MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ) A celebration of life was held for Cheryl Gravitt, 57, who was the victim of a shooting on Sunday, August 23. Gravitt’s family held a celebration in Gravitt’s honor at 4 p.m. on Saturday and invited community members to attend. The event was held at Rothwell Park, and according to the nephew,
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HUNTSVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ) A detective testified about the role a man accused of evidence tampering played in the events that led to a Randolph County teenager’s death during the suspect’s preliminary hearing Friday. Judge Mason Gebhardt said Friday that he would consider binding Julian Mason over for trial after Mason’s preliminary hearing. His next court
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Moberly man has been charged with first-degree murder after allegedly shooting a woman Sunday night. Christopher Viley, 51, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of first-degree murder in connection with a shooting Sunday night. The victim was identified as Cheryl Gravitt, 57, of Moberly. According to the probable cause statement, at about
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department is inviting local bar owners and managers to a closed-door meeting next week to discuss safety and cooperation between law enforcement and the city’s nightlife establishments. The roundtable is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Molly Bowden Community Policing Center, according to an invitation obtained by ABC
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A 15-year-old boy who is accused of shooting another youth earlier this week will remain in state custody, according to the juvenile office. The name of the boy accused in the Tuesday shooting in 5700 block of Canaveral Drive has not been named by authorities in accordance with Missouri law. The boy
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The federal government is recommending that a Columbia businesswoman who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and not paying payroll taxes should serve an 18-month prison sentence. Kathryn L. Cunningham pleaded guilty in May 2025 to those felony counts. She was previously charged with 38 felonies. Cunningham is the former owner and CEO of payroll
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man who sexually assaulted a woman in a parking lot in 2024 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Nicholas Mathews, 24, of Columbia, pleaded guilty on Friday to first-degree sodomy and armed criminal action. Matthews will also be registered as a sex offender. He is currently being held at
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Romanian national has been charged in federal court with wire fraud after authorities claim he would use a “sleight-of-hand” trick on Walmart cashiers. Federal court documents involving Hozu Rostas, 25, were unsealed on Thursday. Court documents say Rostas is in ICE custody. Court documents allege Rostas would “shortchange” cashiers when buying
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety has petitioned to have a former Mid-Missouri sheriff lose his license, writing in court documents that Aaron Wilson broke the law and committed an act of “moral turpitude” by claiming a $5,000 check that wasn’t his. Wilson, sheriff of Randolph County for
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) University of Missouri System President Mun Choi on Thursday doubled down on sentiments he shared with city leaders over the summer. While Choi was speaking with ABC 17 News, he claimed bar owners in downtown Columbia can do more to curb crime. This comes after he told students in a school-wide email
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Second Mountain held a two-day leadership conference highlighting culture change inside maximum security prisons at Jefferson City Correctional Center. Second Mountain is a nonprofit based out of Kansas City that focuses on creating culture change inside of prisons. The prison leadership conference on Aug. 26 and Aug. 27 was an invitation-only
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A suspect in a weekend shooting death in Moberly was arrested Thursday after what police called a “brief standoff.” The Moberly Police Department said Thursday afternoon that a suspect was in custody after a standoff that began that morning, and later said in a news release that the suspect was Christopher Viley,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The man described as a marijuana supplier for the Gathering of the Juggalos remained behind bars on Thursday after a bond hearing earlier this week. Kevin “Bluntman” Jones, 45, of Eastonm Pennsylvania, is charged in Camden County with first-degree drug trafficking. A bond hearing was held on Tuesday and he was denied
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man was charged with a felony on Thursday after authorities claim he possessed child sex abuse materials. Stephan Jon Sheltmire II, 53, is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. An arraignment was held on Thursday afternoon. The probable cause statement says authorities received a cybertip on Dec.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence reports an average of more than 200 calls were answered per day by the National Domestic Violence Hotline across the Show-Me-State in 2025. In the Central Region alone, MCADSV reports hotline calls went up 15% from 2024. The region includes much of Mid-Missouri’s counties
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Police say a 15-year-old boy is the suspect in a shooting that left another youth with critical injuries Tuesday. Columbia Police Department officers responded to a shots-fired call on Tuesday in the 5700 block of Canaveral Drive. According to a news release, officers responded to the call around 5:16 p.m. Officers
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Jefferson City woman has been charged with three felonies after a 3-week-old baby fell and allegedly tested positive for multiple drugs. Tayvian Brown was charged on Wednesday with three counts of child endangerment. A no-bond warrant was issued on Wednesday and she was not listed on the Cole County Jail’s online
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department taped off a street on Tuesday in a neighborhood just south of Interstate 70 near St. Charles Road. CPD wrote on its social media at 5:52 p.m. that it was investigating a shots-fired call in the 5700 block of Canaveral Drive. Police wrote on social media at 9:18
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Mexico, Missouri, man says he has no regrets after being arrested while protesting Columbia’s Flock cameras. Dominic O’Connor, a tattoo artist who lives in Mexico and works at Electric Peacock Tattoos in Columbia, said he spent two days protesting the city’s use of the automated license plate reader cameras before he
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A jury trial for a Callaway County man accused of killing his wife in 2002 has been given a new trial date. Harold Dickens, of Auxvasse, is charged in Callaway County with first-degree murder in the death of Debra Dickens. Court documents allege he stabbed Debra Dickens on or around April 28,
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