News

After three shootings in the past three days and another shooting downtown a little over a week ago, ABC 17 News learned Monday that city leaders will hold a news conference this week. City Manager Mike Matthes, Columbia Police Chief Ken Burton and all City Council members will discuss crime prevention strategies Wednesday. City leaders

Columbia police are investigating the armed robbery of a gas station Tuesday morning. Just before 5 a.m. police were dispatched to an armed robbery at the Phillips 66 on West Ash. Investigators say a man entered the store armed with a handgun and demanded cash from the clerk. At the time the suspect was wearing

Columbia police have arrested two people in connection to a deadly shopping center shooting late Sunday night. 26-year-old Samuel Butler of Columbia and 22-year-old Joycelynn Brown of Jefferson City were picked up late Monday. For the murder charge Butler’s bail has been set at $1 million cash only, he has no bond for a parole

A Jefferson City man pleaded guilty in Boone County Circuit Court Monday to a charge of child pornography. Christopher M. Sabando, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree promoting child pornography. In July 2012, investigators with the Boone County Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Nixa, Mo. Police Department downloaded child porn from a computer in the

One man has been charged after missing teen, Macala Shelton, was found dead by an abandoned farm over the weekend near Iberia. Steven Neal Henderson, 30, is facing counts of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for the murder of Shelton. Law enforcement says he is Shelton’s step-uncle. His bond is set at $500,000 and

Boone County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a felon after a brief car chase Monday afternoon. Around 3:30 p.m., a deputy tried to pull over a vehicle on Highway 63 near Route B for a speeding violation. Law enforcement say Adrian Lewon Wright, 23, Columbia stopped briefly then led deputies on a short chase before stopping near

Law enforcement are searching for the person or persons responsible for throwing a kitten into a fire last week. The Boone County Sheriff’s Department says someone de-clawed a three-month-old kitten then tossed it into a fire on June 19. The incident happened in the Green Hills Trailer Park on Highway VV, just north of Columbia.

Police in a western Missouri city are looking for whoever opened fire hydrants throughout town, draining about 360,000 gallons from a water tower. The Marshall Democrat-News reports it happened between 1 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. Sunday in the city of Sweet Springs. Several hydrants were opened throughout the community, drawing hundreds of thousands of gallons

Construction started Monday on a west Columbia road project. Crews will build a mini roundabout at the intersection of Fairview Road and Rollins Road to get rid of the four-way stop. Sidewalks will also be constructed in the area. Columbia Public Works expects the entire project to be finished in 30 to 45 days. During

Jefferson City hopes to keep residents safe this summer by offering five different public cooling stations to the public. Officials say one to three people die from heat-related causes every year in Cole County. The elderly, chronically ill and young children are the most susceptible to the temperatures. Jefferson City Administrator Nathan Nickolaus is urging

Four people were taken into custody Monday after a shots fired call in Jefferson City. Police responded to a report of shots fired in the 1100 block of E. Dunklin Street around 12:45 p.m. Dispatchers received numerous calls that several gunshots were heard in the area and people were seen running from the scene. During

Police have two people in custody after an armed robbery at a Break Time gas pump Sunday night. Just after 10 p.m., police say a man was filling up his car at the Break Time on Clark Avenue when three men approached him, including one who displayed a handgun. The victim gave the men an

A Columbia man pleaded guilty to two murder charges for his role in a deadly 2011 car crash. Earl Hutcherson pleaded guilty in court Monday to two counts of second-degree murder. The judge sentenced Hutcherson to ten years in prison for each count to be served concurrently. Police say he was drunk when he hit

A Holts Summit assisted living facility was evacuated Sunday evening after a lightning strike sparked a small fire in the attic. Summit Villa Lifecare’s 50 residents and staff were all accounted for, according to Holts Summit Fire Protection District public information officer Scott Pasley. Pasley told an ABC 17 News crew at the scene the

Police in Jefferson City are investigating a disturbance, which led to a car damaging the Red Cross offices. The victim told police she was assaulted by a man inside her vehicle around 12:30 a.m. Monday. As she was trying to escape, the car hit a parked car and then the building located at 431 E.

A Columbia man convicted of possessing child pornography is now facing additional child pornography charges. According to the Boone County Sheriff’s Department Cyber Crimes Task Force, 23-year-old Eric Hall was arrested in St. Louis County. Investigators in St. Louis searched Hall’s residence and found child porn on his computer. Hall was arrested in 2009 for

Police have identified two suspects from last week’s shooting off Old Highway 63 near Stephens Lake Park. Investigators confirmed Monday Kimo Spivey and Tabisha Franklin were both involved in the disturbance just after 5 p.m. Friday. Neither of them are in custody. Officers found five shell casings outside Lakewood Apartments at 206 N. Old Highway

Two rafters are found safe Monday morning after multiple counties searched for the two who went missing Sunday night after putting in near Glasgow. Howard County officials say the two walked to a nearby home around 6 a.m. Monday to make a phone call. Boone County fire officials went searching by boat around 1 a.m.

Two teenage pedestrians on Highway 63 were injured when they got caught in a car crash Sunday evening. The crash closed one lane of traffic for about 30 minutes, causing a small back up. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported Jordan and Taylor Heckenmeyer were hit when a Jeep hydroplaned into another car near Claysville

A 19-year-old man was shot in the leg early Sunday morning during a large party on Bodie Drive in Columbia. Columbia police said in a news release that the victim was taken from the scene to University Hospital in a private vehicle. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his lower leg. The first reports of shots