Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former substitute teacher from a Pulaski County school district pleaded guilty on Wednesday to child sex crimes.

Carissa Smith, of Dixon, Missouri, pleaded guilty to first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of having sexual contact with a student. She was previously charged with 19 felonies, including statutory rape, statutory sodomy, child sex trafficking and paying a child for sex. 

She will be sentenced at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19.

Previous reporting indicates she previously worked for the Dixon School District, but resigned in August 2024.

Court documents in previous reporting say a victim told law enforcement they were coerced into sex with Smith and that she supplied marijuana, alcohol and money on multiple occasions.

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Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Billie Siebeneck and her husband had to evacuate their home Thursday night after their attic caught fire on Rivercrest Court in Jefferson City.

Siebeneck and her husband were watching TV when they heard a loud noise.

“All of a sudden it was just like a bomb went off,” Siebeneck said.

Siebeneck said lightning hit her home. She didn’t feel like anything was different until she ran outside after the bang and smelled something burning.

A neighbor called the Jefferson City Fire Department around 9:10 p.m.

Firefighters saw smoke coming from the roof and gable ends of the two-story home, according to a JCFD press release.

The fire department can’t confirm what caused the fire, but JCFD Division Chief Jason Turner said the can’t rule out a lightning strike.

 “The residents were there at home at the time. They said, ‘hey, we think we had a lightning strike. We can’t confirm, the electricity goes off, we started smelling something that potentially smelled like something burning.’ Things like that is what clues to us,” Turner said.

Heavy storms swept through the area Thursday, and the fire department is checking with the National Weather Service to make sure the Siebeneck’s home was in the area.

The fire was contained to the attic, although firefighters drilled holes in almost every room on the top floor, Siebeneck said.

The storms that rolled through the area starting around dusk Thursday left hundreds without power. Wind damage was reported near Ashland, Bunceton, Franklin and Blackwater, according to the National Weather Service.

Seventeen firefighters were sent to the fire.

While on scene, firefighters used thermal imaging cameras to see heat that might be invisible to the naked eye.

“One of the items that we use is our thermal imaging cameras that helps us detect where those hotspots are in the attic areas, and not just in the attic areas, but anywhere there’s heat,” Turner said.

These cameras light up when it detects heat, indicating to fire fighters where a hot spot is.

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Matthew Sanders

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect that homecoming takes place Sept. 27.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A federal judge on Friday ruled that the University of Missouri must let a student group that opposes Israel’s war in Gaza participate in its homecoming parade, with conditions.

Judge Stephen Bough of Missouri’s federal Western District court entered a preliminary injunction forcing UM System President Mun Choi to allow Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine to participate in next Saturday’s homecoming parade, as long as the group’s entry “complies with the Parade Policy.”

Ahmad Kaki, a staff attorney with The Council on American-Islamic Relations who represented the student group, said MSJP is happy to adhere to any requirements that are equally applied.

The policy says the purposes of the parade are to celebrate MU, cultivate alumni connections, honor university-selected achievements and rally support for the Missouri Tigers in their game against the University of Massachusetts.

The policy also reads:

“It is not an open forum for expression on topics identified by participants, but rather is limited to expression on topics identified by the University for the purposes noted above. The University provides ample other opportunities for participants to express themselves on topics of interest to them.” 

MSJP decisionDownload

Bough’s order opens with a Benjamin Franklin quote:

“Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom — and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.”

CAIR sued on behalf of the student group after its application for a parade entry was rejected for the second straight year. Choi cited “disturbances” associated with the student group, according to records obtained by ABC 17 News.

“When they wanted to join the parade last year, they sought to express specific messages, in large part because the university allowed everybody else to do it,” Kaki said.

Kaki called the move by the University and Choi disheartening for the students of MSJP.

“The reason they were excluded was because of messages they’ve expressed in the past. It’s because of the viewpoints that they hold, their viewpoints critical of Israel and supportive of the people of Palestine,” Kaki said.

Bough sided with the student group’s interpretation that homecoming parade entries are “private speech,” as opposed to speech that represents a government entity such as MU. He also ruled there was enough evidence to show a “fair chance” that Choi violated the group’s speech rights based on its views about the war in Gaza.

“In support of this conclusion, the Court notes that, in 2024, Dr. Choi did not require any other student organization to attend a special meeting to discuss their intentions for the event, nor did he request that any other group modify its message,” Bough wrote.

The group’s former president was also charged this week with fourth-degree assault for an incident on campus in March. The University cited this as another reason for MSJP’s denied entry, Kaki said the argument was found to be irrelevant in the courtroom.

“It was very telling that their entire argument revolved around her supposed behavior,” Kaki said. “We were able to put Ms. Atallah up on the stand where she said ‘I won’t even be there’ and so the court made it clear that that wasn’t a sufficient excuse for them.”

“This is an important victory for the First Amendment and the right of students who support Palestinian human rights to fully participate in campus life,” CAIR national deputy director Edward Mitchell wrote in an email response to ABC 17 News. “It is long past time for colleges and universities across the country to stop attempting to silence and sideline students critical of the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza.”

A spokesman said MU was reviewing the decision, but the university would not comment on pending litigation, per its established practice.

Bough noted that MSJP wanted to display signs in its parade entry that were not included in its application — “Ceasefire Now” and “Stop the Genocide.”

The group will now work with the MU Alumni Association to ensure they are following all parade policies.

“We expect the university to comply with the court and engage in a meaningful the conversations to a meaningful conversation with the students to ensure that whatever they do is protected,” Kaki said. “If the university says that they’re not allowed to put messages on banners and that’s a rule that’s applied to every other student organization equally, then MSJP will happily comply.”

The Alumni Association’s executive director, Todd McCubbin, did not respond to a request for comment.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A judge ruled Friday that a victim’s invalid driver’s license will not be allowed as evidence in a Boone County manslaughter trial, but a decision on using a recording of the victim’s voice is yet to be made.

Circuit judge Josh Devine heard arguments Friday ahead of the trial of Walter Montejo, 27, of South Gate, California. Montejo is charged with two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, one count of second-degree assault, misdemeanor driving while revoked and misdemeanor not having insurance. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.

He’s accused of killing Cindy Helms, 54, of Rockwood, Tennessee, and Melvina Colin, 84, of Broomfield, Colorado, during a crash on Interstate 70.

Montejo required an interpreter. The state and defense agreed not to introduce evidence at trial regarding his immigration status.

In Friday’s pretrial hearing, the state argued to dismiss evidence that Helms was driving with a suspended license. Montejo’s defense attorney argued that Helms’ driving status should be mentioned, because Montejo’s driving status will be mentioned. Devine sided with the state.

The defense filed motions to dismiss nine pieces of evidence or arguments, including a graphic and emotional 911 call Helms made while she was trapped in the burning U-Haul. The defense argued that playing the audio would inflame jurors’ emotions and would prejudice them against Montejo.

The prosecution argued that the 911 call should be played for the jury because prosecutors will not show the graphic body camera footage of Helms trapped and screaming in the car, and jurors should hear from a victim.

The judge put off a decision until he has heard the recording.

The jury trial is scheduled to last three days, and the defense is asking for jury sentencing.

Court documents say Montejo was driving a tractor-trailer when it crossed over the median and hit a U-Haul head-on, killing Helms and Colin.

A probable cause statement says that Montjeo’s license was suspended because of an active administrative alcohol suspension. A bond motion claims Montejo’s license was suspended because of a DWI case from Jackson County in 2022.

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Matthew Sanders

Charlie Kirk’s death has led to a new climate of scrutiny.

Since the shooting death of the conservative activist, statements made by figures both public and private have been examined for evidence of callous disregard for Kirk’s death or even celebration of it.

First Amendment experts say employers have latitude over some statements by employees, especially on a public stage such as the one Jimmy Kimmel had. But some argue that a concentrated effort is on to chill speech that is critical of conservative politics and politicians.

The issue is felt locally, too. In the Hallsville School District, two employees remain on leave for sharing a social media statement critical of Kirk after his death.

What do you think? Should people face consequences at their jobs for social media posts about Charlie Kirk? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An 81-year-old woman from Oak Grove, Missouri, died Thursday in a crash on Highway 50 in Pettis County at Chevalier Road, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the woman was heading northbound and failed to stop at a stop sign with her 2021 Lexus QX. The vehicle went into the path of a 2023 GMC Yukon – driven by a 29-year-old man from Warsaw, Missouri – and was hit by the GMC in its side, the report says.

The GMC ended up in the median, while the Lexus went off the right side of the road, according to the report. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and her body was brought to Heckart Funeral Home in Sedalia, the report says.

The report does not say if the woman wore a seatbelt, but the driver of the GMC did not wear one. The Lexus was totaled, while the GMC had extensive damage, according to the report. The driver of the GMC had no reported injuries.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Sam Roe

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Budget Committee passed the budget for fiscal year 2026 at its meeting on Thursday evening.

The budget will now be presented to the Jefferson City Council. They will vote on it at the next meeting on Monday, Oct. 6.

The committee made three changes to the budget at the meeting. About $74,000 was added to the parks and recreation budget and two errors in the original budget were also fixed. The fiscal year for Jefferson City will begin on Nov. 1.

Officials introduced the nearly $87 million budget during a meeting in August.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A legal expert claims the removal of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” by ABC Network executives is not a violation of his First Amendment rights.

Kimmel’s show was pulled after he made comments about supporters of President Donald Trump in the opening of his show on Monday. Kimmel called them the “MAGA Gang” and said they were trying to “score political points” from the death of Charlie Kirk. The decision by the network to preempt the show was made on Wednesday.

Jared Schroeder, an associate professor at the University of Missouri, claims Kimmel’s rights were not violated because the government didn’t make the final call and that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr only applied pressure to the network with comments he made on a podcast. Still, it’s the course of action that Schroeder says is a threat to democracy.

“You look at any authoritarian country, one of the first things they’re going to do is shut down voices,” Schroeder said.

Public pressure from media companies Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcasting also played a role. Nexstar said in a statement that continuing to give Kimmel a platform is not in the public interest of the communities that they serve. Sinclair called on Kimmel to apologize to Kirk’s family and make a personal donation to Turning Point USA.

Nexstar was the first group to announce it would preempt Kimmel’s late night show before ABC made the decision to suspend the program indefinitely.

Nexstar is currently seeking FCC approval for its planned $6.2 billion merger with media group Tegna.

Gregg Skall, a communications lawyer, said these actions are not out of the blue for the FCC.

“The FCC has used a variety of types of pressure to bring its regulatees to do things that it thought was appropriate or ought to be done,” Skall said.

The network’s move notably praised by the Trump and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO).

“Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago,” Trump was quoted in national media.

“I thought them saying listen we think that this is gross and we’re not gonna have it on our air. I thought that was a good choice,” Hawley said.

However, Anna Gomes, an FCC Commissioner, called ABC’s move “cowardly” and said it puts the foundation of the first amendment in danger.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Nearly 1,400 electricity customers around Mid-Missouri were without power on Thursday night as thunderstorms entered the area.

According to the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives’ map, there were nearly 600 consumers without electricity, with 587 coming around Southwest Electric Cooperative and 10 coming from Co-Mo Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Benton County had nearly 300 households without power, with 287 coming from Southwest Electric, six coming from Co-Mo Electric and one being an Osage Valley Electric Cooperative customer.

There were 162 consumers of Central Missouri Electric Cooperative in Pettis County who had no power, while Howard County had 92 with no power – 86 of which came from Howard Electric Cooperative.

Boone Electric in Boone County had 97 with no power, while the City of Columbia’s map showed 79 without power near Fairview Elementary School and Cooper County had 38 Co-Mo Electric customers without power.

Ameren’s outage map showed 40 consumers in Cole County without power.

Check back for updates.

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