Month: February 2016

A Russellville resident said he was relieved after a Mid-Missouri contractor was indicted by a grand jury. Ken Jinson was charged with eight felonies for reportedly ripping off several customers. ABC 17 News has been following the story for nearly a year. Friday, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster said Jinson stole more than $22,000 from

The 50-year-old Boonville Animal Shelter is tiny. It can only house about eight dogs and five cats. Storage space is limited as well. Animal Control Department head Pam Paxton says they have to store things in front of the kennel doors, on top of shelves, even in the small bathroom. Only two people work in

Jefferson City Police Department is out in full force tonight to enforce Click It or Ticket to get more motorists to buckle up. Jefferson City Police Department say over 63% of motorists that were involved in an accident were not wearing a seatbelt. Every one in five Missouri residents don’t wear seat belts on the

A Columbia teenager was sentenced Friday for her role in a deadly crash that killed a pedestrian and seriously injured another. Ashley Moore, 18, was found guilty in January of careless and imprudent driving, a misdemeanor. Moore was sentenced to 6 months, but it was suspended and she was put on two years of unsupervised

Montgomery County, Mo- On Friday, a judge granted the request of the defense to move the highly publicized case against Serghei Comerzan to Montgomery County. Last August, Trooper James Bava was killed in a single-car crash in the pursuit of Serghei Comerzan. Comerzan’s lawyer, Charles James, told ABC17 that it was important to have the

We have a nice weekend to enjoy the outdoors in Mid-Missouri but it could be interrupted by a few showers and even rumbles of thunder late in the day Saturday and Saturday night. The first half of the day Saturday looks nice with a few clouds and warming temperatures to near 70 by 2 PM.

Upcoming maintenance is scheduled for the City of Columbia’s website Friday night through Sunday night. The city will start work for the website at 7:00 p.m. and the online billing system will temporarily be down until 7:00 p.m. Sunday. During that time, customers will not be able to make online payments for utilities and other

An inmate currently in custody at the Jefferson City Correctional Center is now charged with 2nd degree murder in the death of another inmate. Court documents said 40-year-old Kartez Hardin allegedly gave Gregory Medley heroin while in prison in November. Medley died as a result of an overdose on the drug. Hardin could face a

A Cole County builder accused of taking money from customers and not completing construction work has now been indicted by a Cole Co. grand jury. ABC 17 News first reported on Ken Jenson last year after customers contacted our newsroom saying he charged them thousands of dollars for construction work that was never done. Jinson

A Mid-Missouri business said it will not re-open after a fire was intentionally set near the building. Duval and Reid Menswear but a statement on its Facebook page on Thursday. The fire happened last November on Reed Street. Police ruled out arson, but a possible suspect was seen on some video footage. So far, no

Drivers in Columbia will need to be aware of some changes in the central part of the city next week. MoDOT is planning to completely close southbound Rangeline this Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Detours will go from Vandiver to Providence Road. It’s part of the ongoing project replacing three overpasses on I-70

A Columbia woman is now facing possible charges for allegedly driving while using drugs and endangering the welfare of a child. Authorities arrested Shameka Windsor Thursday night during a traffic stop. The deputy who pulled her over apparently smelled marijuana and noticed there were two small children in the back of the car. Deputies said

The man accused in the crash death of a Highway Patrol trooper appeared in court in Audrain County Friday. Earlier this week, Serghei Comerzan asked for a bond reduction, citing evidence that showed Comerzan was not in Trooper James Bava’s sight when Bava crashed and eventually died. In court Friday, a change of venue to

A St. Louis-area legislator who recently resigned from the Missouri House is acknowledging he had an extramarital affair. Republican Rep. Don Gosen told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Thursday that he began an affair in 2014. Gosen said that the woman was from southwest Missouri and never worked in government or as a lobbyist. The married

A Missouri state senator wants to see quicker action by the University of Missouri to address two people who “discredited” the school, and the state, last fall. Senator Paul Wieland, R-Imperial, filed a formal complaint with interim MU chancellor Hank Foley Wednesday night against Dr. Melissa Click, the assistant communications professor involved in two tense

We know that warm and hot air rises. Warm air is less dense then cooler air, and therefore creates lift. Actual tornadoes descend from cumulonimbus clouds. An tornado will descend from a funnel cloud, due to lowering of a cumulonimbus, called a wall cloud. When air or debris begin to get picked up at the

ABC 17 News has recently reported to you that violent crime in Columbia rose by almost 50-percent last year, compared to the year before. Aggravated assaults showed a large spike. And, while the number of violent crimes in Jefferson City fell below record levels, reports of rapes and robberies more than doubled last year. Some

A group of residents in south Columbia have formed a political action committee in an effort to recall Fifth Ward Councilwoman Laura Nauser from her elected position. Columbians for Responsible Government was formed last week by Fifth Ward residents who are upset with Nauser and the city council’s vote to put the power transmission line

It’s not uncommon to see a panhandler or two at a Columbia intersection. Many are worried it’s becoming a safety concern, especially if people stop in traffic or panhandlers dart out into the road. “It’s done on a very wide street, with a lot of fast-moving traffic,” said Carrie Gartner, executive director of the Business

The University of Missouri Police Department released an online training video to teach students how to survive an active shooter situation, Wednesday. Since 2013, there have been nearly 170 school shootings or an average of nearly one per week, according to the website Everytown for Gun Safety. According to a Time article, the website has