Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Callaway County woman was charged on Monday after she allegedly shot an AR-15 at an elderly man who was driving a skid steer on Sunday in a residence east of Fulton.

Rebecca Elm, 58, was charged with second-degree assault, armed criminal action and first-degree property damage. She is being held at the Callaway County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says Elm called law enforcement after she fired a round at the skid steer. When deputies arrived, the victim was not able to get out of the skid steer because of his age and physical ability, the statement says. The victim allegedly had a cut on his arm from broken glass.

The victim allegedly told deputies that Elm blocked his path to an easement with her car before she fired a shot, the statement says. Elm allegedly claimed the victim drove toward an easement that belonged to her and admitted to pulling out the gun from her vehicle and firing a round, the statement says.

The shot allegedly caused around $800 worth of damage to the skid steer and law enforcement determined the shot missed the victim’s head by about 6 inches, the statement says.

When deputies told Elm she was under arrest, she allegedly said “I should of just shot him then,” the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County Associate Circuit Judge Tracy Gonzalez will not seek reelection in 2026, according to a press release from the 13th Judicial Circuit.

Gonzalez has served in the role since Jan. 1, 2019, and her term ends on Dec. 31, 2026. She has focused mostly on juvenile and family matters. She plans to maintain “senior judge status” in 2027, the release says.  

Gonzalez has worked mostly in public service during her 40-year career, the release says. She previously worked at the Boone County prosecuting attorney’s office for 16 years, focusing primarily on child abuse and neglect cases, the release says. She was also the director of the Child Protection Clinic at the University of Missouri School of Law from 2002-06.

“Serving the people of Boone County has been both a profound honor and a solemn responsibility that I have embraced with deep commitment and great pride in our community,” Gonzalez is quoted in the release. “I am sincerely grateful for the opportunities I have had and will continue to serve to the best of my ability throughout the remainder of my term.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The director of Morgan County Emergency Management was charged with a felony and a misdemeanor after he allegedly followed a woman back to her home on Saturday.

Jason Foster, 40, of Versailles, was charged in Morgan County with first-degree harassment and first-degree trespassing, a misdemeanor.

He was booked into the Morgan County Jail at 6:10 p.m. Saturday and release at 11:30 a.m. Monday, jail records show. His bond was $5,000. An arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The probable cause statement says Foster called dispatch to report a possible drunk driver on Route MM in Morgan County and claimed they drove in and out of a ditch. The statement says he followed the victim to her home and was told by the victim to leave her property.

Dispatch allegedly told Foster to leave and heard an argument occurring, the statement says. He was at a nearby property when law enforcement arrived, the statement says.

The victim was investigated for possible driving while intoxicated, but law enforcement found no evidence, the statement says. The victim told law enforcement that she was being followed home by Foster after he honked his horn at her, the statement says. She allegedly pulled into a ditch to call a family member before calling her boyfriend, the statement says.

Foster then allegedly gave conflicting statements over whether the victim told him to leave the property, the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former worker at the prison in Tipton who pleaded guilty in August to having sex with an inmate was sentenced to probation on Friday.

Jessica Baird, of Versailles, was sentenced in Moniteau County to five years of supervised probation along with a three-year suspended sentence.

She is accused of having sex with a male prisoner on Oct. 21, 2024, when she worked at Tipton Correctional Center, according to court documents in previous reporting.

The prisoner admitted on a recording to having sex with Baird and Baird confirmed the story to investigators, according to the probable cause statement. The acts happened in an employee restroom, the prisoner allegedly said.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The owner of a Boone County liquor store has been charged with a misdemeanor for an alleged sale that occurred in July.

Jashiben Patel, of Columbia, was charged on Monday with selling alcohol without a proper license. An initial court appearance is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Previous reporting shows the state revoked the liquor license from Spring Creek Liquor in early August after the owners did not appeal the state’s decision to take the license.

The probable cause statement from Tuesday’s case says the license had expired on June 30 and that investigators bought a can of beer from it on July 2. The statement alleges Patel sold a 24-ounce beer for $5.92 after taxes.

The beer was sold to an investigator and agents from the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control allegedly told Patel afterward that sales could not continue without having a license, the statement says.

Additional reporting from September says records from the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control show the store’s license was revoked after it was discovered the owners of Dash Convenience Store — Jay Patel and Dashrath Patel — were associated with the business.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was charged with two felonies after he allegedly stole a trailer and a bike after threatening to shoot someone.

Robert Crowley, 41, of Columbia, was charged with first-degree robbery and illegal gun possession. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court appearance was held on Monday.

The probable cause statement says Crowley was stopped by police near the intersection of Primrose Drive and Rashid Court around 4:30 a.m. Sunday. His vehicle allegedly towed a stolen trailer that also contained a stolen bicycle, the statement says.

The victim allegedly told police that they came home and saw Crowley with another man on their property and the victim told them to leave, the statement says. Crowley then allegedly punched the victim and threatened to shoot him, court documents say.

Crowley’s passenger, Jason White, was charged with two misdemeanors: Illegally possessing drug paraphernalia and stealing. Two glass pipes were allegedly found in the vehicle and a probable cause statement says White allegedly admitted to being at the property while the theft occurred.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Law enforcement responded to a “non-threatening incident” on Monday at the New Franklin School District, according to a social media post from the district.

“Earlier today, a non-threatening incident occurred at school that required a response from local law enforcement. Police were called out of an abundance of caution, and the situation was handled quickly and appropriately. At no time were students or staff in danger,” the post reads.

The district’s superintendent told ABC 17 News that no weapons were involved. The post says classes continued “as normal.”

“We appreciate the quick response and support from our local Sheriff’s department and thank our school community for their understanding and cooperation,” the post reads.

A number of area schools had law enforcement respond to various calls. Law enforcement on Friday determined no credible threat was made to the Blair Oaks School District after a “suspicious” phone call was made. Columbia Public Schools claimed a rumor at Hickman High School was “exaggerated,” though a student was detained on Friday. Police also investigated a social media message at the request of Rock Bridge High School on Thursday.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

City of Columbia officials will conduct their own walk around downtown Columbia, but they won’t announce the date and time in advance, a city spokesperson said Monday.

Spokesperson Sydney Olsen said Mayor Barabare Buffaloe and city leaders are planning their own walk-through of downtown that will not be publicized in advance. Officials want to “organically review the environment without drawing attention with a large crowd,” Olsen said.

University of Missouri President Mun Choi walked through downtown this past weekend — an off weekend for Missouri football — after a shooting the week before that injured two and killed one. Columbia Police pledged to step up patrols to help stop the violence.

A spokesperson with the Columbia Police Department said this past weekend went well, and extra patrols will continue.

Capt. Brian Leer said the Boone County Sheriff’s Office has assigned four deputies to assist CPD officers on Friday and Saturday nights.

“They patrolled the downtown area to assist CPD as needed.  I think they made a couple of traffic stops, checked a couple of subjects, and backed CPD on various incidents,” Leer said.

Leer said the department’s regular patrols were not impacted as this was an additional detail of deputies placed in downtown.

Sarah Yoro-Massad, a spokesperson for the University of Missouri’s Police Department, said MUPD officers made arrests over the weekend in downtown.

On Friday and Saturday nights between the hours of 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. MUPD data shows officers responded to four liquor law offenses, an assault and a traffic offense.

CPD dispatch logs on Friday and Saturday nights, also between the hours of 9 p.m.-6 a.m., CPD officers made nearly 50 traffic stops and had more than 50 check subject calls. Officers were sent to five calls for reports of a disturbance, one call specific to a peace disturbance and six calls to assist a citizen in the downtown area.

Officers were also dispatched eight times for a foot patrol and called to assist another officer or first responding agency five times.

The extra officers did not go un noticed by locals in the area. Janine Daniels, a manager at Tellers, told ABC 17 News she saw more officers on foot patrolling the area and on the streets pulling cars over.

Daniels said she often works at night downtown and the extra officers make her feel safer. She explained that Tellers has started locking its doors earlier at night because of the recent safety concerns. Staff also walks in groups to their cars during the late night hours.

She appreciated the other proactive crime efforts of CPD, like ticketing people for jaywalking, but she claims people loitering and the lack of action toward people who have open containers is influencing Columbia’s crime problem more than jay walking.

CPD’s Street Crimes Unit arrested a man with a gun during a traffic stop Friday night at Eighth and Cherry streets, according to a CPD news release. Damion Hunt was arrested on suspicion of illegal gun possession, the release says. Hunt was convicted of second-degree assault in connection with a 2019 downtown shooting, making him a felon.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol had troopers assisting operations as well. Sgt. Kyle Green said the highway patrol will not release manpower numbers for downtown patrol operations.

No city leaders were present at Saturday’s walkthrough.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Camden County’s presiding commissioner pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor after being charged with stealing a license plate reader.

Todd Isaac “Ike” Skelton pleaded guilty to the Class B misdemeanor of obstructing a government operation, according to online court records. He was originally charged with felony stealing and tampering with a service in addition to the government obstruction charge.

Skelton was charged with taking a license plate camera on New Year’s Eve on Highway 54 in Camden County. Nick Komoroski was appointed as prosecutor over the case.

Skelton said in a news release Monday that the camera was unauthorized. Skelton asserted that no law gives the Missouri Department of Public Safety or any contractor authority to operate these cameras.

“To eliminate prolonged cost and distraction for taxpayers and his family,” Skelton agreed to resolve the case with a guilty plea, the release states. Skelton labeled the use of a license plate camera an “illegal government operation.”

Judge Aaron Martin ordered Skelton to pay a $500 fine and court costs.

Skelton continues to push that license plate reading technology is a violation of the Constitution.

“Considering the circumstances, this is an outcome that I was obviously willing to accept, I believe that we still were in the right, but everything being considered, this was a much more responsible thing to do,” Skelton said. “They are absolutely an affront to your liberty and your freedom to move about the country without being tracked. Every single where you go.”

Skelton, a Republican, was last elected in 2022 after running unopposed.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia woman accused of shooting at another woman in the parking lot of the Conley Road Walmart pleaded guilty to six counts Monday.

Whitney Nevels-McKee, 37, is accused of shooting a gun in May 2024 outside the store. A witness told ABC 17 News that he saw a woman with a gun acting erratically and that she tried to carjack a vehicle.

A reporter saw gunshot damage to a car in the parking lot. No injuries were reported.

Nevels-McKee was charged with crimes, including carjacking, armed criminal action and stealing a gun. The state dropped an unlawful use of a weapon charge in exchange for a guilty plea.

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 24.

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