Category: kmiz-local-news

Euphenie Andre

COLE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A late Cole County farmer’s 178-acre Elston land was auctioned Saturday morning, despite his reported wishes for it to become a public park.

Lawrence Renn Jr., who passed away in 2021, left behind a trust intended to turn his farmland into a county park.

However, the land was sold off after Cole County dismissed its lawsuit against Hawthorn Bank, the trustee overseeing Renn’s estate, who were not in attendance at Saturday’s auction.

Nearly 100 people attended the auction, with four buyers bidding in person and one buyer participating online. The auction service reported 19 people registered on its online platform.

The 178 acres were divided up into six tracts.

Tract 1: 38.4 acres, sold for $10,250 to a phone bidder, for an estimated total of $393,600, according to Wheeler Auction & Real Estate.

Tract 2: 28.97 acres, sold for $13,250, with an estimated value of $376,610.

Tract 3: 16.69 acres, sold for $8,000 — the lowest per-acre price of the day — totaling about $133,250.

Tract 4: 16.94 acres, sold for $14,350, with an estimated value of $243,089.

Tracts 5 and 6: totaling 74.95 acres, were purchased by the same buyer. Combined, they sold for $28,500, bringing the estimated total to more than $1 million.

According to Wheeler Auction & Real Estate, the total sale price for the 178 acres exceeded $2.2 million, averaging $12,587.99 per acre.

Ron Bandelier, a neighbor of Renn, was one of the first people to arrive at the auction on Saturday.

“He [Renn] was a good friend, a good neighbor and just everybody liked him,” Bandelier said.

On Friday, Cole County Judge Joseph Shetler dismissed the case brought by Mark Knapp and Gary Scheperle, two men connected to the trust who had been fighting to stop the sale. In his ruling, Shetler stated Knapp and Scheperle are no longer beneficiaries of the Renn Trust and therefore do not have standing to sue.

“The administrators didn’t do what they should do to support him [Renn]. I think they were looking after their own interest and the money in the bank. That’s not what he wanted. He wanted that land to support the community of that area,” Bandelier said.

Since 2024, the situation has been a legal dispute. Friends and family of Renn have claimed the trustee was not transparent about the amount of money in the trust.

Cole County had entered into a 99-year lease agreement for the property, but later withdrew after Hawthorn Bank disclosed how much money was available to develop and maintain the park.

In January, Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman told ABC 17 News the trust contained an estimated $15,000 to $20,000. He said that amount would not be enough to develop and maintain a county park without significantly affecting the county’s parks budget.

Family and friends of Lawrence Renn Jr. have insisted that millions of dollars were in the trust, specifically intended for the park.

Buyers Jared and Sarah Hotsenpiller, a married couple, purchased Tracts 5 and 6. They said they were aware of the land’s history and had previously signed the petition opposing the auction.

The Hotsenpillers plan to use the property to raise their family and build a farm.

“We are blessed to have the opportunity to buy it and continue that [Renn’s] legacy,” Jared Hotsenpiller said.

Another buyer told ABC 17 they plan to build a home on the land, while a third said they purchased their tract on behalf of a friend. Some community members told ABC 17 they hope none of the buyers decide to build apartment complexes on the property.

Bandelier said he was told most of the land would be used to build family homes. While he acknowledged that the idea sounds positive, he believes it is not what Renn would have wanted.

“He wanted the land to be to the community and it just seems like the bank didn’t give proper concern about his interests,” Bandelier said.

As of Saturday, Chuck Steck still has 39 cattle on Renn’s land. Steck said he had leased the property for more than 20 years, and about a year and a half after Renn’s passing, that lease expired. He said he reached out to several outlets to figure out how to continue making payments, but was ultimately told to keep his cattle on the land.

“Someone from the county kind of just flippantly said, ‘Well, if I were you, I’d just leave them out there until somebody told me to get them off.’ I wasn’t trying to take anything from anybody,” Steck said.

According to Steck, all of the cattle currently on the property are expected to be removed by early next week.

All buyers were required to pay a 10% downpayment Saturday, with the remaining balance due on or before Mar. 10.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri’s first month of legal sports betting generated heavy activity, but no money for education.

When Amendment 2, which legalized sports betting in Missouri, appeared on the ballot, one of its biggest supporters was the group Winning for Missouri Education. The group estimated the measure would generate $100 million in tax revenue over five years.

Under the amendment, a 10% tax on sports betting revenue is dedicated to education, but only after operators deduct expenses and contribute to the compulsive gambling prevention fund. However, what the group failed to mention is that the ballot language also allows for the possibility that no money would go to schools if taxable revenue is insufficient. 

New figures from the Missouri Gaming Commission show sportsbooks took in more than $543 million in bets during their first full month of operation. After payouts, voided wagers and promotional credits, however, the state finished $20.8 million in the red, leaving no taxable revenue to distribute under Missouri’s constitution.

A key driver was sportsbooks’ aggressive promotional betting strategy to lure in customers. 

Sportsbooks wrote off $125.1 million in free-play wagers, which are exempt from taxation under the constitutional amendment voters approved. FanDuel alone wrote off over $53 million in free-play wagers, while DraftKings wrote off $48.5 million. 

Ryan Butler, senior news analyst at Covers.com, said the early numbers reflect strong interest and a familiar rollout strategy.

“The best way to look at it is per capita spent in the biggest population and Missouri’s was pretty stronger than North Carolina, which is the most recent comparable one,” Butler said.

Butler added one of the biggest unknowns, was whether Missourians would stick with sportsbook accounts they already used in neighboring states or if there was pent-up demand for betting legally at home. He said the early data shows it was the latter, with strong interest from bettors eager to place wagers without crossing state lines.

That excitement was fueled by costly promotions.

“The free bets were pretty ridiculous, where it was if the Chiefs or Texans score a single point in their game, or if the Blues have a shot on goal,” Butler said. “The promos were very expensive and this is common.”

According to the commission’s report, total deductions, including winnings paid out and free play, reached $563.8 million, exceeding total gross revenue. The result: negative adjusted gross revenue and essentially no tax collection tied to education.

“Because of these deductions and everything with it, the sportsbooks are able to then mitigate their tax liability if they declare losses because of these free bets,” Butler said. “It’s very usual for a state in their first month to spend a lot of money like this but it’s not going to continue.”

Butler said sportsbooks expected early losses and view promotions as a long-term investment.

“It’s an investment. It’s what they call a customer acquisition tool,” Butler said. “On their financial reports leading up to it they expected to lose $20 to $30 million that first month so it’s actually a little less than they expected to lose but again, they have shown us time and time again that they’re making money. MGM just came out with their financials and they had lost billions of dollars on these kind of strategies leading up to it and now they are turning a profit. They made $250 million last year.” 

However, while Missouri finished in the red, Butler predicts that will change moving forward. 

“There were no taxes basically that’s because of all these free bets and promos. But that is going to change,” Butler said. “We’re going to see it stabilize really beginning this month. Next month, there will be less betting handle, there will be less bets placed, but there’s going to be more taxes generated.”

Missouri’s launch comes a year after it missed out on Super Bowl betting entirely. During the Chiefs’ 2024 Super Bowl run, GeoComply says it blocked 431,000 attempts by Missouri devices trying to place legal bets in other states — nearly half targeting Kansas sportsbooks.

That cross-border betting paid off for Kansas. During the Chiefs’ 2023 playoff run, Kansas collected about $600,000 in sports betting revenue. In the 2024 playoffs, that figure jumped to $1.7 million.

With the Super Bowl just two days away, sportsbooks are once again expecting large numbers. 

“It’s two teams vying for the championship of the most popular sport betting sport in America,” Johnny Avello, DraftKings ‘ head oddsmaker, told ABC 17 News. ““At this point, with three days to go before the Super Bowl,  things look pretty good.  You know, kind of where we thought our expectations would be.  But these next two days are crucial because that’s when some of the big bets and the big money comes in. Probably only 20% has been written, then there’s about 80% to go.” 

Avello said sportsbooks dramatically expand offerings for the Super Bowl, with far more betting options than a typical NFL Sunday.

“Usually on a Sunday for every game we probably have about 600 props for each game,” Avello said. “For this 1500 this week. So yeah, we increase it.”

DraftKings is also running two major promotions tied to the game, similar to those used during its initial rollout, including an offer that allows bettors to share in a $4 million prize pool if they wager on a player to score who scores the game’s longest touchdown.

“We don’t normally do two on any given Sunday or anything of this big. But for the Super Bowl we think you know it’s worth doing and people are looking for them and  plus all the other little ones that we do you know on a daily basis.” 

However, some of the novelty props offered during the Super Bowl won’t be available to Missourians due to the state’s regulatory framework. 

“Missouri won’t do coin toss, they won’t do Gatorade, they won’t even do some on-field ones,” Butler said. “The idea behind states such as Missouri that ban this is fear of manipulation.”

Butler said sportsbooks requested permission to offer certain bets, but the Missouri Gaming Commission reviewed those requests and declined them, opting for a stricter approach than some other states that have approved similar wagering options.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman charged with felony murder is still listed on the Boone County Jail roster on Friday evening, a day after she was given a bond.

Alexis Baumann, 18, of Hallsville, saw her bond reduced to $50,000 on Thursday and is eligible for home detention. She is charged with first-degree robbery, two counts of armed criminal action and one count of felony murder.

Baumann’s other co-defendants: Kobe Aust, 18, Joseph Crane, 18, and a juvenile are still being held without bond. Aust has another bond hearing on Tuesday.

Michael Ryan Burke was shot to death on Jan. 18 in the 1400 block of Ridgemont Court. Court documents allege Burke had used Facebook Marketplace to arrange to arrange a cellphone sale. In previous reporting Baumann allegedly told officers the juvenile suspect and Crane went into the home shot Burke, took his phone, and then the group sold it at a local ecoATM.

Court documents also place Baumann and Aust in the getaway car at the time of the shooting.

A former judge told ABC 17 News that deciding a bond is one of the most difficult decisions they make.

“You have to judge whether or not the defendant, he or she, is a threat to the community,” said Gary Oxenhandler, who is a retired Boone County Circuit Judge. “Then the other side of the the scale is the presumption that we’re all innocent until proven guilty.”

Oxenhandler said it’s unlikely Baumann’s bond decision would influence the decisions for her other co-defendants due to most judges not taking influence from decisions in cases that are not theirs.

“You can hardly compare the two people that are being held without bond,” he said. “Their circumstances could be entirely different from one another.”

Aust was determined on Wednesday to not be eligible for home detention. Court documents also revealed he provided officer’s the location of where the gun used by the juvenile suspect was hidden after the shooting.

“Someone may have had a a bigger part in what transpired and that might be something that gets considered when judges are looking at the case,” Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson said.

Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson explained other factors that a judge may take into consideration with a bond decision include family ties, criminal history, mental health, employment, a risk assessment and more.

Crane has his preliminary hearing set for March 5.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Construction crews will begin replacing the roof of Brookside Downtown at 219 South Ninth St. at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11.

The closure will require crews to close off a pair of roads and sidewalks, according to a Friday press release from the City of Columbia.

South Tenth Street between Elm and Locust streets, as well as Locust Street between south Tenth and Hitt streets will be closed through 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, the release says.

The east sidewalk of South Tenth Street and the south sidewalk of Locust Street in the aforementioned areas will also be closed during that period, the release says.

Detour signs will be post and “no parking” signs will be in place about 24 hours before work begins.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was accused of breaking into several women’s apartment in 2022 in south Columbia pleaded guilty to multiple crimes on Friday.

Guillermo Vasquez Hernandez, 35, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree burglary and two counts forgery. He will be sentenced on March 30.

He was previously charged with two counts of first-degree burglary, one count of second-degree burglary, two counts of forgery and a count of misdemeanor stealing, but was originally  charged with two counts of first-degree burglary and two counts of forgery.

According to court documents in previous reporting, Hernandez’s fingerprints have been connected to at least three cases of a man violating the privacy of multiple women.

Columbia police released the first statement asking for the community’s help in identifying a suspected prowler on Nov. 8, 2022. The victim’s ages ranged from 20-30 years old. Many of the incidents happened in south Columbia, with many occurring at apartments off of South Old 63.

He is currently being held at the Boone County Jail. Online records from the jail also show he is being held on an immigration detainer.

Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson said the plea agreement caps his possible sentencing up to 10 years.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

FAYETTE, Mo. (KMIZ)

A fundraiser was held Friday in Fayette to help benefit those affected by an individualized supported living facility fire that killed three people on Jan. 27.

Springfield-based Hurts Donut used the back of Fayette High School for Friday’s fundraiser. The fundraiser saw strong support from the community.

Two of the deceased victims have been identified so far. Marcia Lyon, an employee as the facility, and Donnie Bittle were identified by their families as victims of the fire.

Lyon was a longtime mail carrier in the Thornbrook area. Residents from the area raised nearly $7,000 to help with funeral expenses for Lyons, according to Thornbrook HOA President Brooke Sydenstricker McCarty.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

One person was brought to a hospital on Friday after they fell through the ice at Cosmo-Bethel Lake.

Columbia firefighters responded to the park at 2:37 p.m. after two people fell through the ice while they were ice fishing.

A Columbia Fire Department spokesperson said one of the anglers fell through the ice and a second person ended up in the water while they tried to rescue them. The second person was able to escape to shore and other residents tossed a rope to the person who was still stuck in the ice, CFD said. Firefighters were able to rescue the fisherman and that person was brought to an area hospital by ambulance.

Ice skating had opened last week at Stephens Lake Park and ice fishing opened at Cosmo-Bethel Park after intense cold the previous weekend had led to area lakes freezing 4-inches deep.

However, the City of Columbia announced on Tuesday that it had closed ice skating and ice fishing at both lakes because of warming temperatures. Friday had a high of 51 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A registered sex offender has been charged in Callaway County with several sex crimes.

Bradford Beck, 51, was charged on Thursday with four counts of child molestation, three counts of first-degree sodomy, three counts of first-degree rape and two counts of tampering with a victim in a felony prosecution. His address on Casenet is listed as Columbia, though the sex offender registry shows his address as Holts Summit.

Beck is in the Callaway County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance was scheduled for Friday morning.

The probable cause statement says one of the child victims told their mother on Tuesday they were raped by Beck at about four of five times from the end of December through the end of January. During the first assault, Beck allegedly gave the youth alcohol and marijuana before raping them, court documents say.

After one of the assaults, Beck allegedly told the child to not tell anyone because he could “be in jail for the rest of his life,” the statement says. He then accused that victim of “ruining his life,” after he was confronted by the victim’s mother, court documents say.

A second child victim came forward to law enforcement after they saw Beck was listed on the Callaway County Jail’s online roster on Wednesday. Beck allegedly started raping that victim in November and had threatened to hurt members of their family, while also bribing the child with gifts, the statement says.

Court records show Beck pleaded guilty on Sept. 28, 2015, to sexual misconduct involving a child younger than 15 years old and was sentenced to two years in prison.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No injuries were reported on Thursday night after a fire was reported at an apartment building in Mexico, Missouri.

A Friday press release from the Mexico Public Safety Department says firefighters were called at 7:17 pm. to the 500 block of South Olive Street. First responders found linens burning in one of the apartments and quickly put it out, the release says.

There was “minimal damage” to the apartment, the release says.

Crews determined a resident fell asleep while they were smoking before the fire started, the release says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 43-year-old man from Dixon was seriously injured in a crash Thursday on Highway 133 in Pulaski County, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the man’s 2003 Saturn L200 was heading northbound when it went off the right side of the road. The driver overcorrected and the car then when off the left side of the road, hit a tree and fence and caught fire, the report says.

The man was brought to Phelps Health by ambulance, according to the report. It is not known if he wore a seatbelt.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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