Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson defended his recent record in a lengthy email he sent Thursday afternoon to University of Missouri System President Mun Choi.

Choi had criticized Johnson and city leaders in multiple emails since July 27, the day after a brawl occurred on Walnut and Ninth streets that led to seven people being arrested. At least one person was charged with a felony.

Emails given to ABC 17 News by a university spokesman on Tuesday showed that Choi has criticized city leaders following multiple high-profile incidents this summer that have occurred on or around Walnut Street.

Johnson told ABC 17 News in an interview that criticism over case outcomes is not unusual and that the public often does not have access to all the information prosecutors consider.

“It’s not unusual that we get concerns about outcomes of cases,” Johnson said. “A lot of times there’s just limited information about what happened in the case and even about the process that was involved. Some of these cases are cases that we made a recommendation and the defendant agreed to that. Ultimately, that’s our responsibility. Some of these are cases where the person pled open, which means they rejected our offer and had the judge sentence them and we ultimately can’t control the outcome in those cases.”

Johnson said the public’s frustration with a case often stems from not having the full picture.

“I would say nine times out of ten, when we get people that are mad about a certain case that’s disposed of, it’s either not a case that happened here, it’s a case that was sentenced by the judges or it was a case that just doesn’t match up with the facts or that there are facts that people don’t know about,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he decided to respond to Choi because he believes prosecutors have a responsibility to be transparent about how cases are handled.

“It’s important, as prosecutors, as part of the legal system, to be transparent about what we’re doing. The justice system can’t function unless people understand and trust what’s happening here,” Johnson said. “The president of the university has been involved and concerned about violent crime now for some time. And I think that’s important. The community’s concerned about it. What we would like to do is make sure that we’re using that momentum to move us in a good direction, to continue the work on the violent crime reduction strategies that we’ve been implementing.”

Choi’s email from July took issue with the results of multiple cases, calling the sentences “lenient.” Johnson responded with a lengthy email of his own at 3:29 p.m. Thursday. ABC 17 News received the email through a records request.

Johnson said he understands Choi’s concerns but noted that criticism of his office comes from both sides.

“I certainly understand where he’s coming from. We, though, get complaints all the time,” Johnson said. “We get complaints about people who think we’re doing too much. We get a few complaints from people that think we’re doing too little. I would say we probably get just as many complaints from attorneys and people that think we’re being too harsh as they do, that we’re being too lenient.”

Clark Lane shooting case

The first case involved the probation plea deal of Daevion McCray and Tavion Johnson in connection with a fatal shooting in 2024 on Clark Lane. Johnson indicated in his email that this case was previously discussed with Choi.

“We had discussed this case. It involved an escalating back-and-forth dispute between two groups in which the defendant group and resident/target had exchanged online threats, including the defendant group previously posting images pointing guns at the resident’s house,” Johnson wrote in response to Choi. “The resident later responded with taunts, including ‘If you pull up here, you’re going to get shot.’ In response, the defendants Johnson and McCray along with Orrion Moody and two others went to the neighborhood with guns. The resident came out armed with a Radical Firearms .300 Blackout rifle, and a shootout followed in which Orrion Moody was hit and killed.”

Johnson wrote that the chances of a murder conviction were “well below 50%” and referred to the case as an “unusually difficult self-defense case.”

“While we argued that a substantial prison sentence was the right outcome, the defense disagreed. When the parties don’t agree, the judge decides. Moreover, the judge would ultimately have decided the sentence whether there was a capped plea or we tried the case to a jury and won,” Johnson wrote.

Former Cole County Prosecutor Bill Tackett said the Clark Lane case illustrates why prosecutors can be limited in explaining the reasoning behind their decisions.

“There’s always going to be the public wanting to know what’s happening and why. And with the prosecutor, one of the things we’re stuck with, and I say we because I used to do this, is we know what witness is going to show up or which one is strong for us. We know what evidence we don’t have. And those are things that ethically we can’t talk about in the media,” Tackett said. “You’re in the throes of a lot of cases, hundreds of cases, and you’re trying to get the best result for public safety.”

Gun cases and jury challenges

The next case involved Chauncey Williams, who received probation after being accused of using an AR-15 to threaten family members. Johnson wrote that juries are less likely to convict someone if a shot was not fired.

“In our experience with unlawful use of a weapon (exhibiting) cases, a significant portion of prospective jurors – often 25 to 30 percent – indicate during jury selection that they could never consider a prison sentence for exhibiting a weapon in any case where there wasn’t an actual shooting or injury,” Johnson wrote in response to Choi. “Jurors who do not want to send someone to prison often vote not guilty even though there is a separate penalty phase and so they have not yet heard evidence about why this person should/should not be sent to prison. Further, a growing number of prospective jurors believe you should be allowed to point a gun at someone and have a right to do so under the 2nd Amendment because they think it helps deter crime.”

Columbia defense attorney Ben Faber said prosecutors also face challenges from how individual cases are presented to the public.

“The news cherry-picks their stories to some degree, things that are interesting or unique, or things that people might click on it,” Faber said. “Those are the cases that seem to have Choi’s attention. I think a better way of assessing it would be those cases that were on their radar as arrests, as incidents, how are those cases being resolved rather than just taking a bunch of unrelated cases that happened to come across his Facebook feed and criticizing them without really having understanding background facts.”

Faber also pointed to Missouri’s self-defense laws as another challenge prosecutors face, particularly in cases involving multiple armed people.

“I think the biggest thing that we are seeing is that Missouri self-defense laws are very, very broad. So it can make it very difficult to prosecute cases where there are two people who are perhaps both criminals,” Faber explained. “We actually see it being used by criminals where they will kind of prowl an enemy neighborhood waiting for someone to raise up to them so they can get into kind of this gun fight situation.”

Open pleas and probation

Another case pointed to in Choi’s email involved Kieran Piersee’s probation sentence. Piersee allegedly shot at someone who was cutting through an apartment’s yard. Johnson wrote that an open plea is handled by a judge.

“The defendant entered an open plea, meaning he did not agree to our recommended sentence and argued for something different. The State argued for 7 years in the Department of Corrections and opposed probation; the defense argued for an SIS. The judge granted an SIS,” Johnson wrote.

Johnson also addressed the plea by Candice Robinson, who was accused of an alleged road-rage incident and was given five years of probation.

“That recommendation does not reflect any view that the defendant’s conduct was acceptable. Incidents like this are dangerous both because a weapon is involved and because they occur between moving vehicles,” Johnson wrote. “Notably, Missouri law would have permitted the victim to immediately use deadly force including shooting the defendant when defendant pointed the gun at him. Juries in exhibiting cases do not always appreciate how serious the law itself treats this conduct and the risk of escalation, which affects how these cases are likely to be received at trial. Given the lack of criminal history, lack of reason to suspect involvement in criminal activity overall, and likely results at trial, I stand by the disposition in this case as well.”

Johnson said those individual cases must be weighed against the large number of cases his office handles and the resources available to prosecutors. He said his office works with the Columbia Police Department, Boone County Sheriff’s Department and federal partners to identify and focus on the most violent offenders.

“We as a prosecutor’s office, we receive about 850 cases a month and we have 17 prosecutors to manage those. We have to look for strategies and ways that we can get the most out of the resources we have,” Johnson said. “The people who are committing violent crimes, we’re going to go out on a limb on those cases. And even if we have a slim chance, we’re going to fight those out. We just don’t have the resources to go out on every limb. So we have to pick and choose to try to get the most out of our resources that we can.”

15-year prison sentence

The last case involved a 15-year prison sentence for Kalvin Johnson in connection with a 2024 shooting.

“Because there are still some active cases, I can’t comment on this case. I can only say that the plea offer included an agreement for the defendant to provide information in a case and potentially testify as a witness,” Johnson wrote. “The Defendant pled guilty pursuant to our recommendation for a 15-year sentence on assault 1st. Generally, our recommendation in a case like this would be more years, but the Defendant received consideration for his cooperation.”

Tackett said criticism is part of the job for prosecutors, regardless of whether the public believes they are being too lenient or too aggressive.

“I experienced it constantly. Roger gets it constantly. Every prosecutor in 114 counties in Missouri gets this all the time. They’re really hit with a lot of cases and they have to match the law to the facts. They can’t create facts.”

Tackett also believes the recently passed 1% sales tax could give prosecutors and law enforcement additional tools to build stronger cases.

“This one-cent sales tax is going to help better facts come up because you’re going to have more police officers, more detectives, a way of creating more facts that can be matched up against the law and create a better public safety situation. Everybody is on the same page. It’s just how quickly can we get there?”

Johnson said the criticism can be particularly difficult for prosecutors who dedicate their careers to public service.

“The most disheartening thing about this is our people are working really hard. The prosecutors in this office are dedicating their time and energy. Any one of my people could go into private practice and make twice as much and work less than they do now. But they do this work because they care about it and want to make a difference in the community. It’s disheartening to see when they’re putting all that effort in, people not taking the time to understand what’s happening and instead criticizing those outcomes.”

Johnson added that his office cannot solve violent crime alone and urged community members to help law enforcement gather information.

“I would say to people in the community who are concerned about crime is that as community members, we have to take responsibility for making our communities safer and our neighborhood safer. You can’t rely on the police officers to just go out there around people up. The police do their work based on talking to people who saw what happened. People in neighborhoods who have cameras and are willing to participate. If we want to make our community safer, we have to have people that are cooperating and talking with the police officers.”

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Demetra Alarcon

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Office of Violence Prevention gave an update on upcoming analysis completion dates involved in the effort to curb violent crime in the community.

These violence analysis reports were first brought up in January in a collaboration with the National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform. According to a previous report, at the time, city leaders said the final report was expected to be complete in four-to-six months.

The Office of Violence Prevention held a meeting on Thursday, where the timeline of these analysis reports was discussed.

D’Markus Thomas-Brown, Violence Prevention Administrator, said the violence reduction landscape analysis will be presented on Sept. 29.

Thomas-Brown said the gun-violence analysis had its initial meeting on Feb. 13, but has been held up since. Its most recent meeting was Tuesday. Thomas-Brown said he can not give an ETA for the gun violence analysis, but said they are not in a place where they have something to worry about.

Thomas-Brown said that March 2027 the office will have a full strategic plan.

“This is this is holistically going to be a feeder and to making sure Columbia as a whole, right. Is is the place where people want to live, work, learn and play and that it is a safe space for everybody included,” Thomas-Brown said.

Thomas-Brown said that he hopes to create an ecosystem within the community.

“And there’s a cohesive function so that we see the reduction of violence, but also the flourishing of citizens here in Columbia,” said Thomas-Brown.

There will be community feedback sessions held for the office of violence prevention and Thomas-Brown hopes to get candid feedback.

“But what I’m hoping for is that we get candid feedback and get people to give us, when they think we’re missing what they think we could expand or where they think actual problems,” Thomas-Brown said.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The details of Chase’s sentence have been corrected.

Former Monroe County Public Administrator Jessica Chase was sentenced to a 120-day “shock” incarceration program on Wednesday, according to online court records.

Records indicate that if Chase completes the program, she will serve five years of supervised probation, and a 10-year prison sentence if her probation is revoked.

Chase, 49, of Paris, pleaded guilty to financially exploiting a disabled person, stealing and filing false documents.

She served in the public administrator role from 2021 through February 2024, according to prior court records, and was accused of stealing money “from the custodial accounts of disabled persons under her care,” according to a release from the Monroe County prosecutor.

A federal investigation is still pending with the Social Security Administration, the prosecutor’s office wrote.

The probable cause statement in the case accuses Chase of taking at least $16,000 in purchases and cash withdrawals from victim’s accounts between March 16-Dec. 22, 2023. The prosecutor’s office wrote that roughly $23,000 was stolen in total.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged after he threatened to use a hatchet to kill a victim on Wednesday morning, according to court documents filed by authorities.

Javan Jovon Harris, 32, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor fourth-degree domestic assault and single counts of unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says police were called to a redacted residence at 9 a.m. Wednesday and officers found Harris holding a hatchet and yelling at one of the victims.

One of the victims told police that Harris and the other victim got into an argument over food before Harris grabbed the hatchet and stated he was going to kill one of the people in the home, the statement says. Harris then allegedly started hitting the hatchet on the ground in front of the home while yelling, the statement says.

One person described as a witness was on the phone with one of the victims and allegedly heard Harris yell that he was going to kill one of the victims, court documents say. A second person described as a witness allegedly told law enforcement they saw Harris swinging the hatchet while yelling, the statement says.

Harris allegedly told police that he thought one of the victims was getting a knife out of the kitchen, so he grabbed the hatchet, though he did not see the victim with a knife, the statement says.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

If you’re walking through downtown Columbia, you may notice a new Flock camera at the intersection of Ninth Street and Walnut Street.

The camera comes as University of Missouri System President Mun Choi has called the area a “danger zone” in a series of emails to city leaders following high-profile incidents along East Walnut Street. One incident was a brawl that led to seven arrests on July 26 and another was a shots-fired incident that occurred this past weekend that led to felony charges being filed.

Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude told ABC 17 News the camera was installed on Tuesday, adding that it is a live camera included in Flock’s video package that officers can monitor in real time.

“We originally planned to put one in that area of Walnut (I don’t remember if it was at Ninth Street or 10th St.) but had issues with getting a power supply to the camera, and the solar-type camera was not functioning correctly,” Schulde told ABC 17 in an email. “When this issue happened, we looked at the Ninth and Walnut location and got some temporary power hooked up until utilities can get something more permanent rigged up.”

The camera is one of Flock’s pan-tilt-zoom, or PTZ, cameras. The cameras are designed to monitor areas such as parking lots, intersections, and parks.

The new camera is one of the more than 100 Flock cameras installed across Columbia after the City Council approved additional surveillance technology in 2024.

During the system’s first year of use, Columbia police reported 5,521 Flock alerts. Of those, 2,877 were linked to outstanding warrants, 1,452 involved stolen license plates and 1,192 were connected to stolen vehicles.

Police said the department only shares its Flock data with other law enforcement agencies in Missouri.

The use of Flock cameras has drawn scrutiny nationally, however, with privacy advocates raising concerns about data sharing and law enforcement access.

A national tracker of Flock contracts lists dozens of communities that have ended their agreements amid concerns about privacy, data sharing and law enforcement access.

Columbia police told ABC 17 News earlier this month that, despite concerns from some residents, the department has no plans to cancel its Flock contract. Police have described the technology as a valuable tool for the department.

The city’s current contract with Flock expires in March 2027.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Four people were brought to an area hospital after a crash occurred at a busy Columbia intersection on Wednesday night.

The crash was reported at Paris Road and Vandiver Drive and led to the intersection shutting down.

Boone County Joint Communications announced the intersection was closed during an 8:09 p.m. notification. Columbia Fire Department Battalion Chief  Roger Mertensmeyer said two vehicles were involved and first responders were dispatched at 8:05 p.m.

At least one of the vehicles was seen with front-end damage.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw one person being put in an ambulance. Multiple Columbia police patrol vehicles, a firetruck and an ambulance were at the scene. Tow trucks were at the scene at 8:48 p.m.

ABC 17 News is working to learn more information. Check back for updates.

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Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Moberly Area Community College opened a new aviation training facility at Columbia Regional Airport on Wednesday as the college prepares to welcome its first class of commercial pilot students.

MACC and the City of Columbia celebrated the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the former terminal. The facility is home to MACC’s new Associate of Applied Science in Aviation Commercial Pilot program.

The inaugural class includes 16 students, with classes scheduled to begin Aug. 24. The FAA Part 141 program is accelerated and can be completed in two years. The program was announced in 2023.

MACC Aviation Commercial Pilot Program Director Ed Longoria said the program comes as the industry faces a need for more pilots.

“Well, the vision is to help with the pilot shortage. So for 2026, there’s going to be about 24,000 pilots, a shortage of 24,000 pilots,” Longoria said.

The new training center includes classrooms, faculty offices, student learning spaces and an FAA-approved Advanced Aviation Training Device simulator. Flight training will be provided through MACC’s partnership with ATD Flight Systems. The program’s home also gives new life to Columbia Regional Airport’s former terminal, which had been vacant since newer terminal opened in 2022.

MACC and the city entered into a lease agreement in 2024 that initially provided MACC with about 1,900 square feet of space.

MACC added another 1,057 square feet in May to accommodate a Redbird flight simulator and additional training space.

The college says it has invested more than $350,000 in renovations to turn the former terminal into an aviation education and training center.

Airport Manager Michael Parks said the facility allows an unused part of the airport to serve a new role.

“Well, I think this is an absolute fantastic opportunity to utilize the old terminal here at the airport. A space that’s not being used or wasn’t previously being used in a way to help promote aviation, not just in central Missouri, but also just nationwide,” Parks said.

Students will also be learning in the middle of an active airport. Parks said students will be exposed to commercial and general aviation operations as well as the day-to-day work that goes into operating an airport.

Longoria said the demand for pilots is expected to continue beyond the immediate shortage.

“And then Boeing has just released a forecast for the next 20 years that we’re going to be short 660,000 pilots. So, it’s important that we start helping in the process of developing qualified, wide safety minded pilots to help with this dilemma,” Longoria said.

The college says the program is intended to prepare students for careers as professional pilots, with an emphasis on safety, technical training and industry standards.

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Melissa Houston

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The viaduct at High Street in Jefferson City officially reopened on Wednesday after being closed for road repairs.

The viaduct was closed in February due to a hole that was impacting drivers and other deterioration of the road. The contracted cost for repairs with Double Arch Construction was estimated at $74,800 and the final cost totaled $70,000.

The city stated in a press release that only necessary work was done on the bridge, including two full-depth deck repairs, each roughly 8.5-feet-by-7 feet. The hole that initiated the closure was also repaired, and new reinforcing steel was installed in the repaired areas before new concrete was placed.

The city says they did the immediate necessary repairs to the bridge so it can be opened, but they want to do a complete renovation. The estimated cost for this is between $16-18 million dollars.

There are two federal grant applications pending to help with the cost of the project. And in the release, the city says it will continue to try and get federal, state and other funding opportunities to ensure this project happens.

In regard to the estimated start date of the renovation, City spokeswoman Molly Bryan said it is “not at the point of establishing a construction schedule for a replacement project.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson has responded to criticism from University of Missouri System President Mun Choi.

Emails given to ABC 17 News by a university spokesman on Tuesday showed that Choi has criticized city leaders following multiple high-profile incidents this summer that have occurred on Walnut Street.

Choi has sent multiple emails to city leaders since April 19, demanding the city hire more police officers while calling a portion of Walnut Street “a danger zone.” 

Choi sent emails to Seewood, Buffaloe, all City Council members and Johnson on July 27, the day after a brawl occurred on Walnut and Ninth streets that led to seven people being arrested. At least one person was charged with a felony.

That email shows Choi addressing Johnson directly and criticized the prosecutor of giving “violent perpetrators a slap on the wrist” while including five links to local media reporting on sentences for various crime stories.

Johnson gave a statement on Choi’s criticism on Tuesday through email, saying sentences have “trended stronger.”

“We exercise judgment in every case based on the facts and the law, and we stand behind those decisions. The outcome in a courtroom isn’t ours alone to decide — plea agreements, judges, juries, and witnesses all play a role,” Johnson’s statement says. “Overall, our sentencing outcomes have trended stronger, with increased sentences in violent crime and drug cases. We will continue to aggressively pursue serious offenses and seek strong sentences.”

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Demetra Alarcon

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Cole County residents should expect a knock on their door soon as the Cole County Assessor’s Office starts a mass reinspection plan.

Every odd-numbered year, there is a reassessment of the value of residential properties. This property value then determines property taxes.

This year, the assessor’s office is gathering detailed information on every residential parcel to guide next year’s reassessment.

Assessor Tim Theroff wouldn’t discuss details about why the mass reinspection was needed, saying the reasons go back to before he took office in 2025. However, the State Tax Commission has told the county that current property assessments are too low.

Assessors will first knock on the door when they arrive at a home. They’ll then take photos around the residence, updating new features as needed. Assessors only observe the outside of a home.

The process used in the past by the Cole County Assessor’s Office was simply going out with a pen and paper, gather information, then head back to the office to put the new information in.

With this new technology, assessors take an iPad out in the field, take their pictures, and enter their data while they are still in the field.

Noah Lara, an assessor in Cole County, said that this new software makes it easier for assessors to gather data and have it back in a timely manner.

“It lets us do most of that work in the field, like editing our sketches, adding photos, confirming our outbuilding data,” Lara said. “It allows us to do all that in one software and then send it off.”

Theroff said that although the first week using the new technology has gone well.

“So for the sake of efficiency, we take the pictures and do all of the data entry in the field, and then we’re able to stay out in the field for all five days and spend more time out, inspecting those properties and feel like it’s a better use of our resources,” said Theroff.

Theroff said that, when it comes to cost, assessors can now spend more days in the field than in the office, so he feels it is a net value.

“For the sake of efficiency and being good stewards of the taxpayers’ money, our field inspectors are able to be out in the field for five days a week instead of three days a week. So we figure it is a net gain,” said Theroff.

Theroff said the cost of the software is around $20,000 annually.

Theroff notes that the assessor’s objective is to accurately value property, and to make sure that everything is fair.

“If properties are valued scientifically, and there’s equity in how close they are to true market value, then that establishes fairness and what people are paying in taxes,” said Theroff.

Lara said that when assessors come to a home, they announce themselves and explain to residents what the process looks like.

“Because a lot of people, some people just don’t know what this process is or, you know, they’re first-time owners or, you know, they haven’t seen this in a while. So we just like to put people at ease,” Lara said. “I mean, we’re just out collecting our data. We’re out making sure that we have everything that we need for this assessment cycle. It’s great to interact with the public”

Theroff is cautiously optimistic that this new system will increase the efficiency of field inspectors.

Cole County will send out postcards to residents with updates.

Theroff said that the reassessment process is expected to take seven to eight months, with 25,000 homes to inspect.

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