Crime Archives

Last stretch of search for missing Columbia mother will be on land

October 13, 2020 7:49 PM Sydney Olsen

Columbia police have been searching for Mengqi Ji in the Lamine River outside of Boonville for more than one year.

Jefferson City Correctional Center inmate charged with attacking inmate

October 13, 2020 10:53 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Jefferson City Correctional Center inmate is charged with violence to an employee of Department of Corrections or to an inmate by an inmate for a Feb. 13, 2018 incident. According to a probable cause statement, Steven Wallace allegedly assaulted another inmate for smiling at him. In court documents, corrections officers reported

Columbia man charged with child molestation

October 13, 2020 9:24 PM Karl Wehmhoener

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man was arrested Friday for Child Molestation – 1st Degree. According to a probable cause statement, Miguel Torres-Ramos allegedly molested the victim on Sept. 30 this year. The victim told law enforcement that Torres-Ramos did this multiple time but the most recent was Sept. 30 according to court documents. According

Columbia woman accused of trying to mail drugs into Boone County Jail

October 13, 2020 8:47 PM Karl Wehmhoener

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia woman was arrested Monday afternoon after allegedly trying to mail drugs into the Boone County Jail earlier this month. According to the probable cause statement, Boone County Jail staff intercepted two strips of Suboxone in the mail for someone in custody. Suboxone is classified as a Schedule III controlled substance.

Kentucky woman arrested after traffic stop leads to marijuana seizure

October 13, 2020 6:55 PM Karl Wehmhoener

COOPER COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) A traffic stop in Cooper County leads to a seizure of 152 pounds of marijuana. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the driver was pulled over for a lane violation. After a consent to search was denied, a K-9 was brought in and the K-9 had a positive alert according

Mexico man pleads guilty to possessing stolen firearms from Columbia Pawn Shop

October 13, 2020 6:21 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. A Mexico man pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing stolen firearms taken during the burglary of Tiger Pawn Shop in Columbia, Mo. Tyler Andrew Hilderman, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing stolen firearms and one count of stealing firearms from a licensed firearms dealer. Co-defendant Alexander Mears, 21, of

Missouri police chief warns: Drugs that look like kids’ vitamins

October 13, 2020 5:24 PM Associated Press

POTOSI, Mo. (AP) — The police chief in a small eastern Missouri town is warning that illegal drugs found on the street look like candy or children’s vitamins. KTVI-TV reports that officers in Potosi recently seized the drugs during a traffic stop. Potosi Police Chief Michael Gum posted photos of the drugs on the department’s

Man accused in August killing is shot to death

October 13, 2020 5:25 PM Associated Press

RIVERVIEW, Mo. (AP) — A man charged with murder in August in St. Louis County is dead following another shooting. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 21-year-old Demarcus Pierce was found by Riverview police Friday morning. He died Saturday at a hospital. St. Louis County police took over the investigation and are trying to determine

Fayette man sentenced to 35 years for 2019 homicide

October 13, 2020 4:21 PM Karl Wehmhoener

FAYETTE, Mo. (KMIZ) A Fayette man is sentenced 35 years for the homicide of John Turner, 29, of Poplar Bluff on Dec. 30, 2019. Alfredo Hicks Jr. pleaded guilty to counts of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and two other felony crimes after Howard County prosecutors originally charged him with first-degree murder back in August.

Columbia police looking for armed robbers

October 13, 2020 10:28 AM ABC 17 News Team

Columbia police said Tuesday that they’re looking for two people who were part of an armed robbery overnight at a car dealership parking lot.

Former Missouri youth pastor charged with child sex abuse

October 12, 2020 3:34 PM Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A former youth pastor was charged with seven felonies following accusations he sexually abused a child in Missouri. The Springfield News-Leader reports 46-year-old Jeff Taylor of Strafford, Missouri, was charged Thursday with five counts of statutory sodomy and two counts of statutory rape. Taylor is accused of sexually abusing a

Jefferson City police arrest man with multiple warrants

October 12, 2020 11:16 AM Matt Ragsdale

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Jefferson City officers arrested a man with multiple active warrants early Sunday morning. A release from the police department said 27-year-old Jonathan Adams and a woman were arrested at a Days Inn hotel on Jefferson Street. Officers were patrolling the area when they saw a vehicle associated with Adams in the

Cole County Sheriff’s Dept. make arrest in statutory rape of 15-year-old

October 9, 2020 9:20 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Cole County Sheriff‘s deputies took a report of a sexual offense involving a 15-year-old female and a 37-year-old male on Oct. 1. In the probable cause statement, the victim’s mother becomes suspicious of the victim and older male’s relantionship and put spyware on the victim’s phone. In the PC statement, the

Search warrant leads to multiple arrests in Jefferson City

October 9, 2020 8:08 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A search warrant executed by the Cole County Sheriff’s Department and MUSTANG Drug Task Force leads to a multiple arrests, marijuana seizure and multiple firearm violations. According to the release, law enforcement search a residence on the 2400 block of Livingston street in Jefferson City. Court documents reveal Scott Howell and

Department of Corrections employee arrested after drug investigation

October 9, 2020 6:46 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) On Wednesday, Cole County Sheriff Deputies and the MUSTANG Drug Task Force arrested an employee of the Jefferson City Correctional Center after a drug investigation. According to the release, the 39-year-old female employee of the Department of Corrections was found to be in possession of 39 grams of meth, packaged in

Missouri Supreme Court upholds ballot notarization law

October 9, 2020 5:10 PM Associated Press

The Missouri Supreme Court has upheld a new state law that requires people wanting to vote remotely this year to have their ballot notarized unless they meet certain criteria. The NAACP and the League of Women Voters had urged the court to require the state to count all mail-in and absentee ballots this year without

Joseph Elledge pleads not guilty to three felony charges.

Court to consider reduced bond for Columbia man accused of wife’s murder

October 9, 2020 3:26 PM Zola Crowder

Joseph Elledge is in the Boone County Jail without bond on a first-degree murder charge in the disappearance of Mengqi Ji.

Grand jury indicts two after search tied to Jefferson City child death

October 9, 2020 2:21 PM ABC 17 News Team

EDITOR’S NOTE: The headline has been changed to clarify that the charges are based on what authorities said they found during the search. Officials have not said the charges are directly related to the child’s death. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Cole County grand jury indicted a Jefferson City couple Thursday in connection with an

Jefferson City Correctional Center employee arrested on suspicion of drug possession

October 9, 2020 3:02 PM Matt Ragsdale

Deputies say the employee had methamphetamine and synthetic marijuana, also called K2, wrapped in plastic for distribution.

Hearing scheduled for man accused of murdering missing Columbia mother

October 9, 2020 4:50 AM Ben Fein

Joseph Elledge, who was charged with murdering his wife Mengqi Ji in February, has court hearings scheduled Friday.