A member of ABC 17’s news staff has been arrested on suspicion of Driving While Intoxicated. A Columbia police officer arrested news anchor Joey Parker late Saturday night after a minor accident involving only Parker’s vehicle. He’s also facing a possible charge for making an illegal U-turn. Parker was booked into the Boone County jail
Continue ReadingHundreds of pounds of prescription drugs were collected and disposed of over the weekend as part of a public safety campaign. The annual Prescription Drug Take Back event allows the public to safely throw away opioids and other medications that are no longer wanted or needed. Maj. Tom Reddin, of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department,
Continue ReadingThe Boone County Commission could give final approval to the Perche Ridge development on Gillespie Bridge Road next week. The development is said to be a 17.5-acre parcel of land that is going to have 35 new homes on it. “The development is said to have been controversial because this is the first housing subdivision
Continue Reading
Halloween is less than one week away, and law enforcement agencies around mid-Missouri are already providing safety tips. The Missouri State Highway Patrol posted a safety reminder on its website. According to the media release, there are several things trick-or-treaters can do to or with their costumes to stay safe. The Highway Patrol suggests anyone
Continue Reading
UPDATE 9:15 P.M.: A spokesman for Columbia told ABC 17 News Friday night that Joseph D. Elledge, 23, of Columbia, was arrested by police on abuse or neglect of a child. He is the husband of Mengqi Elledge. ABC 17 News was told police found evidence of child abuse while officers searched for Mengqi. ABC
Continue ReadingLaw enforcement agencies across Boone County are taking back prescription drugs Saturday coinciding with the national event sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency. The Boone County Sheriff’s Department, in partnership with the Youth Community Coalition and other law enforcement agencies, are hosting the drug take back event that started Friday. The Sheriff’s Department is asking
Continue Reading
A Chicago man is now charged with drug delivery in Boone County in two separate cases. The prosecutor’s office charged Steven L. Dennis, 39, of Chicago, on Friday with two counts of delivery of a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence. Dennis is accused of selling heroin and other drugs to a man who
Continue Reading
The Diocese of Jefferson City announced Thursday that President Doug Callahan is no longer at Father Augustine Tolton Regional Catholic High School. Callahan was appointed as president in September after he spent more than 30 years with the Boy Scouts of America. Callahan said in an e-mail to ABC 17 News: “Late this afternoon Bishop
Continue Reading
A mid-Missouri-based utility crew remained in Arkansas Thursday night to help restore the power to hundreds of customers. Three Rivers Electric Cooperative said Wednesday afternoon that four of its workers deployed to Carroll County, Arkansas, after overnight storms on Monday left hundreds in the dark. At last check, Carroll Electric Cooperative, based in Berryville, Arkansas,
Continue ReadingAccording to the Federal Communications Commission, more than 1.26 million Missourians do not have access to high-speed internet, that’s 20% of the population. University of Missouri extension along with state leaders discussed Missouri’s are planning to have everyone in the state online by 2028. The main concern is for people in rural parts of the
Continue ReadingUPDATE 6:15 P.M.: The Columbia Department of Public Works announced Thursday night the roundabout at Forum Boulevard and Green Meadows Road will now open at 7 p.m. Update 2: Forum and Green Meadows Roundabout to open about 7 p.m. Yes, we said tomorrow, but now it’s opening today! 30 days ahead of schedule! Just in
Continue ReadingA mid-Missouri-based nonprofit group will no longer put on a Memorial Day air show. The Salute to Veterans Memorial Day Weekend Corporation announced on Facebook Wednesday that it would shut down its operations. The group told ABC 17 News on Thursday night that it doesn’t have the resources to resume operations in the foreseeable future.
Continue Reading
Engineers from the City of Columbia are looking into the cost of building a sidewalk that would lead up to Battle High School. “We look at all the trees that we’re going to need to be clearing, inlets for the drainage, and then just looking at the layout of the sidewalk that we’ll want to
Continue Reading
Boone County/Columbia Public Health Department inspectors have been to more than a dozen restaurants since last Wednesday. When inspectors visited Perche Creek Cafe off Highway 40, they found evidence of mice, among other items that were considered violations. Perche Creek Cafe’s owner Cheri Perry said the droppings were near the business’ back door. Perry said
Continue ReadingWork to expand Route H near Columbia Regional Airport began this week. The work, which will cause road closures, is broken down into four phases. Residents from the Englewood area held several meetings in September with officials from the airport, engineers working on the project and fire officials to discuss concerns about the scheduled work,
Continue Reading
A man accused of being involved in a car chase across mid-Missouri could soon face criminal charges. Thomas D. Lawrence, 23, of Bellflower, Missouri, was arrested by troopers in Callaway County around 11:20 p.m. Tuesday. Lawrence could face possible charges of operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner and resisting arrest. The
Continue Reading
Construction started Tuesday near Route H ahead of a runway expansion project at Columbia Regional Airport. Right now, the North Rangeline Road connection is closed, and the South Rangeline Road connection is down to one lane. The Southern Boone Fire Protection District posted to Facebook Tuesday about the project’s timeline. Phases 1 and 2 began
Continue Reading
Under a new agreement, Columbia and Jefferson City building permit reviewers might be able to help each other out in the event of a natural disaster. The Columbia City Council approved a memorandum of understanding Monday between the two cities. The agreement allows one city’s building and site development department to ask the other for
Continue Reading
Twelve attorneys in the Boone County’s Public Defender’s office are handling almost as many murder cases. Sarah Aplin, the district defender in the local office, said she and her staff are handling 10 ongoing murder cases. “In the six years that I have been here, that is a large number of murder cases to be
Continue ReadingThe Boone County Commission ordered five Columbia property owners clean up their yards Tuesday to avoid violating county health codes. Fred Parry, the Boone County District I Commissioner said, “Quite often during the course of the year we will have to do nuisance abatements where we go into a property and we remove cars that
Continue Reading