Month: May 2016

A man and woman have been arrested for their alleged roles in a murder-for-hire plan in Sedalia. According to court documents, an informant for the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a having a conversation with Wendy McGinnis and Terry Johnson, in which McGinnis said she wanted her husband Steve McGinnis dead. Wendy also allegedly indicated

A Jefferson City doctor is pleading guilty to lying about the extent of patients’ conditions to make sure the costs were covered by insurance companies. Randall Meyer, 60, waived his right to a grand jury last Friday. He has to give up his medical license two weeks before he is sentenced. His sentencing hearing has

A jury found a Mexico, Missouri man guilty of child abuse with serious physical injury and endangering the welfare of a child Tuesday night after deliberating for three hours. The abuse took place between March and May of 2014. 32-year-old Monte Corriel Ashcraft faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum sentence

UPDATE 5/18 8:24 am: Missouri State Highway Patrol crash records say 56-year-old Carolyn Smith was killed in a crash on Highway 50 yesterday in Gasconade County. Troopers say Smith crossed the center line on the road, striking another vehicle. The highway patrol says this is the third fatal crash this month in mid-Missouri and 24th

UPDATE: Karen Ray has been awarded $225,000 in punitive damages. “I’m just happy for the win,” Ray said. “I believe it is a win for the Jefferson City teachers, many of whom have contacted me saying that they are still bullied. The money may not send the message we wanted, but they now know we

While Columbia Water & Light presented two new options for a high-voltage transmission line, city council members seemed most interested in the new mayor’s proposal. Staff held an informational work session on the long-debated project Monday night at a pre-council meeting. The city council voted in January to re-open the discussion, putting a hold on

COLUMBIA, Mo- Construction crews recently re-opened a section of Scott Blvd that created more access to Route KK. Concerned viewers have called saying they keep seeing accidents happening near Old Mill Creek Rd. and Route KK, possibly due to the increased traffic flow. One happened Friday where one person was taken to the hospital. ABC17

A committee formed in January at the University of Missouri is set to release a final report of recommendations on how the university can better address free speech and campus protests. The Ad Hoc Joint Committee on Protests, Public Spaces, Free Speech, and the Press was formed in January by Interim Chancellor Hank Foley and

UPDATE: Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board say the engineer and MU graduate who was in control of an Amtrack passenger train when it derailed was distracted. NTSB officials sayBrandon Bostian had lost situational awareness prior to the deadly derailment because he was listening to radio transmission about another train that had been hit

The Columbia City Council voted to approve a freeze on demolition and building permits within one mile of the University of Missouri’s campus Monday night. The vote was 5-2 and will be applied to downtown, lasting until December 1, 2016. The temporary freeze applies to multi-family housing units, something downtown Columbia has seen a boom

Columbia voters will now decide on how Columbia Regional Airport’s expansion will be paid for. The city council voted to put a lodging tax increase on August’s ballot Monday night, something that has drawn mixed reviews. The plan would raise tax from 4% to 5% per night at Columbia hotels. Businesses in town, like Veterans

A registered sex offender in Jefferson City has been arrested on suspicion of getting too close to McKay Park, a violation of Missouri Sex Offender Registration guidelines. Last week, Jefferson City police learned about a possible sex offender approaching children around the community. Officers determined the contact was happening near schools, as well as in

The Republican candidates for Missouri attorney general made their cases for the job Monday, in what may be their last debate before primary election day. State Senator Kurt Schaefer of Columbia, and University of Missouri law professor Josh Hawley, also of Columbia, discussed the issues on the Gary Nolan Show on 93.9 The Eagle. Click

The Jefferson City Council unanimously passed a special exception use permit for a new Boys & Girls Club facility Monday. The former building of the Boys & Girls Club of the Capital City on East Elm Street was demolished for the ongoing Lafayette Street interchange project. “The former building was donated to the Boys &

A Columbia teenager will head to prison for a long string of thefts from cars. LaDarion Hunt pleaded guilty for breaking into several places in October 2015 and stealing at least two guns. That included someone’s garage in Fulton. MU police believe Hunt and two other suspects broke four car windows. It happened in a

UPDATE:A Jefferson City man has been sentenced for receiving and trying to send child pornography over the internet. Dustin Trail, 35, was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole, after which Trail will have 10 years of supervised release. In August 2015, Trail admitted to getting child pornography over the internet. He also

Boone County firefighters have cleared the scene of a house fire north of Hallsville, with damage extensive enough to force the owner to find somewhere else to stay for now. The Red Cross has now responded, providing a hotel room for two nights. The first call was made shortly after 3:30 p.m. Monday, at which

UPDATE:Columbia police say there is no new information at this time on a possible suspect. They also said that as of right now they are not increasing patrol in the area. ABC17 has also learned that one of the fragment’s of a bullet ricocheted and broke the outer pane of a window of an apartment

Do you know who you’re giving your information to? Sometimes getting ahold of your information is as easy as walking by your car and writing down your VIN number. ABC 17’s Alyssa Toomey breaks down what you can do to get “Cyber-Secure” Thursday, May 19 on ABC 17 News at 10 on KMIZ.

UPDATE: Three men, two of whom are from Columbia, have been sentenced in federal court to charges related to a meth ring busted by law enforcement in 2015. Ryan Ellingboe of Columbia was sentenced to six years and eight months in federal prison without parole. Shane Callahan of Columbia was sentenced to five years in