Category: kmiz-local-news

Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Cole County sheriff made a pitch to county commissioners Tuesday for a sales tax to expand the jail.

Sheriff John Wheeler pitched to commissioners a half-cent sales tax that would expire after bonds used to expand the jail are paid off. Wheeler asked for the issue to be on the April 2027 ballot.

The need is actue, Wheeler said. The county spent $425,000 last year to house inmates in other jails, he said.

“We just can’t keep going the way we are,” Wheeler said.

The average jail stay was 12.6 days in 2017, but has risen to 24.2 days since then, Wheeler said. The jail has 206 beds and averages 210 inmates a day, he said. He also said the expense of running the jail has doubled.

The sales tax in Cole County is 5.6%. That includes a 3/8-cent sales tax for law enforcement.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Activity and Recreation Center Water Zone is closed Tuesday due to a “fecal incident,” according to a social media post.

The ARC staff will clean and sanitize the pool. It will reopen Wednesday.

Tammy Miller, a Columbia Parks and Recreation spokesperson, said a lifeguard noticed the excrement in the indoor pool and alerted a manager. Pool staff will use extra chlorine to clean the pool and clean filters so they’re clear of any sediment.

The chemical and water mixture is then returned to normal.

Swimmers are encouraged to use the Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center and the Lake of the Woods Pool in the meantime. Those pools opened at noon.

However, Parks and Rec posted on Facebook late Tuesday morning that Albert-Oakland will close at 3 p.m. because of water clarity problems.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Boone County Commission approved a grant to the Hallsville Police Department as part of the county’s new Public Safety Radio System.

The measure enters Hallsville into an interoperable radio system cooperative agreement with Boone County Joint Communications. The new system is expected to enhance emergency communications and improve capabilities for handling large-scale incidents.

BCJC director Christie Davis said the program was still on track to launch later in 2026. Equipment is staged and staff has started factory acceptance testing.

“After successful testing, we will begin transitioning our public safety partners over to the new system,” Davis said. “There will be a period where public safety partners’ radio transmission will be broadcasted over the old and new system to allow adequate timing for all agencies to make the transition.”

In October, the Boone County Commission launched the Radio Grant Program to help public safety agencies secure the equipment needed for the new system.

The grant covers about $116,000 worth of equipment and includes nine portable radios and seven mobile radios.

For this new radio system to be implemented for other emergency agencies in Boone County, it would likely cost more than $11 million, which is being funded through Boone County’s 911 sales tax.

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Matthew Sanders

Americans have received a slight reprieve from the pressure of rising gas prices over the past couple of weeks.

Pump prices have stalled after a fast rise, with several stations now selling unleaded gasoline at less than $4 per gallon. Missouri’s average is down about 20 cents from two weeks ago.

But the war with Iran drags on, and some economists are issuing dire warnings about what will happen to energy prices if a resolution doesn’t come soon.

Do you think prices will keep falling? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The entrance to Ha Ha Tonka Road from Highway 54 in Camdenton will close for multiple weeks beginning on Wednesday, according to a Monday press release from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

The entrance will be closed through Wednesday, June 24, the release says. Crews will reconstruct the entrance and no detour will be posted, but signs will be seen ahead of the closure, the release says.

The work is part of a project to widen Highway 54 in Camden County.

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission gave a $6,858,291.67 contract to Capital Paving & Construction, LLC, to expand the current three-lane highway to five lanes, the release says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A teenager who is charged with murder and other charges was indicted by a Boone County grand jury on Friday.

Mikel Jones, 17, of Columbia, is charged with first-degree robbery, two counts of armed criminal action and a count of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Michael Ryan Burke on Ridgemont Court.

Kobe Aust, 19, Joseph Crane, 18 – both of Columbia – and Alexis Baumann, of Hallsville, are all also charged with first-degree robbery, two counts of armed criminal action and a count of second-degree murder.

All three males are still being held at the Boone County Jail without bond, while Baumann was given a bond and was released to home detention.

Court documents in previous reporting say the group of defendants had used Facebook Marketplace to arrange a meeting with Burke to buy a cellphone. The group had already met with and stole from two other victims prior to shooting Burke, court documents in previous reporting say.

Baumann allegedly told officers that Jones had shot Burke, took his iPhone, then sold it at an ecoATM at the Walmart on Conley Road.

An arraignment for Jones is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, June 8.

Baumann has a hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, June 22, while Aust is set to appear at 9 a.m. Monday, June 29 and Crane has a hearing set for 1:30 p.m. Monday, July 27.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 16-year-old boy who is charged as an adult in connection with a 2025 shooting death was indicted by a Boone County grand jury on Friday.

Deshawn D. Brown, of Columbia, is charged with first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and second-degree murder in the death of Zarian Simpson.

Another 16-year-old, Rodney Moore Jr., is also accused in the shooting and is charged with the same felonies as Brown. Steven Paden IV, 35, of Columbia, is also charged with first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and felony murder.

All three people are listed on the Boone County Jail’s online roster without bond. An arraignment for Brown is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday, June 8. Moore had a hearing on Monday, June 1.

Paden has a hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 24 and his jury trial is scheduled to begin 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29.

Officers were called to the Eastgate Apartments at Old 63 and Broadway on June 15, 2025, when police found Simpson with a gunshot wound.

Dispatchers heard gunfire while Simpson was on the phone with them during a chase. He went silent after the shots rang out, and his car crashed into an apartment complex near Stephens Lake Park, previous reporting shows.

Moore allegedly admitted to law enforcement that he fired a gun at Simpson’s vehicle and that Brown was a part of the robbery, court documents in previous reporting show.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A third Columbia man has pleaded guilty to a felony in a January 2025 shooting that occurred on Providence Road in Columbia.

Ataveon Gordon pleaded guilty on Friday to second-degree assault. He was sentenced to four years in prison. He was given credit for time served.

Jared Britt Jr., 20, of Columbia, pleaded guilty on March 23 to the same charge and received the same sentence. He is being held at the Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center, according to records from the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Justin Lumley Jr., 18, of Columbia, pleaded guilty on March 11 to second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and first-degree property damage. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and is being held at Farmington Correctional Center.

Court documents from previous reporting in the Jan. 27, 2025, shooting – which occurred near North Providence Road and Nebraska Avenue —

 say one person was injured after being shot at and one of the two people shot at recognized Britt and Gordon.

Police found a Chevrolet Malibu with multiple bullet holes and shot-out windows. One of the victims was brought to University Hospital.

Gordon allegedly told police that he and one of the victims allegedly messaged each other prior before Gordon picked them up, previous reporting indicates.

Lumlely and another person approached one of the victims and Lumley shot at the victim’s vehicle from the front passenger side of Gordon’s vehicle as the victims drove away, previous reporting shows.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man accused of shooting and killing two people in 2022 at a Jefferson City bar will see a new judge in his murder case.

Damien Davis, 39, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and one count of illegal gun possession in the shooting death of 26-year-old Skylar Smock and 43-year-old Corey Thames on Nov. 26, 2022, at J. Pfenny’s Sports Grill and Pub.

Judge Brian Stumpe recused himself on Thursday, citing a “court restructuring of case load,” court filings show. Judge Christopher Limbaugh was assigned to the case.

According to previous reporting, Smock tried to break up a fight and remove Thames from the business when Davis started firing shots, according to investigators.

Police say Davis admitted to firing shots at Thames but says he unintentionally shot Smock. Previous reporting indicates that Davis had said “I was saving my life” during his arraignment in November 2022.

Court documents claim Davis’ statement to police that night did not match the evidence at the scene, including the location of shell casings or the video evidence captured by the bar’s cameras.

Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty in 2023.

Davis is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. A hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, June 22.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council approved a nearly $9.4 million budget amendment on Monday that incorporates funding for several projects.

The meeting agenda shows the city is looking to appropriate $9,398,731.56 in funds. Meeting documents show $3.5 million will be appropriated from electric retained earnings to replace a transformer for the Columbia Energy Center.

Meeting documents say the current transformer is 25 years old and is starting to fail. That transformer is responsible for keeping 50% of the CEC operational, meeting documents say.

Another $2,038,726, will be appropriated from the “internal designated loan fund balance” to fund HVAC and indoor lighting improvements at the Armory downtown, documents show.

The Columbia Police Department is requesting to appropriate $100,000 from Federal Asset Forfeiture Funding for a rebranding initiative, which includes new uniforms, for the department’s 200th anniversary, according to meeting documents.

The city is also appropriating $910,000 in supplemental funding for the new passenger boarding bridge at Columbia Regional Airport. That project was announced in April and new city documents say the city expects a 95% reimbursement from the FAA.

A request is also being made to appropriate $100,000 from Ramp Maintenance & Repair project to fund elevator upgrades at the Tenth and Cherry parking garage. An upgrade is scheduled for the Eighth and Cherry garage in fiscal year 2027. The city’s website shows the project is facing a nearly $79,000 deficit.

Additionally, $117,106.87 will be appropriated from then Eighth and Cherry Energy Efficiency project for more electric charging stations.

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