Category: kmiz-local-news

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An Eldon Police Department detective arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in February and charged Thursday remains on the job, the city’s police chief says.

Luke M. Gatlin, 46, was pulled over on Feb. 14 in Osage Beach for driving without headlights, and a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper smelled liquor on his breath, according to a probable cause statement.

Gatlin failed a field sobriety test and allegedly admitted to the trooper that he “shouldn’t have drove.” His blood alcohol registered .193 on a breath test, according to the statement. The trooper took Gatlin to the Lake Ozark Police Department.

Gatlin’s initial hearing is set for Sept. 16.

Eldon Police Chief Brian Kidwell said Gatlin has not been fired or resigned. Kidwell would not say whether Gatlin had been disciplined, citing privacy around personnel records.

Kidwell said the city would make an ultimate decision when the case has concluded.

City Administrator Mandy Asbury said Gatlin has worked with the police department since March 2015.

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Melissa Houston

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Jefferson City’s Public Works and Planning Committee met on July 9 to discuss research on safety requirements for shelters, including those that house homeless individuals, and to create a draft of the ordinance.

According to the Department of Planning and Protective Services’ memorandum, officials want to find out more about:

Occupancy limits

Hours of operation

Security and safety requirements

Definitions of types of shelters

Staffing levels

Neighborhood involvement requirements

The memo states it was necessary to do further research because current shelters have no safety regulations. The memo also says staff reviewed other cities’ processes and building codes and concluded they would need more time to update and clarify Jefferson City’s ordinance.

Planning and Protective Services Director Dave Helmick said city staff wants to be prepared with a clear outline of what a shelter would look like.

“The Planning Protective Services Department’s working on is to put those definitions into our building code so that when we have someone that comes forward and wants to do a shelter of some sort, there is a clear guideline, a minimum life safety, as well as the definitions of what type of structures they are,” Helmick said.

Jefferson City Mayor Ron Fitzwater agreed there needs to be guidelines in place for when permanent shelters start to open.

“If [the] council is going to start looking at some of these facilities, we probably, probably ought to have guidelines in place to at least to guide council on what’s doable, what’s not doable,” Fitzwater said.

Housing the Community President Scott Johnston noticed the memo came not too long after the group’s petition to give Room at the Inn a permanent home.

“I guess just because of the attention paid recently to our effort on Adam Street, they realized that the city is lacking specific ordinances and regulations related to shelters,” Johnston said.

The building Room at the Inn is hoping to purchase is located at 107 Adams St. But the building must be rezoned first. The City Council will meet to vote on the final rezoning on Aug. 3.

Jefferson City Mayor Ron Fitzwater said the council wants to reach out and get input from groups that have experience with homeless shelters.

“I think the better job we do up front in crafting ordinances, the better it is for the community,” Fitzwater said. “So yeah, we want to reach out to established groups that have experience and get their feedback.”

Fitzwater said the city has been looking for a solution to security issues involving the homeless population, and this ordinance has pushed city leaders to look further into the situation.

“In the meantime, that gives us time to take that homeless task force report and really dig into it and see which pieces, you know, maybe council wants to implement,” Fitzwater said.

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Sutton Parker

COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri Realtors Association hosted a “Protect Your Power: Vote No” rally in Columbia on Thursday.

The rally is in opposition to Amendments 4 and 5 that will be on the Aug. 4 ballot. Amendment 4 would increase the required number of votes needed for a citizen petition to pass. While Amendment 5 seeks to eliminate Missouri’s income tax and expand sales taxes.

The Missouri Realtors Association argues Amendment 5 would allow politicians to bypass critical tax protections—including the Hancock Amendment, which guarantees voters a say on major tax hikes.

The group helped pass those original tax protections back in 2010 and 2016. They warn if this new amendment passes, those safeguards could be ignored, potentially opening the door to new taxes on buying and selling homes.

Derek Schriewer, with the association, expressed concern over the legislative actions.

“So the legislature is simultaneously seeking to inhibit our ability to utilize initiative petition, which Missouri Realtors has used to benefit Missourians across the state,” he said

Matthew Becker, treasurer-elect for Missouri Realtors, says the purpose of the rally was to spread the word.

“So the purpose of this meeting today is to get the message out to our membership, to get them excited about the upcoming election,” he said

When it comes to the opposition of Amendment 4, Becker said that if approved by voters, it would shift voting power.

“So, Amendment 4 is taking away the power of one person, one vote and that is what we have stood on for the last 118 years. And it puts more value on your zip code than it actually does on your vote,” he said.

When asked about the group’s opposition to Amendment 5, he said the group believes it would put too much power into lawmakers’ hands.

“Amendment 5 is just clear-cut. it is a blank check to our legislature over the next five years. there is no way we should allow them to make the decisions they want to make over the next five years with how they tax and what they tax,” he adds.

Republican Rep. John Martin, who represents parts of Boone County, said he completely disagrees.

“It is not a blank check because, No. 1, it has to be balanced. And so it’s not just a tax on everything. I think it’s a good way to, instead of taxing what people, you know, taxing what they’re here with their earnings, put it more of a personal choice, more of a consumption tax, which is more of a fair tax,” he said.

On Amendment 4, Martian says a higher voting threshold is necessary to protect the state’s constitution.

“I very much support Amendment 4, because it will be protecting our constitution. Amendment 4 does not change the ability of people to petition and sign petitions; it is just that we need a much higher threshold to change such a foundational document as our Constitution,” he said.

Martin also added Gov. Mike Kehoe has stated if approved by voters, there would be no taxation on real estate.

Records show Missouri Realtors just put $1 million toward Missourians for Fair Governance, its committee opposing Amendment 4.

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Matthew Sanders

The City of Columbia has been in talks for months with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources over the renewal of a permit that allows it to discharge stormwater.

In any urban environment, stormwater will be polluted with organic and inorganic chemicals from a variety of sources. But some state officials have zeroed in on one cause — homeless camps.

Now the city council is considering an ordinance to ban waste from camps and other outdoor activities from going into streams, which would give officials another enforcement mechanism against homeless camps in the city limits.

Do you think the camps are a significant contributor to water pollution? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was charged with two felonies after he allegedly tried to set fire to an occupied camper on Monday night in Hartsburg.

Michael Briggs, 55, of Hartsburg, was charged in Boone County on Tuesday with knowingly burning or exploding and resisting arrest. He is being held at the Boone County Jail on a $10,000 bond. An initial court appearance was held on Wednesday.

The probable cause statement says Briggs used a woman’s phone to call True North of Columbia on Monday night and claimed he was going to kill the victim at the victim’s residence. Briggs allegedly reiterated to the woman that he was going to kill the victim.

Deputies were called around 9:50 p.m. to South First Street in Hartsburg and saw a fire near a camper in a backyard, the statement says. The deputy noted in the statement that he heard a male voice screaming. Briggs allegedly lit a cabinet outside the camper on fire, the statement says.

Briggs allegedly held a gas can and a lighter and continued to pour gas on the fire as the deputy told him to put the can down, court documents say.

Briggs allegedly emptied the can before approaching the deputy with his hands behind his back, the statement says. The deputy wrote that Briggs tried to get away while the deputy put handcuffs on him.

The victim told law enforcement that Briggs had “threatened to burn her stuff in the past,” court documents say.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Wednesday marked two years since the death of Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Matthew Tobben.

BCFPD honored Tobben on Wednesday by lowering its flags at half-staff.

“We honor his memory and remain committed to carrying forward the values he exemplified throughout his career,” BCFPD Fire Chief Doug Westhoff said in a press release. “We will never forget Assistant Chief Matt Tobben or the sacrifice he made in the line of duty.”

Tobben, 42, died during a water rescue on July 8, 2024, when his boat lost power and capsized near Bear Creek.

Columbia firefighter Derek Abbott and the two people rescued were thrown into the water and emerged, but Tobben never resurfaced. An autopsy determined Tobben drowned.

Tobben served with BCFPD, Missouri Task Force 1 and the Union Fire Protection District during his 19-year career.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services on Wednesday published its multi-year maternal mortality report.

The report included data from 2019-23 and determined there were 340 deaths in total. The mortality rate of Black women who went through pregnancy was 2.5 times higher the rate of white women’s, the report says.

The pregnancy-related mortality ratio in total was 31.2 deaths per 100,000 live births, the report says.

The Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Board determined 79% of pregnancy-related deaths were preventable. IT also determined all deaths due to mental health conditions were preventable.

An average of 68 women in the state died while pregnant or within a year of pregnancy during the study period, with the highest total being 85 deaths in 2020, the report says.

“Analysis of data and related patient records indicates cardiovascular diseases and mental health conditions (including substance use disorders) were the leading underlying causes of pregnancy-related deaths, followed closely by infections (pneumonia, COVID-19, etc.),” a press release from the DHSS says.

Recommendations to combat the mortality rate, according to the report, include:

Implementing community violence intervention programs with a focus on reducing homicides among pregnant and postpartum women.

Local housing authorities implementing policies that prioritize housing for pregnant and postpartum women

Investing in urban infrastructure.

2023annual-reportDownload

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Olivia Hayes

Editor’s note: This article has been adjusted to reflect the correct city council meeting date.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two local downtown business owners are putting their support behind a proposal for an urban camping ordinance for downtown Columbia.

Executive Director of Columbia’s Downtown Community Improvement District Nickie Davis said the CID plans to submit a proposal letter to the City Council on Friday, ahead of its July 20th meeting. Davis said the letter will also be signed by some downtown business owners.

“What we have right now, it’s very scattered through all the different ordinances that we have as a city. It’s not entirely clear what is enforceable, what’s not enforceable. We know that many of the ordinances that this urban camping ordinance would contain are things we already have on the books,” Davis said.

Dimetrious Woods, owner of Essentialz Neighborhood Bodega on the corner of Ninth Street and East Broadway, said he signed the proposal letter in support of the move.

“I looked into it and I seen that it wasn’t a criminalization or anything on a negative end. It seemed like more of a respect thing, more of an organized thing,” Woods said.

Woods and his business are no strangers to unhoused individuals and said his relationship with them is built on respect.

“Most of those people happen to be my customers,” Woods said. “I have to be assertive at times, but I offer respect back and it seems to work out somehow.”

Davis said the proposal was inspired by a city staff retreat to Columbia, South Carolina, during the fall of 2025, but the idea got put on the back burner.

“With our new block-by-block safety ambassadors, it’s really important that we have a clear understanding of what we have on the books as far as people sleeping downtown, people sitting on the sidewalks,” Davis said.

Woods expressed the need for respect to remain at the core of any formal ordinance passed.

“They kind of protect my front, they know I want it clean, so they definitely don’t sleep under our porch because I would have an issue with that,” Woods said. “Just explain to them this is what’s expected. I think it may go over well.”

Jim Yankee, owner of Flat Branch Bank and founder of Flat Branch Home Loans, said he hasn’t signed the CID’s proposal letter yet, but he plans to.

“The police need something to be able to enforce, when somebody is obviously creating a bad situation,” Yankee said.

Davis said one suggestion on the table for the potential ordinance is a “three-strike rule.”

“It’s a warning, it’s a citation and then it’s actually a little bit more serious after that third warning,” Davis said.

Yankee voiced his support for the strike system.

“The biggest thing is being able to to force them to go get help and get services. They’re not receiving the services that they need camping out in the park at night. A lot of these people have addiction issues, they have mental health issues,” Yankee said.

Major Nancy Powers, with the Salvation Army Columbia, expressed concern over a lack of wrap-around services in the community to keep people transitioning out of an unhoused lifestyle stable.

“The problem is so deep rooted that ‘housing first’ is not the answer,” Powers wrote in a statement to ABC 17 News. “Putting people who have been abused, trafficked, given drugs since childhood, never known a safe environment, have no life skills, don’t know the difference between sex and love, in an apartment sets them up for one more failure.”

Powers said she moved to Columbia from a city with an urban camping ordinance and questioned its effectiveness.

“The homeless did not follow it, the City was faced with horrid PR as their staff went in and threw away all the camping supplies and personal items,” Powers wrote. “The homeless got more clever in their camps and set traps and city staff started getting injured, some seriously injured.”

Davis said the CID is looking for a three-month turnaround to get the ordinance in place. If the need for more time arises, Davis said a six-month timeline could also occur. Woods believes a 90-day turnaround is doable, especially with the new Downtown Safety Ambassadors patrolling in the area.

“They could take charge or that responsibility to help CPD get valid information out and everything and be kind of a bridge to making that work,” Woods said.

The City Council will not on the ordinance on Monday, but Davis said the first step is re-starting the conversation around it.

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Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia collected nearly 110 tons of recycling materials in the first 10 days after curbside pickup resumed.

Utilities spokesman Jason West told ABC 17 News that is more than 25 tons of recycling materials that were collected during the same period in 2025.

An EF-1 tornado hit the city’s recycling facility on April 20, 2025, which led to the temporary stoppage of curbside pickup. Materials were recycled again during curbside pickup last summer, but weekly curbside recycling started again in the city on June 15.

After the tornado halted normal sorting operations at the Material Recovery Facility, Superintendent Tom Elliott said it is now back to normal operations, though weather conditions and staffing constraints persist.

“The number of people we’ve, are currently employing is less than it was at the time of the tornado,” Elliot said.

West said currently have eight employees out of the 16 spots available, making them halfway staffed. Staffing issues had caused issues for recycling pickup in 2023.

Because the tornado stripped away the structural coverage at the plant, operations are dependent on weather conditions.

“Very light rain; we’ll cover the equipment until it stops. We can do a little bit,” Elliott said. “But if it’s very much rain at all, then we button down, we tarp everything, and then we wait until we have better, better weather.”

In extreme heat conditions, Elliott said crews are still working. With there being no electricity yet in MRF, there is no place to connect any cooling devices so they must go to their neighboring buildings to cool down.

“We have cooling breaks up at both the other buildings, which are standing,” Elliott said. “They also have air conditioning, two things that this site does not currently have.”

Pick up at recycling drop-off sites were halted after the tornado hit. Right now, Elliott said there is talk of reopening the public recycling drop-off sites, but the main priority is starting construction to rebuild the plant so there is no set date on when drop-off sites may reopen.

Glass containers are still not able to be processed at the MRF due to it being considered contamination for the mills that sort and process them, Elliott said. The recycling plant also get charged for every ton of glass it sends based on the contamination rate, according to Elliott.

However, Elliott said that the city is exploring the option of making glass recycling available. He said a collection event at the Grissom Building went well.

“There is no option in the City of Columbia for glass recycling,” Elliott said. “Probably looking at a dedicated drop-off container placed for glass only.”

According to Elliott, the new facility will be constructed directly on top of the old MRF site, with the option to accommodate future expansion. He said there is no set date for when construction will start to rebuild the plant, but he estimates that it will start towards the end of this year.

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Sutton Parker

COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ)

A teenage girl accused of stabbing another youth in April will not stand trial, according to the Boone County Juvenile Office.

Boone County Juvenile Officer Angie Bezoni told ABC 17 that the girl accused of stabbing someone in central Columbia will not face adult charges. Instead, the Juvenile Office recommended the girl to the Missouri Division of Youth Services.

“We did not recommend certification. We recommended she be committed to the MO Division of Youth Services (DYS) until she turns 19, and that is what the judge ordered,” Bezoni said.

Bezoni added that instead, the girl will be placed in a residential treatment facility until she completes a program.

“Then she will be released to an appropriate adult caregiver on aftercare services, with a DYS Service Coordinator supervising her progress in the community,” she said.

It is unknown what facility the girl will be placed in, as Columbia is not currently equipped with the resources needed for residential treatment. Residential Treatment Facilities are operated by the Division of Youth Services, which is part of the Department of Social Services.

According to the Department of Social Services website, DYS offers treatment services through different types of residential care facilities across the state for youth who would benefit from a more structured setting than the community.

Baylee Watts, the spokesperson for the Department of Social Services, emphasized the residential program allows youth to continue their personal development and education.

“They still live in a setting where they’re going to school and taking part in different kinds of counseling. And so that’s probably the biggest benefit,” she said.

DYS offers three tiers of residential care designed to match the specific needs of youth. Options range from least-restrictive group homes with high community engagement to moderately structured facilities with increased supervision.

The most intensive option is secure care, which places youth in highly structured environments with educational programs customized for them, including basic, remedial, special and vocational programs.

Watts added the overall goal for the program is to rehabilitate juveniles to become productive citizens.

“Really the goal of the division of youth services is that every young person that’s served by them will end up becoming a productive citizen and leading a fulfilling life, by providing individualized and comprehensive service to enable the youth to reintegrate into their home community eventually,” she said.

According to the DYS 2025 Annual Report, last year, there were 542 youth committed to the care of DYS, with 6% committed for juvenile offenses. In the central area — the region that accounts for most of Mid-Missouri — there were 26 individuals committed. Out of those 26, 13 were in Boone County and nine were in Cole County.

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