. Sabb was arrested and told police that he didn’t ask where the guns came from “but assumed it was stolen based on the situation in which he obtained it,” court documents say.

The Columbia Police Department later wrote in a press release that it had also arrested Tayon Moorehead, 41, and Ronald McIntire, 46, both of Columbia. A total of 34 guns were recovered during the eight arrests. Charges were not filed on Friday afternoon for Moorehead and McIntire. McIntire was described in Abbey’s probable cause statement.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An Iowa man was brought to University Hospital on Thursday after a crash occurred at the intersection of Routes JJ and C in Huntsville, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the driver of a 2019 Nissan Frontier – the 25-year-old Sioux City, Iowa, man – failed to stop at a stop sign while heading eastbound. The Nissan went into the path of a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan that heading southbound and got hit, the report says.

The driver of the Dodge was a 22-year-old man from Cairo, Missouri. Both drivers wore seatbelts, but the Iowa man had moderate injuries and was brought to the hospital by ambulance, the report says.

Both vehicles were totaled. A photograph from the Westran Fire Protection District showed one of the vehicles caught fire after the crash.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Workers at a Columbia Starbucks location on Thursday joined a nationwide strike.

Around 11 employees were seen outside the location on Vandiver Drive on Thursday morning chanting and holding signs.

A press release from Starbucks Workers United – the union that represents the employees — says around 2,000 union baristas around the country went on strike after the two sides did not come to an agreement on a contract.

SBWU named the strike the “Red Cup Rebellion.” Demands from the union include “better staffing, higher pay, and resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice charges,” according to the release. The company refuted the claims in a Thursday evening press release, stating “When the union is ready to return to the bargaining table, we’re ready to talk.”

The Vandiver Drive store is one of two union locations in Columbia, with the other being near the intersection at Nifong Boulevard and Buttonwood Drive. The Vandiver location joined the union in September, while the Nifong location became Columbia’s first unionized store in July.

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Euphenie Andre

Editor’s note: Megan McConachie’s title has been corrected.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The NCAA Cross Country Championships is expected to bring in $1.2 million in revenue to the city this weekend, according to the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau .

From hotels to restaurants, local businesses are anticipating a significant economic boost as hundreds of athletes compete for a national title.

The Gans Creek Cross Country Course is hosting its fourth national event this weekend. The Columbia and Visitors Bureau said the influx of athletes, coaches and fans will have a notable affect on the local economy.

“More people are dining in our restaurants, staying in our hotels, and shopping in our stores, which is a great influx of money into our economy,” Convention and Visitors Bureau spokeswoman Megan McConachie said. “But then there’s also the long-term effect—the exposure from an event like this helps establish Columbia as a premier destination,”

The Park Restaurant Bar and Grill, which is steps from TownePlace Suites, has already seen a surge in guests. Since Thursday, reservations have doubled, including a 24-person cross country team tonight. The restaurant reports larger groups and more frequent reservations throughout the weekend.

“It’s great to see Columbia hosting the NCAA Cross Country Championship this weekend,” said Caleb Rowden, who is a spokesperson for the restaurant and is the former pro tem of the Missouri Senate. “We’re expecting a welcome uptick in traffic at Park, but we’re even more eager to help showcase the hospitality, energy, and community spirit that make this city such a strong host. It’s a great moment for Columbia, and we’re glad to play a small part in it.”

An ABC 17 reporter visited the restaurant at 6:30 p.m., and it was filled with cross country teams as well as regular guests.

The championships will occur Saturday and are expected to bring 3,000-5,000 spectators, in addition to the 32 men’s and women’s teams who will compete, according to previous filings from the city. 

Past events have demonstrated the economic impact of hosting major championships. According to McConachie:

The 2021 SEC Championship generated more than $165,000 for Columbia.

The 2022 NCAA Midwest Regionals generated more than $562,000 for Columbia.

The 2024 NAIA Nationals brought in more than $918,000.

This year’s Missouri High School State Championships contributed more than $343,000.

“It’s an honor for Mizzou to host the championship for the first time at Gans Creek, the state-of-the-art cross country course,” Mizzou Cross Country assistant coach Paige Duca said in a statement. “This event serves as a powerful platform to unite our local community and welcome teams and fans from across the nation—while generating meaningful economic momentum for local and growing businesses. We look forward to hosting championship events year over year.”

According to McConachie, a significant portion of the cost to host a meet of this size is reimbursed by the NCAA.

“Some of that is related to ticket sales. Some of that’s related to the organization. So for us, this was kind of a no brainer that once we had this premiere facility, that this was the kind of event we could go after,” McConachie said.

Compared to football, which can generate a couple hundred thousand dollars from home games, McConachie said cross country isn’t as lucrative.

“It’s definitely going to look a like like kind of the concentration of the number of people is going to look the same. But of course, the event is a little bit of a shorter time and it’s a litte bit more niche. A lot of those fans will go in and come out,” she said.

The first race is scheduled to begin 9:20 a.m. for the Women’s 6 kilometer run and 10:10 a.m. for the Men’s 10 kilometer run on Saturday.

The Chamber partners with 17 hotels across the city, and while final occupancy numbers won’t be available until the races conclude, some hotels are already fully booked through Saturday.

McConachie said the Columbia Police Department will assist with traffic control:

“There’s only a few way to get into the actual footprint of the even and so that’s why for this, we have coordinated a tremendous amount of satellite parking and shutting into the facility,” McConachie said.

Attendees are reminded that parking passes must be purchased in advance. Passes will not be available on-site the day of the event.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A representative for Columbia in Missouri’s state house plans on prefiling legislation about dog-breeding facilities.

Democratic State Rep. David Tyson Smith wrote on his social media on Thursday that he plans on prefiling a bill that would require regular inspections at dog-breeding facilities.

The announcement comes after Melissa Sanders, 26, of Columbia, was charged last week with three counts of felony animal abuse and 15 counts of misdemeanor animal abuse. Sanders runs Magnum Opus German Shepherds and a large number of dogs were found either dead or in poor condition when officers served a search warrant last week.

“Based on the events in recent weeks surrounding the local dog breeding facility, I am planning on filing legislation requiring regular and thorough inspections of all classifications of dog breeding facilities,” Tyson Smith wrote on his social media.

Tyson Smith made the announcement to prefile the bill, an hour after ABC 17 News anchor Meghan Drakas spoke to him about viewer concerns surrounding the case.

The probable cause statement stated that Animal Control had previously asked Sanders about doing a “walkthrough” of the facility, but claimed Sanders was hesitant. Officers found the dogs while serving a search warrant.

Sanders appeared in court on Thursday by video from the jail. The defense argued her bond should be reduced to $5,000 because she’s not a flight risk, but that motion was denied. A hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26. A preliminary hearing was set for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30.

“The issue of animal cruelty is something for which the people in Missouri have absolutely zero tolerance. It is time to pass legislation that will require transparency from all animal breeders regardless of how big or small,” Tyson Smith wrote in a text message to ABC 17 News.

The Central Missouri Humane Society announced on Wednesday that it could not accept any more dogs and it was looking for more foster families after several dogs from the case were brought to the facility.

The prefiling deadline in the Missouri Legislature is Dec. 1.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man was arrested and charged after authorities claimed he possessed and sent child pornography.

Nathaniel Devalle, 19, was charged in Cole County with first-degree promoting child pornography and two counts of child porn possession. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says the Boone County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Task Force received Cyber Tips about child porn being uploaded to multiple platforms from accounts belonging to Devalle.

Jefferson City police began investigating and found a number of images of child porn associated with the accounts and saw Devalle’s account shared child porn with another account, the statement says. A search warrant was conducted at Devalle’s residence on Wednesday and more files were found on his electronic devices, the statement says.

The statement also claims Devalle was accused of having child porn in 2022.

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