Category: kmiz-local-news

Nia Hinson

RANDOLPH COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A seven-year-old boy from Moberly was seriously injured in a crash in Randolph County Friday night.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, the crash occurred on U.S. 63 in Moberly around 5:15 p.m. A 16-year-old Moberly girl was driving a 2000 Ford Ranger when the truck traveled off the road.

The girl overcorrected and the truck flipped over, the report says. The vehicle then hit a guardrail and the passenger in the truck– a seven-year-old boy from Moberly– was ejected.

The boy was taken to University Hospital with serious injuries. The girl suffered moderate injuries.

According to the report, neither person was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

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Nia Hinson

MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A person was rescued and hospitalized after a fire broke out at a home in Moberly on Saturday, according to a social media post from the Moberly Fire Department.

According to the post, crews were called to the 500 block of Shumate Avenue around 4:30 p.m. for a structure fire with at least one person who was possibly trapped. The post says firefighters found heavy fire coming from the home.

Crews found and rescued a person inside of the home and brought the fire under control within 15 minutes, the post says. The person was taken to the hospital and was stable.

The home sustained heavy fire and smoke damage. The cause is under investigation.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Utilities Department uses a mini truck that has a camera on it to regularly check storm drain pipes, but that tool came in handy Thursday when a child got stuck in the pipes and needed assistance getting out.

“We use that camera to run through the system, once we had an idea of where the individual was at, to try to get a good location on exactly where they were underground,” said Derek Ault, a sewer and storm water maintenance supervisor for Columbia.

A 12-year-old boy is believed to have crawled into a culvert box that is at the end of a stream near West Parkway Drive off of West Broadway, Columbia Fire Department Assistant Chief Lester Shewmake said.

Shewmake said some reports noted the child could have run off or was hiding.

CFD searched above and below ground, and also tried to track the child’s phone, but since the phone was underground, the signal was thrown off, Shewmake said.

The underground pipes vary in size, with some as big as 6 feet, and others 6 inches, Ault said.

The manhole cover that the child was extracted from is about 22 inches wide, according to measurements ABC 17 News took. The actual pipe he was in was about 18 inches, Ault said.

Utilities crews sent in the mini truck, and as it moved through the pipes, the camera feed was sent back to a monitor in a bigger box truck, and that’s how they found the child.

Shewmake said fire crews and the family of the boy are happy it ended the way it did.

“The parents were extremely excited to be able to get their son out of the area, and our crews especially were extremely excited, too,” Shewmake said. “It was a long search effort.”

“Everybody performed their jobs seamlessly, did a really good job at being there in a timely manner and facilitating the whole thing together,” Ault said.

The child was taken to the hospital for observation after getting out. Shewmake couldn’t give ABC 17 News an update on his condition.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Conservation is holding a mandatory sampling this weekend for Chronic Wasting Disease as the November firearms portion of deer season opens.

The department will use the findings from this weekend during the annual targeted deer removal between January and mid-March. The procedure has the MDC working with local hunters and landowners to hunt deer in CWD-heavy areas.

“Surveillance is a really important part of our overall approach because it tells us where the disease is,” MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle said. “It tells us the location of the disease and it also tells us what the distribution of the disease is, it also helps us to understand where the disease is spreading.”

At the sampling station for no cost, hunters will be asked to show their permit or Telecheck ID with their deer. The deer will be sampled for their lymph nodes, which are taken and sent to the University of Missouri for testing. The MDC will give hunters a tracking card for each sample, which will be updated later with the results of the test. The department will also ask hunters to point out on a map where the deer was found.

Hunters with a CWD-positive sample will be notified. While there have been no cases of a human contracting CWD, the CDC and the department do not advise people to eat deer meat that is positive with CWD.

Samples can also be taken from deer with its cape removed or just the head and neck of the animal. Hunters looking to mount their deer can still stop at a station for a tracking card to give to their taxidermist for later sampling.

Isabelle adds that the number of positive CWD cases in Missouri has been on the rise, but has stayed relatively low. He reports that around 1% of samples last year tested positive for CWD; however, states with a 5% positive test rate tend to be at risk for outbreaks.

“If we were to hit about 5% of the herd having the disease, that’s really that tipping point or inflection point, where once you hit 5%, it’s just a matter of a few years where you’re at 10%, 15%, 20%,” Isabelle said.

Sampling and testing will occur in select counties on Saturday and Sunday, including:

Audrain County – Mexico High School and Van-Far High School

Boone County – Ashland Optimist Club, MDC Central Regional Office

and Conservation Research Center and Hallsville Primary School

Callaway County – North Callaway High School, Mokane Lions Club Park and Whetstone Creek Conservation Area

Chariton County — Bossville Wholesalers, Keytesville MODOT Facility and Gabbi Jo’s Stop and Go

Cole County — Cole County Public Works Shop in Brazito and Conservation Commission Headquarters

Howard County – Fayette High School

Maries County — Vichy Community Park

Miler County – Eldon, Iberia and Osage high schools

Moniteau County — Moniteau County Fairgrounds and Co-Mo Connect Electric Co-op

Morgan County – Stover High School and Ozark Christian School

Osage County — Chamois Access, MDC Rich Fountain Shop, Linn Fairgrounds and Park

Randolph County – Rothwell Park

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The MDC also has voluntary CWD testing throughout deer season, which Isabelle recommends for any hunters living in CWD-positive areas.

Hunters in CWD-heavy areas are also recommended to follow proper CWD management rules from the MDC. This includes not using feed or salt to lure deer to a location and properly disposing of the deer either in a landfill or where the deer was found. Hunters are also encouraged to harvest an additional deer when in CWD-heavy areas.

“white tails are an extremely important resource ecologically in our state, but also to the citizens of the state,” Isabelle said. “We have almost half a million people that deer hunt, deer hunting generates over a billion and a half a year into our economy and supports over 13,000 jobs based on the latest figures, so it’s a really cherished resource.”

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ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Week 12 of the Missouri high school football season is tonight.

Scores from Mid-Missouri teams will be posted below.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man has pleaded guilty to multiple drug charges in relation with an overdose death from 2023.

Derek Miltimore, 33, pleaded guilty on Friday to second-degree drug trafficking, two counts of drug possession and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. He was sentenced to 120 days of shock jail time and was ordered to complete a drug program. He faces a 20-year suspended sentence with credit for time served.

He was previously charged with second-degree felony murder, delivery of a controlled substance, second-degree drug trafficking, two counts of drug possession, one count of unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.

Miltimore is one of two people accused in the May 2, 2023, death caused by a fentanyl overdose.

Chase Rieves, 34, of Columbia, was also charged in the case with second-degree felony murder, delivery of a controlled substance and drug possession. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. He has a jury trial scheduled for June 2026. A hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia is looking at proposing an ordinance that would ban camping near streams.

A proposal shared to ABC 17 News by a city utilities spokesperson says the ordinace aims to reduce the amount of pollutants in waterways. The city was told by the state’s Department of Natural Resources earlier this month that the DNR was not satisfied with a previous storm water management plan.

The department set a Nov. 15 deadline for the city to draft new ordinance language after concerns of human waste from homeless encampments entering streams. The new ordinance has not yet appeared on a City Council agenda.

Previous reporting says the DNR has stated Hinkson Creek, Grindstone Creek and Hominy Branch contain E. coli from human waste from homeless encampments near the streams, posing significant risks to Columbia’s water quality and public health.

The proposed ordinance says no one can be arrested for violating it unless that person has received prior warnings. It states that it will be illegal to camp or store personal property within 50 feet of any stream, creek, lake or watery on public or personal property.

It states owners of property near a stream may not camp or store property near the waterway “unless such owner ensures secure receptacles for the disposal of trash, waste and debris are maintained and utilized to prevent pollutants from entering any such adjacent stream, creek, lake, or waterway.” It also states sheds are allowed.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A water problem led to part of the Callaway Energy Center nuclear plant being shut down this week.

An executive with plant owner Ameren Missouri said Friday that “restoration of the affected systems on the non-nuclear side” of the plant was underway.

“Our focus is on returning the facility to full power for the benefit of our customers. The team remains committed to performing every step with safety as our highest priority,” site Vice President John Beck said in the statement.

Callaway County Emergency Management Director Michelle Kidwell said the partial shutdown happened after water that wasn’t properly filtered made its way into pumps meant for highly filtered water. The problem caused issues with water chemistry, leading to the shutdown.

Beck said Ameren has wrapped up its investigation into what happened.

Kidwell said there is no danger to the public.

The facility, located in southeastern Callaway County, is Missouri’s only nuclear power plant.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The owner of a dog-breeding and boarding business in Boone County has been charged with several counts of animal abuse after several dead dogs and remains were found.

Melissa Sanders, 26, of Columbia, has been charged with three counts of felony animal abuse and 15 counts of misdemeanor animal abuse. She is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement and information on the Secretary of State’s website shows Sanders owns Magnum Opus German Shepherds.

The statement says deputies were called to the business after Sanders brought a dead dog to a veterinarian and an autopsy determined the dog died from strangulation. The dog was boarded at the business at the time of its death, the statement says. Court documents say Animal Control was called to the business before for reports of dogs dying in their care.

 “Animal Control stated they have spoken to Melissa in the past about doing a walkthrough of the residence, but Melissa was hesitant,” the statement says.

Animal Control went to serve a search warrant on Thursday, but no one answered when they arrived. Animal Control found a litter of puppies outside with no food or water, as well as unattended dogs inside the building along with a “strong odor,” the statement says.

Officers ended up finding four dead dogs outside the building “and an upwards of a dozen dog skulls were located in black garbage bags, inside and outside of the residence, near dog kennels,” the statement says.

Deputies wrote that Animal Control found several malnourished dogs inside the building “no food or water and appeared to be eating other deceased dogs.”

A total of 16 living dogs were found and two were on the brink of death, the deputy wrote. Five “intact” dead dogs were found along with several dog skulls, the statement says.

“The accurate number of total deceased dogs and dog skulls located is yet to be determined and is expected to rise,” the deputy wrote.

Sanders was eventually arrested Thursday during a traffic stop.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Vienna man was charged with several felonies in Maries County after he allegedly assaulted a woman on Nov. 7.

Brian Wagner was charged with second-degree domestic, unlawful use of a weapon, second-degree kidnapping and armed criminal action. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says Wagner began yelling at the victim after he accused her of sending screenshots of a conversation to another person. That then led to him choking, restraining and assaulting the victim and claimed afterward he wanted to kill her, the statement says.

Wagner allegedly refused to let the victim leave and shoved her into a wall, the statement says. He then allegedly placed the barrel of a shotgun under his chin, told the victim to pull the trigger and claimed her DNA was on the gun, the statement says.

The victim allegedly convinced Wagner she would head home, but she drove herself to an emergency room and had muscle strain and tissue bruising, the statement says.

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