COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Cooper County prosecutor filed a motion on Thursday to give consent for the case of a “cult-like” Amish leader to be moved to Montgomery County. Sam Shetler, 42, of Boonville, is charged with three counts of trafficking for the purpose of slavery/forced labor, a count of first-degree sodomy, first-degree sex
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A former Cooper County Jail guard received a two-year probation term for her role in an inmate’s death in 2023. Rachel Atherton pleaded guilty to second-degree involuntary manslaughter on Monday. Prosecutors reduced her chare on Friday to the lesser felony. Jazzlyn Johnson, spokesperson for special prosecutors out of Jackson County, said Atherton
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HERMANN, Mo. (KMIZ) More than three years after a Hermann Police Sergeant was shot and killed in the line of duty, his community is working to ensure his legacy and other first responders’ lives on. In June, a jury sentenced Kenneth Simpson to death after convicting him of first-degree murder in Sgt. Mason Griffith’s killing.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. KMIZ EDITORS NOTE: Day in title was corrected. A man was injured after being shot Sunday in east Columbia near the I-70 connector. Sgt. Patrick Corcoran told ABC 17 News that when police arrived on scene, they found a 26-year-old male victim at the Break Time with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The victim
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Officers arrested three minors in connection with a string of vehicle break-ins that occurred early Wednesday, the Columbia Police Department said in a news release. The minors are suspected in more than 13 vehicle break-ins on Monterey Drive and Sieville Avenue, the CPD release states. The suspects ran from police, who caught
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A jury on Wednesday sided with the defendants in a family’s wrongful death case over a man who died years ago at Tipton Correctional Center. Previous reporting shows Brandon Pace died on April 7, 2023, and Tammy Reed filed a lawsuit in September 2024 against several parties. Defendants included the Missouri Department
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A former Randolph County sheriff who turned himself in Thursday on accusations of stealing a $5,000 check from the county allegedly told investigators that the check was a gift to him. A warrant was issued for Aaron Wilson on Thursday on a single charge of stealing $750 or more, according to Randolph
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Former Randolph County Sheriff Aaron Wilson was arrested Thursday evening on suspicion of stealing, according to the county’s current sheriff. Wilson was arrested on suspicion of stealing $750, according to a text message from Sheriff Andy Boggs. Wilson then posted a $5,000 cash bond and was released. A mugshot was not available
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Former Mizzou head football coach Gary Pinkel saw his case against the Department of Revenue dismissed by a judge this week. Judge Michael Gilley dismissed the case without prejudice on Monday, writing that Pinkel was lawfully arrested for driving while intoxicated on July 9, 2025. The filing also states the arresting officer
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A woman who was convicted of murder and other charges in a 2025 Holts Summit shooting has filed a notice of appeal. Heather Smith filed a notice of appeal on Monday to the Western District Court of Missouri. She was found guilty on April 23 of felony murder, three counts of unlawful
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The man brought down from a retired smokestack at Columbia’s Municipal Power Plant on Wednesday allegedly told police that he broke into the tower because he wanted to “have fun.” Richard Nichols, 33, was arrested Wednesday morning after refusing to come down from an enclosed platform about halfway up the tower for
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Four vehicles were stolen during a rash of automobile break-ins early Thursday in Jefferson City, police say. The break-ins were primarily concentrated on the east side of the city. The Jefferson City Police Department posted information about the break-ins on social media, saying three vehicles had been stolen, but Lt. Curtis
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CNN By Eric Levenson, Isabel Rosales, Devon M. Sayers, CNN Winder, Georgia (CNN) — Colin Gray, the Georgia father whose teenage son Colt killed four people in a 2024 school shooting, was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison in a landmark case testing the limits of who can be held responsible for a mass
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) An intersection in northern Columbia was blocked off by police on Wednesday night. ABC 17 News saw at least a half-dozen Columbia Police Department patrol vehicles and a crime scene investigation van at the intersection of Bold Venture and Derby Ridge Drive. The intersection — which is east of Range Line Street
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Growing concerns over the use of Flock Safety cameras in Columbia are part of a larger national debate over privacy, data sharing and the expanding use of artificial intelligence in law enforcement. Two University of Missouri students brought those concerns to the Columbia City Council on July 20, questioning what information the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Centralia man was charged on Wednesday after authorities allegedly found 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine at his residence on Tuesday. Joshua Bachman, 53, was charged with second-degree drug trafficking and drug possession. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled. The probable
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man who was found with more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine at an Airbnb in 2024 was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 years in federal prison. Ronald Dale Thornton III, 35, pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to distribute meth, according to court filings. He was sentenced on Wednesday
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A truck driver from Illinois is accused of causing $50,000 in damage after he allegedly crashed a semi-truck into an Ameren light pole on July 15 in Jefferson City. Philip Kahn, of Pekin, Illinois, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident. An initial court appearance is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Police say a 33-year-old Columbia man had to be rescued after he was seen throwing items from the window of a Municipal Power Plant tower Wednesday morning. Richard D. Nichols was charged with second-degree burglary, obstructing government operations and second-degree property damage. A probable cause statement was not immediately available on Wednesday
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man was charged in Audrain County on Monday after he allegedly shot someone on Saturday while he was drunk. Christopher Smith Jr., of Mexico, Missouri, was charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action and three misdemeanors, including two counts of second-degree
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