News

Columbia police arrested Rudy Perez, Jr. for brutally killing Robert Hill at the Truman VA Hospital in February. Just days before Perez’s murder trial in September, he discovered prosecutors had accepted his plea of not guilty due to reason of insanity. That means instead of going to a prison in the Department of Corrections, Perez

Some of the year’s most dangerous toys still sit on store shelves in mid-Missouri. The Consumer Product Safety Commission looked at toys with toxins — like lead — choking hazards, magnets, and loud noises. The group placed the most dangerous toys on a list to warn parents about because these toys were not recalled. Some

Police in the capital city arrested a woman for faking a robbery, just months after she was charged for stealing money from her workplace. Jefferson City police say around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sara Hlavacek, 31, of Jefferson City, called police, saying she had been robbed in the 200 block of East High Street. Hlavacek told

Nearly 400,000 burglaries happen in the U.S. during the months of November and December, according to the FBI. During the holiday season, people are busy shopping and traveling. This makes a perfect combination for burglars. The average time it takes for a burglar to get in and out of a home is less than 10

Construction has begun on the new Primrose Retirement Community in Jefferson City. This 84-unit independent and assisted living community will bring more than 30 new jobs to the community. Primrose Retirement Communities has more than 30 locations in 15 different states and is based out of South Dakota. About five years ago, the company began

A new “organizational structure” at Lincoln University will cause several employees to lose their jobs. The university announced Tuesday that some top-level positions were combined with the duties of other positions. Because of the restructuring, some employees will be laid off. ABC 17 News confirmed seven employees will be terminated. Three of the employees had

A Mid-Missouri man was given the death penalty for a brutal 2009 murder. On Tuesday, Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce sentenced David Hosier, 58, to death for killing Angela Gilpin. Hosier is also suspected of killing Gilpin’s husband Rodney in their Jefferson City apartment, but the trial was only for Gilpin’s murder. In October,

Ford is recalling the Escape small SUV to fix oil and fuel leaks that can cause fires. The hot-selling SUV has been recalled seven times since it was redesigned and went on sale in the spring of 2012. The first of two recalls announced Tuesday affects more than 161,000 Escapes worldwide from the 2013 model

According to AAA, 40 million people will hit the roads this Thanksgiving holiday. Many others will take to the skies. However people are getting to their destinations, MoDOT officials and the Columbia Public Works Department is telling people to build extra time into their travel schedules. The wintry weather in some locations could could pose

A Sturgeon man will spend the next five years in prison for possessing child porn and failing to register as a sex offender. In October, Karl Ball pleaded guilty after investigators found more than 1200 pictures and more than 20 videos of kids as young as nine at his home. Investigators also found out that

The holiday shopping season is set to kick off in just a couple of days, and shoppers will likely stop for a meal at an area mall food court. About a year ago, ABC 17 News first reported the Columbia-Boone County Health Department shut down two restaurants at the Columbia Mall after inspectors found numerous

Cole County Presiding Commissioner Marc Ellinger met with Lincoln University officials Monday afternoon to discuss a potential health clinic. The clinic would be on the Lincoln campus in Thompkins Hall. The university has unused space in the back of the building that could be converted into the clinic. The clinic would be staffed by Cole

Columbia police have confirmed that a missing woman has been located in Colorado Springs, Colo. A Columbia officer received a call on Saturday from a Colorado law enforcement agency saying Cassandra Laronge, 27, had contacted them and said she was fine. Laronge was last seen Oct. 26 leaving a home in the 100 block of

Jabari Brown scored a career-high 24 points and Jordan Clarkson added 22 to help Missouri defeat IUPUI 78-64 on Monday. The Tigers finished 5-0 under coach Tim Fuller, who filled in for Frank Haith as the head coach served an NCAA-mandated suspension. Haith will return to the bench for the team’s Thanksgiving matchup against Northwestern

A man charged in a deadly Columbia car accident appeared in court Monday. Spencer Gordon, 21, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and two counts of second-degree assault. Investigators say he was driving drunk on Providence Road in Dec. 2012 when he crashed into a truck. Police say Gordon’s car crossed the median near Research Park

As the busiest shopping season of the year approaches, businesses in central Columbia are reporting an increase in counterfeit money. Store employees on Business Loop 70 told ABC 17 News they usually see about one or two counterfeit bills a month. But one local store that asked not to be identified saw four fake $20

A new railway bridge crossing the Osage River is now open. The bridge removes a bottleneck that was caused by two tracks merging into one to cross the Osage River on a single-track railroad bridge. The new bridge, located in Osage City, offers double-track passage across the river. The project cost $28 million, but Amtrak

The owner of a Columbia strip mall destroyed in an April 2012 pleaded guilty in Boone County court. Mark Stevenson, the owner of 106 Business Loop 70 West LLC, pleaded guilty to seven counts of “miscellaneous property violations.” The charges were filed after the city issued several notices to the owner, ordering the demolition of

Fulton firefighters rescued a worker trapped in a trench Monday morning. ABC 17 News confirmed with Fulton police the 50-year-old man was a contractor doing work for the city when the cave-in happened. Emergency crews responded to the construction site on Country Club Drive. Fulton fire officials say the man was buried from the waist

A central Missouri credit union is warning area residents about a scam. River Region Credit Union announced Monday the company was recently targeted by a fraudulent ‘phishing’ scam. Residents – both members and non-members – have been contacted via text messages and emails, by someone posing as the credit union. The scammer asks for personal