News

A Columbia woman convicted of involuntary manslaughter for a wrong-way crash learned Wednesday she’ll spend 5 years in prison. Kelli Smith was convicted in December after a week-long jury trial and hours of deliberation. A main point of argument throughout the trial was whether she was given the date rape drug and raped before the

Some faculty at the University of Missouri are proposing a change to Title IX rules. Currently, the university does not allow a lawyer for faculty accused of sexual harassment of discrimination. Two law school professors wrote up a petition to amend this, asking that faculty be allowed an attorney for such cases. So far, they

Wintry weather has already caused dozens of accidents in Mid-Missouri Wednesday. Snow started moving into the area at around noon, and near the I-70 corridor by 1:00 p.m. Most of the snow was out of the Columbia area by Wednesday night. Boone County Joint Communications told ABC 17 News there were 44 accidents in and

A judge has sentenced a Jefferson City man to 15 years in prison on drug charges. Wednesday,59-year-old Ronald Russell pleaded guilty topossession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute in Cole County Circuit Court. In March of 2014, the Jefferson City Police Department SWAT team and members of the MUSTANG Drug Task Force found

A Dixon woman is charged with murder after her teenage daughter died from a drug overdose. According to the Maries County Sheriff, 49-year-old Starletta Blevins-Moore gave her 16-year-old daughter a controlled substance on December 24, 2014. The daughter then overdosed and died. While investigating Blevins-Moore’s home in Dixon, deputies reported finding unspecified controlled substances and

Jefferson City Police finished a sweep of Central Motor Bank downtown Wednesday afternoon after they were called for a bomb threat. The call came from the bank at around 11:00 a.m. The bank made a decision to evacuate all staff as a precaution while Capitol Police’s Explosive Detection K-9 unit searched the building. The building

A Jefferson City man is awaiting sentencing after a Cole County jury found him guilty of first degree burglary. According to the Cole County prosecutor, Antwain Stewart walked into a stranger’s home through the back door, took off his pants and tried to get in bed with a woman who was asleep. The woman woke

Two people were arrested after an early morning burglary in the 900 block of Boonville Road in Jefferson City. When officers got to the scene, they saw a pickup truck leaving and stopped it. Officers searched the truck and saw several parts that belonged to the homeowner where the burglary alarm was triggered. After searching

Police got a call early Wednesday when people heard a gunshot near Elizabeth and Buena Vista streets around 1:30 a.m. Officers arrived on scene and saw a car leaving the area. When they tried stopping it, the driver jumped out and ran into a nearby creek, where he fell down. Investigators found a fully-loaded .38

At the beginning of the meeting, Lawrence Lile praised plastics. Manufacturers crafted most of the items in the Columbia City Council meeting room dozens of people filled Tuesday night out of plastic. Lile called it an “amazing” substance, but said its power was being misused by the topic of the forum he and the Environment

Soon the new multi-million dollar Boone County emergency communication center will take shape on an empty lot just north of the Boone County Jail. Commissioners said it’s been a long time coming. “So many people have worked on it so hard to make sure we turned every rock and made sure that we covered every

Gary Pinkel could not watch. Missouri was one of four finalists for East St. Louis Defensive Lineman Terry Beckner Jr. The high school senior announced his college decision on national television during Wednesday’s National Signing Day. After Beckner raised the Mizzou pennant, the announcement became must-see-TV for Pinkel and his staff. “It’s one of the

Cole County commissioners Tuesday discussed capping the amount of funding for non-profit organizations like Salute to America and Habitat for Humanity. Times are tight for many people right now, but Cole County has been fairly insulated from money woes in recent years. However, as commissioners are looking to next year’s budget, some things could be

Columbia Water and Light said someone has stolen grounding wire from about 230 utility poles throughout central Columbia. The wires should run from the top of the utility poles all the way to the bottom, and down into the ground. But someone has been coming through and cutting sections from hundred of poles. Connie Kacprowicz,

Three people were arrested Monday after a search warrant revealed a meth operation in Holts Summit. The Callaway County Sheriff’s Department, Holts Summit Police, and MUSTANG Drug Task Force searched a home at 499 Perry Drive and found meth, marijuana, prescription pills, and drug paraphernalia. They also found packaging materials, digital scales, and smoking devices.

A man found guilty of robbing a Mid-Missouri bank is waiting for the Missouri Supreme Court to rule on his appeal Tuesday. In 2013, Gary Coleman was arrested in Texas for the 2012 robbery of Bank Star One in New Bloomfield. Coleman is currently serving a ten year prison sentence, but is appealing, claiming there

A gas station in Columbia was the target of an armed robbery early Tuesday. Just before 3 a.m. a man with a knife robbed the Break Time on Stadium Boulevard north of Primrose drive. No one was hurt. The suspect was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and had his face covered at the time of the

At a Tuesday hearing at the Capitol, lawmakers asked questions about the Department of Social Services’ inability to process Medicaid claims. The department provided some answers and blamed the system as a whole. On Tuesday, Alyson Campbell, one of the directors at Social Services, updated lawmakers. A lot of what has been said is very

Late Tuesday afternoon, Maries County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a 27-year-old Vienna man for violating his parole on felony drug charges. Deputies found Brandon William in a home off Maries County Road 302. They also found drug paraphernalia in the home. William is also wanted by the Miller County Sheriff’s Department for distribution of a controlled

A Mexico man charged in his wife’s murder appeared in Audrain County court Tuesday. A trial date has not yet been set for Ricky Harding, Jr., but it will be moved from Mexico to Warrenton. Harding is charged with shooting his wife, Summer, in Audrain County in May 2014. Harding told ABC 17 News he