Columbia assistant coach accused of distributing child pornography
Online records show Benjamin Melvin, 25, was being held Friday in the Boone County Jail without bond.
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Miller County man sentenced to prison for child sex crimes
Luke A. Lessmeier pleaded guilty to one count of statutory sodomy in a Miller County courtroom. He will have to serve at least 85% of his sentence before he can be paroled, according to court records. He will have to register as a sex offender for life, county prosecutor Ben Winfrey said in a news release.
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Columbia man gets 16 years in prison for child molestation
Cale Kliethermes pleaded guilty in April to first-degree child molestation, two counts of attempted child endangerment and one count of sexual misconduct involving a child under 15. Prosecutors dismissed another attempted child endangerment count as part of the plea deal.
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Columbia woman charged with child abuse after 5-week-old found injured
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia woman is charged with first-degree child endangerment after allegedly hurting her 5-week-old baby. Carolyn Yunek is accused of causing several fractures to the child including to his skull and leg. According to court documents, a pediatric radiologist stated the fracture in the leg typically occurs when someone would pick up
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Human trafficking operation in Columbia rescues 9 victims, 2 children
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Authorities detained two suspects and are now investigating after a human trafficking operation led to the discovery and rescue of nine victims and two children. The Columbia Police Department, Boone County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Attorney General’s Office, and other local, state, and federal agencies detained the two suspects
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Jefferson City man gets probation after pleading guilty to child abuse
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Cole County man pleaded guilty to child abuse charges in connection with an incident that happened last September. 30-year-old Sulaimaan Habeel admitted to a felony charge of abuse or neglect of a child and a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child. Jefferson City police investigated the abuse
Continue Reading Columbia businessman pleads guilty to child molestation, endangerment
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man is set to be sentenced in July after he pleaded guilty Friday to four felonies including child molestation and child endangerment. Cale J. Kliethermes, 43, faces between five and 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree child molestation, two counts of attempted child endangerment and one count
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Camden woman charged after child burned in bath
CAMDENTON, Mo. (KMIZ) A Camden County mother is charged with abuse or neglect of a child after the baby was badly burned on Feb. 13. Abigail Rea told deputies that Samuel Webster always gives the baths but it is always in lukewarm water. Officials say the father, Webster, gave the child a bath that caused
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Missouri attorney general calls large scale of girls’ ranch sexual abuse unprecedented
Missouri’s attorney general said Wednesday that more than 100 charges have been filed against a couple who operated a girls’ ranch in southwest Missouri.
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Benton County judge sets bond for mother accused in child murder case
A Benton County judge approved bond for a mother charged in connection with her child’s death.
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Multiple charges filed against Mexico man after child abuse investigation
MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ) A Mexico man is facing multiple charges after a child abuse investigation began in Nov. 2020. According to a probable cause statement, the victim walked-in to the Mexico Public Safety Department asking for help to contact his mother. Detective Tylor Bounds saw bruising on the victim and asked about it. The victim
Continue Reading Suspects in Benton County child murder case appear in court
Three of the four people facing criminal charges for the death of a 4-year-old Benton County girl appeared in court Tuesday morning.
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Three people face charges in Howard County after a child injured
FAYETTE, Mo. (KMIZ) Howard County Sheriff’s Department began an investigation after a child in Fayette was placed on a ventilator due to exposure to marijuana and “essential oils” on Nov. 18. According to court documents, the child was found unresponsive and taken to the hospital where Tristan Easley told hospital staff that “he left the
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Parents enter not guilty plea to charges in 4-year-old girl’s death
COLE CAMP, Mo. (KMIZ) James and Mary Mast, the parents of a 4-year-old Missouri girl that neighbors allegedly killed, have both pleaded not guilty to charges in their court cases. Mary Mast – Courtesy Benton County Sheriff’s Department Both of them entered their plea during a hearing Monday morning to charges of felony child endangerment
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Benton County Sheriff: Parents arrested in connection to child’s death
STOVER, Mo. (KMIZ) Benton County Sheriff’s Department is reporting the arrest of Mary S. Mast, 29 and James A. Mast, 28 at a residence in Stover, Mo. this evening by the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department. James and Mary are the parents of the four-year-old that died on Sunday. Mary Mast – Courtesy Benton County Sheriff’s
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One child dead, mother and second child recovering after being severely beaten
BENTON COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) A toddler is dead and her mother and another child are recovering in a Sedalia hospital after all three were severely beaten Sunday morning. In a Facebook post, the Benton County Sheriff said an investigation led Benton County deputies to arrest 35 year old Ethan J. Mast and 21 year old
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Fulton man sentenced 14 years for sexually assaulting children
FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ) A Fulton man pleaded guilty today to sodomy and child molestation after his arrest in 2018. 56-year-old Patrick Metcalf and his wife Jamiey Metcalf admitted to sexually assaulting two victims under the age of 14 in 2017. Patrick Metcalf was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the crimes. Per Missouri law,
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Mexico man charged a second time for sex crimes against children
MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ) Lewis Parrish is facing more charges of sex crimes against children after more information came out during the investigation into the allegations this time in Audrain County. According to the probable cause statement, the Audrain County deputy sheriff received a call about a possible sexual assault in or around Audrain County on
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Fulton man arrested after allegedly showing a gun during a confrontation
FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ) Fulton Police responded to a report of a person with a gun on the 200 block of west 6th Street Wednesday afternoon. According to officials, Jared Brooks drove to the location and had an argument with the victims, displaying a handgun in front of two adults and three children in a vehicle.
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New York man accused of exploiting Missouri sisters pleads guilty to child porn charge
A New York man pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to produce child pornography on Tuesday.
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