Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Montgomery County woman was charged with 23 felonies after she allegedly sexually assaulted a child for several years.

Joann Finch, of Montgomery City, was charged on Thursday with four counts of first-degree child molestation, four counts of second-degree child molestation, three counts of statutory sodomy of a child younger than 14 years old, three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, one count of first-degree statutory rape, one count of second-degree statutory rape, two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and single counts of child enticement, incest, drug possession, delivery of a controlled substance and illegally possessing drug paraphernalia.

She was also charged with misdemeanor giving pornography to a minor. A warrant was issued and no bond was set. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says that deputies were called to a residence on Feb. 8, 2024, for a call about a mental health crisis and learned about alleged sexual abuse by Finch, that occurred for several years beginning in April 2021.

The child victim gave details of several assaults allegedly committed by Finch, the statement says. Finch also allegedly sent explicit videos to the youth, according to court documents.

Finch allegedly admitted to committing the sexual assaults during a Jan. 17, 2025, interview with law enforcement, according to court documents.

Click here to follow the original article.

Meghan Drakas

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Progress is being made at the Voluntary Action Center’s Opportunity Campus site at Bowling Street and Business Loop 70 in Columbia.

The $18.6 million site will house a resource center and a 125-bed shelter facility. After breaking ground in February 2024, the Opportunity Campus was planned to open this fall. It was delayed due to weather and the need to rework some plans after subcontractors came in over budget.

The Opportunity Campus plans to open its doors to clients next spring.

The design plan for the Opportunity Campus in Columbia includes the resource center and shelter facility. (Credit: Voluntary Action Center)

Cindy Mustard Resource Center

Voluntary Action Center director Ed Stansberry said his organization’s offices will be moving to the resource center once the building is complete.

“It’ll be the first quarter of next year when we begin to occupy,” Stansberry said. “But we feel good about where we are, and the pace at which things are happening is very impressive right now.”

In late June, ABC 17 News visited the construction site. Stansberry said the roofing for the resource center was in place, but not yet complete, and mechanical plumbing and electrical work were happening inside the building.

The Cindy Mustard Resource Center on June 20, 2025, in Columbia, Mo.

Rendering of the Cindy Mustard Resource Center by the Voluntary Action Center (Credit: Voluntary Action Center)

In the center of the building, a courtyard will allow clients and employees to spend time outside while at the resource center.

“I hope that we can have a garden club partner or somebody that would take an interest in helping us do some landscaping,” Stansberry said. “We do have some landscaping designed into this, but it would be great if somebody, a volunteer group or a donor was taking care of [it].”

Stansberry said the resource center will be named after former longtime executive director of the Voluntary Action Center, Cindy Mustard, who was inducted into the Boone County Hall of Fame in 2022.

The center will comprise the VAC’s offices, a community partner space and a medical clinic that will be open to the public. Stansberry said the offices will include a conference room for meetings as well as storage for items given out to clients, such as diapers, hygiene items, house cleaning kits and emergency food.

A look inside the portion of the Cindy Mustard Resource Center which will house the VAC offices, including a conference room and storage for client supplies on June 20, 2025, in Columbia, Mo.

“With our proximity to the shelter, the demand for VAC services is going to continue to go up,” Stansberry said.

He said that for three consecutive years, the VAC has had double-digit increases in requests for its services.

Stansberry said that without any further delays, he anticipates the resource center will open in March 2026.

Shelter

Just feet away from the Cindy Mustard Resource Center stands the steel outline of the shelter facility. The over 30,000-square-foot building will house facilities including the 125-bed shelter, an overflow bed area, a commercial kitchen, a dining room area, mail services, laundry facilities, showers and six kennels for animals.

Stansberry said the VAC is in talks with the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine about the kennels.

“One of the things that MU Vet has really helped us out with, is they’ve connected us to some organizations that their mission is to encourage or to inform best practices for pets in homeless shelters,” Stansberry said.

Stansberry says there will also be another room for some cats and smaller kennels, along with a bathing room and an exam area.

The steel structure of the 30,174-square-foot shelter facility stands at Business Loop 70 and Bowling Street on June 20, 2025.

A rendering of the shelter facility by the Voluntary Action Center (Credit: Voluntary Action Center)

As of June, the Boone County Coalition to End Homelessness said there were 213 homeless individuals in the county. This is down from a peak of 451 individuals in September 2024.

The center consulted people experiencing homelessness in the design process of the Opportunity Campus.

“We realized in talking to our unsheltered neighbors, they didn’t like the fact that traffickers, whether they’re drug traffickers or human traffickers, could loop a facility,” Stansberry said. “In other words, we didn’t want the parking lot to go [all the way] around. And we’ll have exterior cameras for security purposes, too.”

Stansberry said that with the affordable housing crisis, officials have been seeing individuals and families experiencing situational homelessness, which happens due to an unexpected life crisis, such as losing a job.

“As folks have had their rental rates raised, they can’t afford it,” Stansberry said. “So they leave that apartment only to find out that landlords are asking for double deposits, and the rent interest rates are still high.”

According to Apartments.com, the average two-bedroom rental in Columbia costs $1,156 a month. In August 2024, the average price for a two-bedroom rental was $1,048. That’s an increase of 10.3%.

A general guideline of spending no more than 30% of a person’s salary for rent would mean an individual would need to make at least $46,240 a year in Columbia to afford a two-bedroom rental. That’s up from a salary of $42,756 a year in 2024.

Along with its partners, Turning Point, Room at the Inn Como, Missouri Faith Voices and Loaves and Fishes, the campus will also have case managers.

“As we looked around that, shelters in the Midwest, a robust case management team really can make a difference in this population,” Stansberry said.

He said case managers help better understand what’s needed in a situation, whether that’s help with a person’s mental or physical health, support with substance abuse or assistance with housing. The goal is to find housing for clients within 90 days of entering the campus.

Stansberry said that if construction goes according to plan, the shelter facility will open a month or two after the resource center in April or May 2026.

The multi-million-dollar price tag

The $18.6 million Opportunity Campus is being paid for with multiple funding sources. Last August, Stansberry said the goal has always been to pay for the project with 1/3 state funding, 1/3 local government (city and county) and 1/3 private donations.

The local portion comes from $350,000 in ARPA money from Boone County and $3 million in ARPA funds from the city of Columbia.

In December, the VAC announced it had been awarded a $745,400 challenge grant award from the Mabee Foundation.

The courtyard area inside the Cindy Mustard Resource Center on the Opportunity Campus in Columbia, Mo., on June 20, 2025.

The VAC has raised 81% of the $18.6 million price tag but is still looking to fill the remaining gap with its capital campaign committee.

Stansberry said he doesn’t expect tariffs to delay construction or affect the cost of the project.

“We had all of the subcontracts in place prior to any worries about tariffs hitting the scene,” Stansberry said. “So we feel good about where we are pricewise.”

Stansberry says that moving into a new area, the Opportunity Campus wants to be mindful of the surrounding community. He says they’re developing a “good neighbor policy” to put expectations in place for clients to avoid negatively affecting surrounding homes and businesses.ansberry said that with the affordable housing crisis, officials have been seeing individuals and families experiencing situational homelessness, which happens due to an unexpected life crisis, such as losing a job.

“As folks have had their rental rates raised, they can’t afford it,” Stansberry said. “So they leave that apartment only to find out that landlords are asking for double deposits, and the rent interest rates are still high.”

According to Apartments.com, the average two-bedroom rental in Columbia costs $1,156 a month. In August 2024, the average price for a two-bedroom rental was $1,048. That’s an increase of 10.3%.

A general guideline of spending no more than 30% of a person’s salary for rent would mean an individual would need to make at least $46,240 a year in Columbia to afford a two-bedroom rental. That’s up from a salary of $42,756 a year in 2024.

Along with its partners, Turning Point, Room at the Inn Como, Missouri Faith Voices and Loaves and Fishes, the campus will also have case managers.

“As we looked around that, shelters in the Midwest, a robust case management team really can make a difference in this population,” Stansberry said.

He said case managers help better understand what’s needed in a situation, whether that’s help with a person’s mental or physical health, support with substance abuse or assistance with housing. The goal is to find housing for clients within 90 days of entering the campus.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Moberly man was booked into the Randolph County Jail on Thursday for second-degree murder.

David K. Heyde, 68, was awaiting arraignment and was jailed on no bond. Information about the accusations against him was not immediately available.

Heyde lives in the area where a 23-year-old woman, Bailey Scott, was shot dead Sunday night. Randolph County Prosecutor Stephanie Luntsford told ABC 17 News on Thursday that Heyde was charged in Scott’s death. Charges have yet to appear on Casenet.

Heyde was moved to the Macon County Jail on Thursday evening, according to an email from Brad Germann, of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Crime and Drug Division.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating the shooting at the request of Moberly police. Heyde has an expired peace officer’s license, and City of Moberly records say he was once an employee there. Further details about his employment were not available because records more than 20 years old are not maintained.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

Click here to follow the original article.

Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Boone County Commission has rezoned property for a proposed subdivision that will add 219 units to the county’s housing stock.

The new development, Willow Creek East, will be built off St. Charles Road, east of Columbia. The proposal — by Crockett Engineering — includes single-family lots, cottage lots and accessory dwelling units.

“Smaller lot sizes is great. More, more multifamily opportunities, is just great to see. It’s refreshing to see certainly the private sector bring those forward and we are happy to get it through,” Boone County Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick said about the new development.

An October housing study by Boone County and the City of Columbia showed a lack of housing across all income levels, particularly for low-income families, young adults and first-time homebuyers. The study reported that an overall shortage of homes is significantly contributing to the affordability deficit.

The Boone County Master Plan projects that roughly 37,000 new housing units will be needed in Boone County by 2050.

According to Empower Missouri’s Affordable Housing Coalition, a full-time worker must earn $20.83 an hour to afford a two-bedroom rental home. Workers earning minimum wage have to work at least 55 hours per week to afford a one-bedroom rental home.

The initial proposal is for 219, but the development could be expanded to more than 400 housing units. Plans have 65% of the space dedicated to single-family lots that will be 70 feet wide, 20% of the space will be for cottage lots that will be 44 feet wide and 15% will be single-family attached lots with an accessory unit no larger than 50% of the primary home. The commission lists the inclusion of accessory units as a smaller and more flexible housing option.

“This is the first, but certainly not the last time, we’ve seen cottage lots and ADUs used in the County. Excited about this development and the opportunities it will bring for more workforce housing,” Kendrick wrote on social media platform X.

So far prices for the units have not been decided, but some residents say costs are already bad enough.

“I pay like $1,000 in rent, and it’s me and my boyfriend living there, and we’re still living paycheck to paycheck, so,” Columbia resident Madison Parker said.

Kendrick told ABC 17 News that the goal with this new development is to keep the costs low. However, that will depend on how fast commissioners can allow builders to break ground.

Click here to follow the original article.

John Ross

An ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Alert Day has come to an end early Saturday morning after a line of strong to severe storms tracked through the area.

Severe storms were most widespread in western Missouri, where 70+ mph wind gusts were reported near Kansas City. The line of storms weakened as it rolled through Mid-MO in the early overnight, but flood alerts were still activated as heavy rain pounded parts of the area.

The weekend ahead will carry more scattered chances of rain, but no severe storms are expected.

SETUP

An upper level trough will drag a surface cold front into northeast Kansas and northwestern Missouri late Friday. We will be hot and humid ahead of this, which will contribute to high levels of instability ahead of the front. The front is not incredibly strong but it will serve as a focus for storm development through the evening. As the evening progresses, the storms will grow and spread to the southeast with access to just enough energy and wind support.

The timing of storms locally will greatly impact the expected hazards. A later arrival gives us a short window of instability (energy) before much of it is lost with sunset. If storms develop closer to mid-Missouri, we can expect them to be stronger.

Either way, the storms will be strongest in the northwest, and weaken with time as they spread southeast. Columbia and Jefferson City will have a chance for severe storms, but the main concern will be gusty winds.

FUTURETRACK

HAZARDS

The greatest risk area will be along and north of a line from Marshall to Paris. This is where surface instability, or storm energy, will be greatest near these storms. This is where an isolated tornado will be possible. However, a more likely impact will be localized hail and damaging winds. These are the threats that may linger with the strongest storms as they weaken and push southeast towards Columbia and Jefferson City. The overall threat for severe weather in Columbia and Jefferson City is very low. The severe impacts from Friday’s storms are largely expected north of I-70.

Strong winds are the main concern, but a tornado cannot be ruled out early in the evening. The tornado threat will likely end early and will not require you to stay up all night.

A secondary risk would be the potential for areas of isolated flash flooding as some storms could move over the same areas more than once, and we’ll see strong low level winds coupled with high atmospheric moisture content to aid in higher rainfall rates.

Make sure to have the ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather App downloaded if you have outdoor plans Friday night.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe has repealed certain provisions of Proposition A, by signing House Bill 567 into law.

Kehoe signed the measure into law Thursday afternoon at the State Capitol.

Proposition A passed in November 2024 with support from more than 57% of Missouri voters, and it took effect on May 1. It guaranteed workers one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. However, two weeks later, on May 14, Republicans forced a vote to repeal the sick leave portion of the bill.

There were concerns about Proposition A’s legality, and a lawsuit was filed shortly after it was approved by voters. The lawsuit claimed that voters were misled in the initiative petition used to get Prop A on the ballot.

Yellow Dog Bookstore owner Joe Chevalier has been in business for 12 years and has three part-time employees. He says he will continue to offer paid sick leave, but the overturn is a disappointment.

“I’m really disappointed with the Republicans in the legislature and overturning the will of the voters,” Chevalier said.

However, Chevalier said the change in law puts other workers in a tough spot.

“You have to make that choice of working while you’re ill and getting paid and staying home and getting paid and for many people, that’s really not an option,” Chevalier said.

President and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce Kara Corches believes the change will protect Missouri’s economy overall.

“We applaud Gov. Kehoe signing this bill into law because it was incredibly vital to protect our business climate,” Croches said. “By signing this bill, we knew Prop A as passed in 2024 was indeed a job killer, so we are really pleased to see this across the finish line and signed into law to protect businesses and jobs in our state.”

Mandated sick pay will no longer be required for businesses after Aug. 18. It will then be up to each employer to decide whether to continue offering the benefit.

Corches said the law created limits for employers, especially in certain industries.

“You can’t ask why they are sick, which is problematic if you think about a health care setting or a food setting where you do have to know why someone is out sick in case they have communicable disease,” Corches said.

For Chevalier, he says if his small Columbia bookstore can offer paid sick leave, so can other businesses. He says it helps businesses in the long run.

“Your success depends on the people who work for you, and if they’re happy, if they feel taken care of, they’re going to do better work and the business will prosper from that,” he said.

However, Corches says mandatory paid sick leave would have hurt Missouri businesses’ budgets. She said more than 550 businesses joined the chamber to oppose Prop A.

HB 567 raises the minimum wage to $13.75 per hour this year, then to $15 starting in 2026. Thursday’s signing, however, eliminated a future increase to minimum wage.

Supporters of Prop A have filed papers to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot during the 2026 election cycle. If passed, it would reinstate the paid sick leave mandate and the increase to minimum wage.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

Holts Summit police made it public this week — the department’s officers cooperated with federal authorities in an immigration enforcement operation that led to three arrests.

Details were scarce on the Homeland Security operation — the local government referred questions to the federal government, which provided no answers. However, it’s part of an enhanced immigration enforcement effort that is taking place across the country.

Some argue local police have no place in immigration enforcement. Others think they’re vital.

What do you think? Let us know by voting in the poll.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri Task Force 1 has been assigned with conducting searched in Kerr County, Texas, the Boone County Fire Protection District wrote in a Wednesday social media post.

Fifty-two members of Task Force 1 were deployed on Monday and arrived in Texas on Tuesday.

The post says that Task Force 1 will conduct primary searched in Kerry County and will examine “every structure, vehicle, and debris pile they encounter to ensure no individuals are missed,” the post says.

Team member will use “search cameras, seismic listening devices, Human Remains Detection (HRD) Canines, and other specialized tools,” according to the post.

Nearly 120 people are dead and more than 160 are missing after historic flooding in Texas, according to reporting from CNN.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mitchell Kaminski

MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)

On Monday, friends of Bailey Scott first saw a Facebook post from Moberly police about a shooting in the 900 block of East Logan Street.

Later that day, they learned the 23-year-old was the victim of the deadly shooting.

“I never thought in a million years it would ever be someone so close to our hearts. That is such an outgoing person who would cause no harm to a fly,” BriAnna Nickerson, who had been friends with Scott for two years, said. “She was a social butterfly.  She always made you feel welcome  no matter if she knew or not.” 

Friends describe Scott as kind, passionate, social and always carrying a big smile on her face.

Scott moved to Moberly from the West Coast in 2019, and in just a few years, she had already left a lasting impact on the small community.

“I was more so just an acquaintance of Bailey. But if that doesn’t go to show you how many lives she touched,” said Kaylee Delaney, who is a waitress at a restaurant Scott and her family regularly attended. “She is just a light to so many lives. She wasn’t even from this community and touched so many different people in the six years that she was here.” 

Sabrina Johnson worked with Scott at Ravenwood Terrace, an assisted living community in Moberly. She said Scott often came back to visit, even after she stopped working there.

“It was a great job for her. She was the kindest soul. She took care of everyone, she knew no harm,” Johnson said. “She went back to Ravenwood several times. She just couldn’t leave her people.” 

Scott had a young son named Bentley, who Johnson described as “the happiest boy” — always wearing a big smile, just like his mother. Friends say that Bentley was asleep in her home when Scott was shot. 

“All you see on her social media and especially, her Snapchat,  you know, were coffee dates with her son”, Delaney said. 

Scott and her son were regulars at Scooters Coffee, so much so that friends placed a Scooters coffee cup at a memorial outside of her home. 

“Her and her son, it was kind of like a morning routine for them. We’ve come to find out and it’s just we’ve  been a part of their morning routine,” Moberly Scooters General Manager Corbyn Childs said.

To honor Scott, Scooters will donate 20% of its sales on Friday to Scott’s family. After announcing the fundraiser, Childs called the social media response to the fundraiser overwhelming. 

“Our owner found out about the loss that our town has suffered, and he just wants to be able to give back the best way that he can,” Childs said. “We come from a very small, tight group community and  this is a tragic loss and  the town is really coming together and it’s something to be proud to be a part of.” 

Scooter’s isn’t the only Moberly business rallying around Scott. The Boozy Badger Bar is organizing a balloon release in her honor outside the bar at 7 p.m. Friday. Following the event, 30% of all bar sales will be donated to help cover funeral expenses.

Scott’s friends are also hosting a remembrance walk at 7 p.m. Sunday, beginning at the Auto Zone parking lot on Morley Street. Attendees are encouraged to wear purple, which was one of her favorite colors. Her friends will also be accepting donations for Scott’s family. 

“This isn’t going to be a one-time thing,” Johnson said. “We would love to see more faces each and every time. We welcome everyone with open arms just like she does.” 

“Justice will prevail,” Delaney added. “She was an amazing person. Her character speaks for itself.” 

Several Moberly residents have openly discussed the name of a possible suspect in Scott’s shooting. ABC 17 News attempted to confirm the name with the Missouri State Highway Patrol — which is handling the investigation — but was told the patrol cannot release that information at this time.

“As with many cases, to maintain the integrity of the investigation, I am unable to confirm the identity of the shooter,” Sgt. Bradley Germann told ABC 17 News in an email. “Division of Drug and Crime Control investigators are actively following up on several leads in the case. Investigators will conduct a thorough and exhaustive investigation regarding this incident. Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be forwarded to the Randolph County Prosecutor’s Office for review and determination of formal charges are filed.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Police Department said it is increasing speed enforcement along Scott Boulevard in southwest Columbia in an effort to bring speeds down after catching drivers going nearly 100 miles per hour.

A CPD spokesperson confirmed in an email that the traffic unit will be increasing enforcement on the road. In a Facebook post Tuesday, the department said speeding drivers are turning a routine drive into a “high-risk situation.”

In the post the department said, “let’s all commit to slowing down, reducing traffic collisions, and ensuring everyone gets home safely.”

On Wednesday, ABC 17 News used a radar gun on Scott Boulevard near Georgetown Drive to see how fast drivers were going.

Drivers were clocked going anywhere from 40-67 miles per hour in the 45 mph zone. Driver Sandtara Johnson said speeding in the area has been a concern for a while now.

“People are going pretty fast, I’ve seen 80-85 at least going down Scott Boulevard,” Johnson said. “It’s extremely dangerous I mean people are just passing each other when they really don’t need and people are getting real close,”

Tom Cantley, who lives off Chapel Hill Road, said drivers frequently speed in that area, but on Scott Boulevard, he’s especially concerned about how fast people are going.

“I just ask them what in the world are they thinking and why are they in such of a hurry on basically a residential street,” Cantley said.

“It seems like regularly I am not the fastest one going down,” driver Kent Van Landuynt added.

On the stretch of the street the speed limit abruptly changes from 45 to 40 mph hour near Gillespie Bridge Road. Drivers say the speed should be consistent to avoid the confusion.

“45 seems to be a good sign in my opinion, any faster would probably cause some more issues,” Johnson said.

Cantley believes changing the speed limit won’t reduce the problem. Instead, he thinks more police presence and enforcement are needed.

“Police probably need to be out here a little bit more than they are and try to catch them speeding because I don’t think changing the speed limit on the road is going to do any good,” Cantley said. “Pull them over and give them a ticket or give them points or take their license.”

There are also only a handful of speed limit signs along Scott Boulevard. Johnson believes adding more signs would make the area safer, reduce confusion, and help keep drivers more aware of how fast they should be going.

“There’s one way up there and threes one way down, we need some more like in the middle,” she added.

ABC 17 News did a search of the Columbia Police Department’s 2024 traffic stop data and found 193 entries for Scott Boulevard.

Click here to follow the original article.