Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A crash report from the University of Missouri Police Department says a crash last week that involved Columbia’s mayor occurred after another driver rode through a red light.

The report –which was obtained by ABC 17 News through a records request – says a 2027 Hyundai Sonata was driven by Ava Schweser. The Hyundai was heading southbound on College Avenue when it approached the intersection with University Avenue on June 18.

The report says the driver failed to stop at “a solid red light” and hit a 2025 Hyundai Ioniq – which was driven by Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe – while it was heading westbound. The impact from the crash led to Buffaloe’s vehicle to hit a city bus, the report says.

Edin Kajtaz, the driver of the bus, told police that he saw Buffaloe’s vehicle get hit by the Sonata, according to the report. Another person, described as a witness, was sitting in their vehicle in one of the southbound lanes while the light was red and claimed the Sonata “flew by he through the red light and collided with” Buffaloe’s vehicle, the report says.

A passenger in one of the vehicles reported having a pain around their neck, but did not go to a hospital. Kajtaz had pain on the left side of his body and was brought to University Hospital by ambulance, the report says.

Both Hyundais were towed from the scene.

A diagram from a crash report shows how a crash involving Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe occurred on June, 18, 2026.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two people were arrested Wednesday morning in Sedalia during a law enforcement operation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Lazaro Joaquin-Ruiz, of Sedalia, was charged with drug possession, resisting arrest and violating an order of protection. Alondra Reyes Hernandez was charged with drug possession and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Both are being held on $10,000 bonds. Mugshots were not immediately available on Thursday afternoon.

Joaquin-Ruiz had a failure-to-appear warrant for his arrest in connection with a drug possession charge from April in Pettis County.

Deputies and agents allegedly tried contacting Joaquin-Ruiz at a residence and were told by a passerby that he was in a shed, the statement says. Joaquin-Ruiz was seen in the shed while holding the door shut, the statement says. Law enforcement officers were able to open the door and had to use a stun gun to subdue Joaquin-Ruiz, court documents say.

Methamphetamine was found in the shed, the statement says.

Law enforcement later gave commands for Reyes Hernandez to get out of her residence and used a drone to check out the inside of the home, the statement says. Reyes Hernandez and her three children were found in the residence, along with meth that was “within reach of any of the children,” court documents allege.

Click here to follow the original article.

Haley Swaino

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City School District is projected to receive $2.4 million less in state funding than it had hoped next school year.

The Jefferson City Board of Education voted unanimously to pass the fiscal year 2026-27 budget at its meeting Thursday night. According to district documents, the state did not approve full funding of the foundation formula, holding funding flat instead of budgeting an increase to keep up with inflation.

Instead of $7,145 per student, the state will pay out $6,865, board documents state.

The foundation formula determines state aid for K-12 local public schools, and the Missouri General Assembly voted not to increase it for the next fiscal year. Because of that, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is short $190 million, and many school districts will be weighing budget cuts.

Chief Financial Officer for the district Shari LePage told the board Thursday that it is prepared to face the “cut” in state funding because of what is available in reserves.

“Hopefully we can weather these funding shortages for the time being,” LePage said. “But we won’t be able to weather them forever.”

The JC School District is projecting more than $138 million in revenue, an 0.8% increase from this year’s budget. Expenditures are projected to be over $135 million, a 6% increase.

Budget documents state the increased cost is largely due to teacher and staff pay raises, increased benefits, and the addition of new staff roles at the Jefferson City Academic Center.

The district says the loss in funding is not expected to affect staffing.

About 1,300 full-time employees work in the district. The board plans to cut six positions due to lower elementary enrollment, but add at least six more at other schools. The 2026-27 budget includes four new staff members for the Jefferson City Academic Center, the addition of a fine arts coordinator at East Elementary and an extra math teacher at Capital City High School.

In the previous year, the state increased funding by more than $500 million in the public school foundation formula, Missouri State Rep.Ed Lewis (R-Moberly), who helped craft the most recent state budget, told ABC 17 News Tuesday.

Missouri currently ranks 49th nationally in the percentage of school funding provided by state sources.

The Jefferson City Board of Education said it’s keeping an eye on the foundation formula and property tax reform which make up 21.09% and 48.29% of its 2026-27 revenues, respectively.

The board held its June 25 meeting at 6 p.m. at the Dix Road Education Center in Jefferson City.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three more men were charged with child enticement on Thursday in Boone County.

Ethan Deimeke, 27, of Auxvasse; David Burres, 32; and Brice Morris, 34, of Columbia;  were all charged on Thursday. They are all being held at the Boone County Jail without bond and have initial court appearances set for 1 p.m. Friday.

Court documents in all three cases state each man separately messaged a “decoy on an escort website” who they believed were youth on Wednesday. The brief statements for Deimeke and Morris say they believed their decoy was 16 years old and Burres believed his to be 14 years old.

The statements say Deimeke arrived at a Boone County address at 6:15 p.m. and “was in possession of the exact dollar amount discussed and a particular soft drink for the minor.”

Burres was detained when he arrived at 7 p.m. and Morris arrived at 8:15 p.m. Burres allegedly did not deny that he intended to meet a minor for sex and Morris allegedly admittedly his intent to pay for sex with a minor, court documents indicate.

Rollie Pogue, 29, of Moberly; and Jose Jimenzez, 54, of Columbia; were charged on Wednesday with the same charge. They are both being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. Arraignment were scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

Court documents in both cases say they also messaged a decoy on an escort website on Tuesday, who they believed was 16 years old. Both men were arrested around 3 p.m. Tuesday, according to court documents.

Daniel Follett, 56, and Rifat Apurba, 30, were also arrested earlier this week under similar circumstances and are charged with child enticement. They are both being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.

An arraignment for Follett was set for Thursday afternoon. Apurba waived his preliminary hearing on Thursday.

Follett was the general counsel for the Department of Revenue. A DOR spokesperson confirmed to ABC 17 News on Thursday that the department was aware of Follett’s charges and that he had been terminated from his position.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mitchell Kaminski

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) 

With severe weather approaching Kansas City, the FIFA Fan Festival closed at 2 p.m. as a precaution.  Minutes later, thunder was heard in the area, followed by a sudden downpour as the skies opened up.

KC FanFest later posted on social media that they would not reopen on Thursday.

However, the looming rain did little to dampen the spirits of thousands of Dutch supporters who took to the streets in a march stretching more than a mile and a half through downtown Kansas City. Known as the Oranje Army, fans filled the streets with color and energy during their traditional fan walk to the stadium ahead of the Netherlands’ match against Tunisia.

Many of those same fans had attended the FIFA Fan Festival later in the day, and the approaching storms did little to dampen their spirits. Fans were seen dancing and chanting, even after the announcement that Fan Fest was closing early. 

“Look at Kansas City. What an amazing city to support the sport of soccer,” Kriston Kaylor, a Kansas City resident who was a part of the march, said. “Now we just move to the city and support all of the vendors there.” 

FIFA Fan Festival officials told ABC 17 News that, under standard safety protocols, organizers make announcements over the public address system when severe weather is approaching, with the goal of clearing fans from the area before storms arrive.

Reasons for shutting down Fanfest include a lightning strike within eight miles, a wind gust over 30 mph or if there is a threat of severe storms in the area. 

However, officials told ABC 17 News that if organizers are unable to clear the event in time, a designated storm shelter is available at an undisclosed location in case of emergency. They added that the location is not being made public due to security concerns.

Fan Festival has drawn massive crowds throughout the tournament. As of Tuesday, organizers say it has welcomed 147,000 visitors.

The thousands of Dutch fans who descended on Kansas City will only add to that total. Barnett Thompson said he made his first trip to Fanfest on Thursday with his son after seeing the Oranje Army. 

“My son’s really big into soccer and thought it would be a cool experience. It’s cool seeing Kansas City get an opportunity like this. We saw the Oranje Army, and though it’s going to bring a lot of people out, Thompson said. “I don’t think [the rain] even matters. We are just happy to be here and are going to enjoy downtown Kansas City.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A restaurant owner in Jefferson City who is accused of harboring people with “an illegal immigration status” turned himself in to law enforcement, the Department of Justice wrote in a Thursday press release.

Danny Cheng, 46, who owns Dragon Kitchen in the 2200 block of Missouri Boulevard, is accused of running a “dormitory” of people who were not citizens in the 800 block of Crestmere Court.

At least five people were seen living in the home, according to the probable cause statement.

Details in the court documents described more than one employee working 12 hours per day, six days a week at the restaurant and were not given paystubs.

Cheng was already accused of withholding more than $935,000 in employee wages

Click here to follow the original article.

Sutton Parker

HUNTSVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The spelling of Moberly has been corrected.

The bench trial of a Moberly man accused of killing a woman on his property wrapped up early Thursday afternoon after the defense requested a recess to adjust its strategy.

A bench trial got underway in Randolph County on Thursday for David Kip Heyde, who is accused of shooting a woman dead on his property last July. Heyde was charged last year with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Bailey Scott.

Following the lunch recess, the Heyde defense made opening statements. They indicated that they planned to call witnesses to testify that Scott was the primary aggressor, to show that Heyde acted in self-defense.

However, the prosecution and the judge ruled that the dynamic had already been established during the state’s presentation of evidence, rendering the defense’s planned witnesses unnecessary.

In response, the defense requested an early recess for the remainder of the day. The defense noted that they need additional time to confer and determine whether Heyde will take the stand to testify in his own defense.

The state argued against the delay, noting that the defense had previously stated it was fully prepared to proceed at the beginning of the trial on Thursday.

The judge granted the defendant’s request, pausing the proceedings for the afternoon. The trial is scheduled to reconvene on Friday at 9 a.m.

Alexandria Hardy testified that she heard an argument between Heyde and Scott on the day of the shooting, including Heyde yelling at Scott to get out of his yard.

When asked whether Heyde had been violent in the past, she said yes, adding that Heyde had “threatened to shoot me and my dog if I don’t keep off his lawn.”

Court documents state that Moberly police were sent to a shots-fired call in the 900 block of East Logan Street on July 6, 2025. During his interview with authorities, Heyde allegedly claimed the shooting was an act of self-defense.

Scott was found with a gunshot wound in her right torso.

Heyde told police he fired two shots at Scott, court documents say. He claimed self-defense, saying Scott hit him during an argument after she alleged he was “attempting to kill birds at the front of his property,” according to the probable cause statement.

The documents state that Heyde claimed Scott hit him during an argument after she alleged he was “attempting to kill birds at the front of his property,” court documents say. Scott’s body showed no obvious signs of trauma or injury to her hands, according to the probable cause statement.

Charles Peel, the Randolph County coroner, was called to conduct a death investigation. Peel testified Thursday that he approached the body alongside law enforcement and found wounds on the right side of the rib cage.

Peel said Scott was in a sitting position on the porch, with her chest hunched forward. He also said he was present for the autopsy.

Trooper Derek Powell, a 30-year veteran with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, testified that he was called to investigate because Heyde was a former Moberly Police officer.

Powell testified that Heyde admitted to shooting Scott, stating he did so because he feared for his life.

The trial was expected to resume after a lunch break.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two people suffered serious injuries in a Pulaski County crash Wednesday night.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a 37-year-old Camdenton man, along with a 23-year-old woman from Dixon, was driving westbound on Route P west of Highway 17 at 11:37 p.m. Wednesday. The report states that the truck traveled off the side of the road, struck a concrete embankment and overturned.

Both the driver and the passenger were transported by Pulaski County Ambulance to Lake Regional Hospital. According to online crash records, the driver was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash; whether the passenger was wearing a seatbelt is unknown.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 19-year-old Columbia man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of evidence tampering after two people were found shot in the parking lot of a Clark Lane apartment complex.

Chase Ricketts, 19, was arrested on suspicion of felony evidence tampering, and a juvenile male was arrested on suspicion of armed robbery, first-degree assault and armed criminal action, according to a Columbia Police Department news release.

CPD did not say why Ricketts and the juvenile were suspected in the shooting. Charges were not publicly available in online court records Thursday morning.

Police responded at 4 p.m. in the 51000 block of Clark Lane, a parking lot at the Greens apartment complex. One juvenile male was found shot multiple times and is in serious condition, according to Columbia Police Department spokesman Brian McNeill said Wednesday. Police later wrote in a social media post that the boy’s injuries were not life-threatening.

Police also received a call for shots fired at the 1300 block of Godas Drive, McNeill said. A man was found on Keene Street with non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital. CPD later wrote in a social media post that the man also had serious injuries.

CPD says the investigation is ongoing.

Click here to follow the original article.

Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A lawsuit filed by Cole County after a 2023 fuel leak has been settled out of court.

The lawsuit, filed in April, accused Neumayer Equipment Company of breach of contract and negligence.

It claimed Neumayer incorrectly installed a fuel system, which caused the leak on July 24, 2023. More than 1,000 gallons of fuel polluted the Moreau River and surrounding areas.

Online court records show the case was dismissed on June 23 with prejudice.

In a statement to ABC 17 News, the lawsuit was dismissed as part of the settlement terms between the county and the insurance company.

The settlement shared by the county states the two agreed Neumayer’s insurance company would pay $446,592.86 in exchange for further court action.

The release of claims document states that the settlement resolves the claims against the company. This includes any demands, cause of action, damages, attorney fees and other compensation related to the fuel leak.

Sean Counihan, of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Environmental Services Program, told ABC 17 News in an email that no fuel was seen in the Moreau River, “only the small creek/tributary that traverses the Lincoln University farm property,” according to previous reporting.

Click here to follow the original article.