UPDATE: This brief was updated after a Tuesday morning press release from MoDOT gave an update. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Rolling roadblocks are planned this week on Interstate 70 near the Missouri River, according to an updated press release from the Missouri Department of Transportation. “Blasting operations” are scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday as part of
Continue Reading
BOONVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ) A Cooper County judge denied bond for the leader of a “cult-like” Amish community after new charges, including manslaughter, were filed against him this week. Sam Shetler, 42, of Boonville, appeared Tuesday in front of Judge Keith Bail after the new charges were added for a previously scheduled bond reduction hearing. Bail
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The leader of a “cult-like” Amish community who was charged with felonies last month is now charged with manslaughter in the 2025 death of an infant. Sam Shetler, 42, of Boonville, is now charged in Cooper County with three counts of trafficking for forced labor, a count of first-degree sodomy, first-degree sex
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The two men accused of robbing the Isle of Capri Casino in Boonville last month have each been indicted by a grand jury. Benjamin Michael-Dass Charles, 21, of Columbia has been charged with first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and tampering with evidence. He is being held at the Cooper County Jail on
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A woman accused of embezzling money from nonprofits in Boonville and Columbia has pleaded guilty in one of her cases. Jennifer Waibel pleaded guilty on Monday in Cooper County to stealing more than $25,000. She will be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 22. She is still charged in Boone County with stealing more than $750
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A former jailer who was found guilty of manslaughter earlier this year was sentenced on Friday to three years in prison. Robyn Pfeiffer was found guilty on Feb. 3 by a Callaway County jury for first-degree involuntary manslaughter in the death of Brooke Bailey. Bailey, of Jefferson City, died on Oct. 27,
Continue Reading
BOONVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ) EDITOR’S NOTE: AI was used in background research for this article One of the men accused of robbing the Isle of Capri Casino in Boonville last week pleaded not guilty at his first court appearance Tuesday. Benjamin Michael-Dass Charles, 21, of Columbia, appeared by video feed from the Cooper County Jail. Charles
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man accused in the armed robbery of the Isle of Capri Casino in Boonville last week will appear in court on Tuesday. Benjamin Michael-Dass Charles, 21, of Columbia, is charged with first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and tampering with evidence. He is being held at the Cooper County Jail on a
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two men have been charged in connection with the armed robbery at the Isle of Capri Casino in Boonville earlier this week. Benjamin Michael-Dass Charles, 21, of Columbia has been charged with first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and tampering with evidence. He is being held at the Cooper County Jail on a
Continue Reading
BOONVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ) An armed robbery at a Mid-Missouri casino Wednesday is drawing renewed attention to security measures at the state’s gaming facilities. Authorities say two men, one armed with a rifle and the other with a handgun, robbed the Isle of Capri casino in Boonville around 2 p.m. and fled with an unknown amount
Continue Reading
BOONVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ) EDITOR’S NOTE: A source’s name has been corrected. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined the investigation of Wednesday’s armed robbery at the Isle of Capri Boonville casino as of Thursday morning. Lt. Eric Brown of the Missouri State Highway Patrol told ABC 17 News that the ATF joined in
Continue Reading
BOONVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ) Police were at the Isle of Capri casino on the Boonville riverfront Wednesday afternoon investigating. The Howard County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a now-deleted Wednesday evening social media post that an armed robbery occurred at the casino and that multiple agencies are investigating. The sheriff’s office wrote that two men with
Continue Reading
BOONVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ) Local and state health agencies are focusing on education and prevention in Mid-Missouri schools after evidence of the opioid nitazene was found during a volunteer wastewater study. According to a release from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the state’s Department of Public Safety analyzed the sewage, or wastewater, of
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) As the war in Iran continues, gas prices have been climbing, with ABC reporting that costs are now at their highest level in nearly two and a half years. According to AAA, the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Missouri is $3.43, about 10 cents more than last
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A type of opioid has been detected in the wastewater of several schools around the state, including a few in Mid-Missouri. A press release from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says nitazenes are “a highly potent class of synthetic opioids increasingly detected across the state.” The drug is roughly
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Firefighters, friends and loved ones of Billy Hurt took part in a funeral procession for him from The Crossing church in south Columbia to the Boonville area. Hurt, a retired firefighter, was killed a week ago working safety at a sprint car track.
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A funeral and procession will be held Monday for former Columbia Fire Captain Billy Hurt, who died after an accident at the Kennedale Speedway Park in Texas earlier this month. Hurt’s funeral service will begin at 2 p.m. Monday at The Crossing Church on Southland Drive. The procession will begin around 3:15
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Tributes are pouring in from across Mid-Missouri after a former Columbia firefighter was killed over the weekend during an accident at Kennedale Speedway Park in Texas. Billy Hurt, a longtime safety official in Sprint Car racing, was involved in a crash during a World of Outlaws event Saturday. The Kennedale Police Department
Continue Reading
BOONVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ) Strong winds moving through Mid-Missouri Sunday led to scattered power outages across counties. The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for central Missouri through Monday afternoon, warning residents about potentially hazardous wind conditions. According to the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, at around 4:13 p.m., 813 customers were without power
Continue Reading
COOPER COUNTY, Mo, (KMIZ) One of Cooper County’s 12 battery-operated outdoor warning sirens was found to not be working properly following a recent test, according the Cooper County Emergency Management Agency. CCEMA Director Larry Oerly said the siren is located at Harley Park near the water treatment plant in Boonville. “Everything is working the way
Continue Reading