Crime Archives

Columbia man charged after allegedly firing gun in Walmart

September 7, 2021 1:11 PM Karl Wehmhoener

Columbia police responded to a report of shots fired Monday at 11 a.m. at a business in the 3000 block of west Broadway.

Columbia woman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for a Feb. shooting

September 6, 2021 8:55 PM ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A woman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Friday in a Feb. 2021 shooting. Elizabeth Dye received a 20-year prison sentence in the death of Maya Wootton. Police say Dye was homeless and living in a car, and shot Wootton in the basement of Wootton’s home on Orchard Court Lucas Harper pleaded guilty last

Noncompliant sex offender arrested Saturday after a chase through a bean field in Miller County

September 6, 2021 7:57 PM Karl Wehmhoener

MILLER COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Camden County man was arrested off Highway 52 in Saint Elizabeth after a brief police chase on Saturday. A Miller County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a report of vehicle theft. According to a news release, the suspect drove the stolen truck through a bean field and got stuck before running

Patrol: Two arrested on suspicion of drug, gun crimes after Audrain County chase

September 6, 2021 12:02 PM Matthew Sanders

Ismail Muhidin, 20, and Hassan Mohamed, 25, were arrested Friday afternoon after a chase on Highway 54, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. The chase started when a trooper tried to pull Muhidin and Mohamed over for speeding, the patrol said.

Dozens of shots fired in Plush Lounge parking lot in Columbia

September 4, 2021 2:55 AM Meghan Drakas

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Dozens of shots were fired in the Plush Lounge parking lot in Columbia early Saturday morning. ABC 17 News crews on scene saw at least 25 evidence markers on the ground, five Columbia Police Department cars and one van. Evidence markets in Plush Lounge Parking lot on Sept. 4, 2021 The Columbia

Woman accused of killing Jefferson City boy denied bond

September 3, 2021 5:48 AM Zola Crowder

A bond hearing is set for 2 p.m. on Friday for a woman accused of killing a 4 year-old boy from Jefferson City.

Dunkin’ store owner agrees to $22,000 settlement over labor claims

August 10, 2020 6:06 PM Lucas Geisler

Several mid-Missouri businesses operating as Dunkin’ stores have settled a labor issue with the federal government.

Columbia police detain two teens in connection to Wednesday shooting

September 2, 2021 8:31 PM Karl Wehmhoener

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia police say two teens were taken into custody Thursday for the shooting in the 200 block of E. Sexton Road that left a 17-year-old girl injured Wednesday. Columbia police took one teen into custody for first-degree assault, tampering with a witness and armed criminal action. Columbia police took the second teen

Sunrise Beach city employee pleaded guilty to dumping treated sewage water

September 2, 2021 9:43 PM ABC 17 News Team

SUNRISE BEACH, Mo. (KMIZ) A Sunrise Beach city employee has pleaded guilty to federal crimes related to sewage dumping at the Lake of the Ozarks. Brian Scheiter, 60, pleaded guilty to dumping treated sewage water from Sunrise Beach Wastewater Treatment Facility into a tributary of the lake. This happened from Oct. 2019 through Jan. of

Two Columbia residents plead guilty to meth trafficking in federal court

September 2, 2021 6:35 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Two Columbia residents pleaded guilty in federal court to meth trafficking. Bryan Tullous, 39, pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute meth. Cassiopeia Blaise, 36, pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing meth with the intent to distribute. In April 2019, officers intercepted a package, with over five pounds of meth in

Two arrested after a multiagency catalytic converter theft investigation in Sedalia

September 1, 2021 9:12 PM Karl Wehmhoener

SEDALIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Multiple law enforcement agencies arrested two people Wednesday morning after investigating the theft of catalytic converters in the Sedalia area. The Sedalia police, Pettis County Sheriff’s Dept. detective and deputies from the Cooper County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at a business in Sedalia allegedly purchasing catalytic converters to be recycled.

Teen girl injured in central Columbia shooting

September 1, 2021 11:19 AM ABC 17 News Team

Crime scene tape was up in front of a house and an ABC 17 News reporter saw an ambulance leaving the scene. Officers were not immediately available to answer questions about the incident but people who live in the area say they saw a shooting happen in the street.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Do you support the death penalty?

September 1, 2021 1:17 AM ABC 17 News Team

Lethal injection has come under scrutiny in recent years on ethical and constitutional grounds.

Randolph County inmate used another identity to escape custody

August 31, 2021 10:59 PM Joushua Blount

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Randolph County Sheriff’s Department continues to search for an inmate after she used another inmate’s identity to escape the jail Saturday. On Saturday morning, 24-year-old Ellen Renay Goble was held on five charges at the Randolph County Jail when she used the other inmate’s personal information to escape. The jail was

Auxvasse man pleads guilty to growing marijuana and owning illegal guns

August 31, 2021 5:36 PM Karl Wehmhoener

Darrin Dale Smithee, 55, of Auxvasse, faces up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to one count of manufacturing marijuana and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Missouri Supreme Court declines to halt Johnson execution

August 31, 2021 3:05 PM Associated Press

By JIM SALTER Associated Press The Missouri Supreme Court has refused to halt the October execution of a man convicted of a triple killing who claimed his intellectual disability made him ineligible for the death penalty. Ernest Lee Johnson is scheduled to die by injection Oct. 5 at the state prison in Bonne Terre. It

Missouri hate crimes in 2020 highest since 2011

August 30, 2021 9:14 PM Zach Boetto

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The FBI released new hate crime statistics for 2020 on Monday, showing Missouri reported it’s most since 2011. The state of Missouri, in 2020, reported 115 hate crimes, up compared to the 89 in 2019. Here is how the numbers break down for the last 10 years: 2020: 1152019: 892018: 662017: 1042016:

One arrested after a report of an attempt to smuggle drugs into prison using a balloon

August 30, 2021 7:19 PM Karl Wehmhoener

A woman was arrested Sunday after an investigation into an attempt to smuggle drugs into Jefferson City Correctional Center using a balloon.

Three juveniles arrested after stolen vehicle chase ends in Cole County

August 30, 2021 6:49 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Three juveniles were arrested Sunday afternoon after Cole County deputies responded to a possible stolen vehicle from Hazelwood in Jefferson City. Deputies pulled the vehicle over at Big Horn and Charm Ridge. The deputy was walking up to the vehicle when the driver sped off. A chase ensued but stopped a

Court documents unsealed in Boone County double murder case

August 30, 2021 4:29 PM Matthew Sanders

In documents detailing the two first-degree murder charges against JT McLean, police say a witness, a supermarket receipt and neighborhood surveillance videos connect McLean to the scene where Allison Abitz, 43, and her daughter, Jozee Abitz, 11, were found dead in their home just south of Columbia on Aug. 22.