News

School districts in Missouri will now have greater access to employee criminal records. The Missouri State Highway Patrol recently upgraded its background check website to allow for completely digital transactions. The Department of Education no longer has to use mail to submit and get results of fingerprint information. “Basically, you would set up your account

A man is in the Boone County Jail after authorities said he was caught with child pornography involving infants and toddlers. Investigators arrested 42-year-old Richard Ortega earlier this week after the Boone County Cyber Crimes Task Force received a cyber tip. The tip claimed Ortega uploaded child porn back in May to an email account.

A Cole County man accused of molesting a child is in jail. ABC 17 News obtained court documents that claim Dan Streetman molested the victim several times. The documents also accuse Streetman of taking inappropriate pictures on his phone. He’s charged with statutory sodomy and child molestation, and his bond is set at $100,000.

On Thursday police said they made an arrest after a recent shooting outside Waffle House in central Columbia earlier this month. Christopher Robinson, 33, was arrested around 9 p.m. Wednesday. Detectives claimed they identified Robinson as the same suspect who flashed a gun during a fight in the parking lot early August 2, at the

Police responded to an armed robbery at a Columbia hotel near the connector Thursday morning. Officers were called to the Howard Johnson Inn across from the Moser’s grocery store off I-70 Drive S.E. around 10:30 a.m. Thursday. The suspect reportedly had his face covered, but surveillance video was grainy. Detectives believe the man got into

Police are investigating after shots were fired in central Columbia. It happened just before midnight Wednesday night in the area just north of Garth Avenue and Sexton Road. Police say they found multiple shell casing in the 400 block of Duncan Street. Investigators say a vehicle in front of 601 McBaine Avenue, Buckner’s Beauty Shop,

A man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly stealing the identity of eight Jefferson City Country Club members and employees. 22-year-old Travis Sumpter started working at the country club in June. Sumpter allegedly created 8 credit card accounts under the names of members and employees. ABC 17 News obtained court documents that said Sumpter had access

Drivers in and around Jefferson City need to be aware of some traffic changes happening Thursday night. Lane changes at the Lafayette interchange will begin at 5:00 p.m. Westbound lanes of Highway 50 and 63 will open, and traffic will go down the new Lafayette off ramp. From there, drivers will cross Lafayette and go

Three people were charged in Morgan County after investigators found stolen property, explosives, and drugs in a home. Morgan County deputies, the FBI, ATF, and Camden Co. explosives detection K9 Unitsearched the home on Highway T outside Versailles on Monday. Investigators found meth, stolen property, and explosives inside. 35-year-old Jack Medley, 45-year-old Charles “Billy” Crowe,

Oscar Mayer has recalled more than 2 million pounds of turkey bacon. This comes after people are reportedly becoming sick after eating it. Kraft-Heinz, the parent company of Oscar Mayer, issued the recall Tuesday, which also covers Oscar Mayer’s Selects, uncured turkey bacon. The company said some of the products may be adulterated and could

A license plate reader system is being credited for helping law enforcement track down the suspect in a deadly Virginia shooting that left a news reporter and photographer dead and another person injured. A trooper was using the system when it flagged the car the shooter was driving. ABC 17 News looked into the License

A Cole County Judge ruled Tuesday to allow a lawsuit against a proposed hog birthing operation to continue. Judge Daniel Green dismissed motions from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Clean Water Commission and the company Callaway Farrowing to throw out the suit, filed by the group of landowners Friends of Responsible Agriculture in June.

A Cole County Circuit judge on Wednesday delayed a decision in the theft case involving former Victoria’s Bridal owner Ann Metternich. Metternich is charged in Cole County with one count of felony theft. She waived a trial by jury in March, and her bench trial began in April in Cole County. The bench trial stopped

According to The Associated Press, gun thefts are up 70 percent in Saint Louis. Police believe this may be causing the recent spike in homicides, making it the most violent year the city has ever experienced. Authorities say a lot of the stolen guns are taken from cars and then later used in various violent

A Mid-Missouri man faces felony charges after allegedly threatening a woman with a gun. Court documents said 23-year-old Brandon Abbott confronted the victim with a gun in his hand. He’s accused of shoving the woman and ripping the phone off the wall so she wouldn’t be able to call 911. Documents said he then fired

Officials at Boonville High School have confirmed seven football players have contracted a contagious skin infection, and the school is working to prevent the rash from spreading. The rash, herpes gladiatorum, is a viral skin infection that is common among athletes through skin to skin contact. The infection is said to spread through skin contact

Hundreds of University of Missouri graduate students rallied on campus in front of the columns demanding change Monday. Earlier this month, the university took away health care from graduate students a day before it was set to go into effect. Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin reversed the university decision last Friday restoring health care. But Wednesday

A Columbia Kia dealership will soon have new owners. Head Motor Company is selling its Kia location at 710 Business Loop 70 West. Four partners plan to rename it “Kia of Columbia.” But Head Motor Company’s second dealership down the road at 400 Business Loop 70 West still plans to sell used cars, and it

WDBJ reporter, Alison Parker, and photographer, Adam Ward, are two out of five journalists in the past 15 years who have been murdered while on the job. Their suspected killer was fired a couple of years ago from WDBJ. “So, often these people that commit to violence, they feel like it’s hopeless, they don’t have

Crews on Highway 50 in Jefferson City are preparing for changes at the Lafayette interchange. The westbound on ramps are nearly complete, and starting Thursday, westbound traffic will start driving through Lafayette St. while the westbound ramps are repaired. MoDOT is changing the lane size from 12 feet to 11 fet, making the road more