Category: kmiz-local-news

Erika McGuire

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

State funding for a new juvenile center in Cole County is uncertain after the Missouri legislature failed to pass House Bill 19 on Wednesday.

About $4 million of the more than $14 million project would have come from the state.

The project has been in works since 2022 and would have been built at 2204 St. Mary’s Blvd.

Cole County Commissioner Sam Bushman said in an email Wednesday morning that having a new facility built is critical. Bushman said the original plans included eight detention cells and a half-court basketball gym.

“This could be shrunk down to a good-sized exercise room, with a basketball goal outside.” Bushman said.

However, Cole County Sheriff John Wheeler said making the facility smaller and reducing the number of detention cells is not an option.

“If they can come up and do it for $10 million, I would be all for it. But I am not supportive of reducing the programing that we have invested or designed in the facility I am not for reducing that at all,” Wheeler said. “It would be more ridiculous to spend $12 million and then still house juveniles out because it’s not big enough.”

The current facility on Stadium Boulevard in Jefferson City is more than 30 years old and only has three detention cells.

Wheeler said only having three cells forces the county to move juveniles to other facilities, costing thousands in transportation and housing expenses.

“If you get certified as an adult, you have to remain at the juvenile center and I have to pay for it. I am paying if the  juvenile goes to Cole County juvenile. I have to pay Cole County juvenile because its my prisoner,” Wheeler said.

Safety is also a key priority for a new facility. Wheeler says the current center’s setup has led to numerous injuries for officers.

“How many juvenile officers have been injured because of the way the set up is, its quite a bit, how many assault there has been there of the juvenile officers,” Wheeler said.

The remaining $10 million for the project would come from the American Rescue Plan Act and Cole County. However, Wheeler says he’s unsure where the funding would come from for the remaining $4 million.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two juveniles who escaped from the Juvenile Justice Center in northern Boone County earlier this month did so by climbing a recreation area fence, court documents revealed.

Documents claim one of the juveniles involved in the escape is 17-year-old Ja’mez Thompson-Bey. Documents alleged that he, along with another juvenile, climbed over a fence in the recreation area and ran away from the center.

The two were later caught after a search involving several law enforcement agencies and brought back to the center. Initial information said the youths were being detained for charges of first-degree assault and murder.

A motion to have Thompson-Bey transferred to an adult jail was filed on Monday over claims he’s escaped from custody several times, though he is listed on the Boone County Jail’s online roster. A court hearing is scheduled for Monday, May 19.

Justice Center Superintendent Tara Eppy said she is not able to provide details on how the youths escaped because the matter involves juveniles. Eppy said the area where juveniles have outside recreation is secure.

“It is really hard to juggle that transparency with the rights of the juveniles and easing any concerns that the the the community may have in that situation,” Eppy said. “That is a struggle but we have really good resources, law enforcement partners that are willing to assist us.”

Eppy said construction at the center was already underway before the incident occurred to add fences to new areas on the grounds. That work is expected to be complete by Friday.

There are also plans in the works to have cameras inside the building switched from analog to digital, Eppy said.

Thompson-Bey is charged with two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action, one count of unlawful use of a weapon and one count of armed robbery. He was charged in connection with a November shooting.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Morgan County man has been charged with several felonies after he allegedly admitted to child sex crimes to law enforcement.

Matthew Bell, 24, of Rocky Mount, was charged with four counts of sexually exploiting a minor, five counts of child porn possession and four counts of second-degree sodomy. He is being held at the Morgan County Jail on a $250,000 bond. A court date has not been set.

Marie Bell, 50, of Rocky Mount, was charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. She is being held at the Morgan County Jail on a $50,000 bond. A court date has not been set. She is accused of knowing about the alleged assaults.

The probable cause statement says that Morgan County sheriff’s deputies were called to a residence about an assault that was not in progress. Matthew Bell allegedly said that he was assaulted after getting pushed by another individual, the statement says.

Deputies wrote that they were previously notified about the residence being an unsafe condition for a youth. Marie Bell allegedly claimed that Matt Bell and a girl were “in a relationship.”

The youth and Matthew Bell allegedly gave conflicting statements about their living situation before Bell admitted to having sex with the child, the statement says. Bell allegedly repeatedly told deputies that it was “consensual.”

Bell also had child porn saved from the youth on his SnapChat account and showed it to law enforcement, the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A demolition permit was issued on Tuesday for the storm-damaged recycling facility in Columbia, according to city filings.

The permit was applied for on May 8 for the facility, which was destroyed by an EF-1 tornado on April 20. The damage resulted in the city temporarily suspending regular curbside recycling pickup, as well as its drop-off centers.

The city began curbside pickup at the end of last month, though it will still be brought to the landfill. A city utilities spokesperson told ABC 17 News that it would continue pickup to help residents “maintain the habit” of curbside recycling.

The permit expires on Nov. 9.

The storm had resulted in the city issuing its second emergency declaration in the past 15 years. 

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri Senate Republicans opted for a rarely used procedural measure Wednesday to stop debate and force votes on a ballot measure that would repeal Amendment 3, which enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution, and a bill to repeal voter-approved sick leave requirements.

Republican leaders put forward a “previous question” motion to end debate late Wednesday afternoon on the abortion question and a repeal of Proposition A — a move last used in 2020. The motion was approved 22-11 and forced a vote on HJR 73, which has already been approved by the House.

After approving HJR 73, the Senate then forced a vote on a bill to repeal a voter-approved requirement that employers provide workers with paid sick leave. The Senate immediately adjourned after approving the bill.

The sick leave measure now goes to the governor for his signature after passing the Senate with support from the Republican supermajority. The abortion measure will appear on next year’s ballot.

State Sen. Stephen Webber (D-Columbia) voted against both measures. He was also a major player in Democratic efforts during the session to block a vote on the abortion bill and Proposition A repeal. Those efforts failed Wednesday with the previous question, also called the “nuclear option,” twice.

Yelling broke out from protesters in the Senate gallery after the vote on HJR 73. The Senate leader then instructed the sergeant-at-arms to clear the gallery. The Senate then took up the bill on sick leave, again using the previous question.

Voters approved Amendment 3, which established a right to “reproductive rights,” in November 2024. Republicans in the General Assembly maintain that voters were tricked by the ballot question’s language.

They also approved Proposition A, which increased the state’s minimum wage and instituted a requirement that employers provide workers with paid sick leave.

The repeal includes an emergency clause to make it take effect immediately.

Planned Parenthood is organizing a noon rally outside the Capitol to protest the abortion vote.

Check back for more on this breaking story.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia is hosting its monthly Let’s Talk Local discussion on Wednesday, featuring Ward 3 Council Member Jacque Sample to talk about the city’s new Office of Violence Prevention.  

The discussion will take place in the Benton Elementary School cafeteria from 5:30-7 p.m. It’s the latest of a series of monthly “Let’s Talk Local” discussions that began in January. 

Wednesday’s discussion will feature D’Markus Thomas-Brown, who was named the Office of Violence Prevention administrator in March. According to the city, Brown will discuss the role the office will play in working with law enforcement and community partners to address community violence.

Ward 3 — which makes up a large portion of northeast Columbia — has seen a high volume of police traffic in recent years, especially in the areas of Ballenger Lane, Clark Lane and Rice Road. According to Columbia Police Department dispatch logs, police have been dispatched to Clark Lane 1087 times from Jan. 1-May 4, which includes six shots heard calls, five assault calls and two shots fired calls. 

During that same stretch there have been 45 calls to Rice Road, which includes three shots fired calls, while Ballenger Lane has seen 107 calls, including one shots fired call. 

One of the most recent incidents occurred on April 13,  when 23-year-old Joshua Abrams was arrested on suspicion of assault and weapons charges after officers responded to a shooting in the 4700 block of Clark Lane, where they found multiple shell casings. 

Police claim he fired multiple shots into the ground during an argument with his girlfriend in the 4700 block of Clark Lane on May 1. According to court documents, both Abrams and his girlfriend were intoxicated at the time, and Abrams had reportedly been drinking all day.A later press release from the CPD says Abrams is also believed to be involved in a separate shooting that happened last month in the 900 block of East Broadway.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An inmate at Jefferson City Correctional Center has been charged with a felony after he allegedly started a fire on Aug. 27, 2024.

Robert Roberts, 33, was charged on Tuesday in Cole County with first-degree arson. He is being held at Jefferson City Correctional Center for a five-year sentence related to burglary, property damage and stealing charges, according to information from the Missouri Department of Corrections.

The probable cause statement says Roberts admitted to starting a fire in his cell last year. A witness also was allegedly identified by a witness, court documents say.

Court documents say that prior to this charge, he had a potential release date of June 6.

A court date has not been scheduled.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County Road and Bridge on Monday will repair portions of Brown School Road between Creasy Springs Road and Clearview Road, according to a Wednesday press release from the Boone County Commission.

Brown School Road will be closed beginning at 9 a.m. and will be back at normal traffic by 3 p.m. the same day, the release says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An octogenarian from California, Missouri, was charged in federal court this week with a number of gun charges.

Aubrey Foxworthy, 81, was charged with dealing guns without a license, two counts of having an unregistered gun and one count of having a machine gun, according to the superseding indictment filed Tuesday in the Missouri Western District Court.

A press release from the Department of Justice, Foxworthy had a silencer that wasn’t registered to him as well as an AR-15 conversion device.

The indictment says that he has the devices in September 2024.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Nightly lane closures on Highway 63 near the Grindstone Parkway interchange will occur near week, according to a Wednesday press release from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

 The release says that northbound traffic will need to shift with a temporary barricade between traffic and work at the median.

Lane closures will occur a mile north and south of Grindstone Parkway from 7 p.m.-6 a.m. beginning Monday, May 19 and will last throughout the week, the release says.

Both lanes will be open during daytime hours.

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