COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man who was shot by Columbia police on Christmas Day has been charged with several counts, including arson. Boone County Assistant Prosecutor Melissa Buchanan told ABC 17 News in an email that Marc Lucas has been charged with first-degree trespassing, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, one count of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) An embattled restaurant whose owner has been accused of arson has officially moved out of its south Columbia location. Workers were seen emptying Casa Maria’s at 1305 Grindstone Parkway on Monday. The restaurant had announced on its Facebook page that Sunday would be its last day, but indicated it could reopen
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Drivers across Mid Missouri should plan for delays as several road construction and improvement projects continue or begin next week in multiple counties. Many of the projects will run from Dec. 29 to Jan. 4. The impacted counties include: Boone Co., Callaway Co., Camden Co., Crawford Co., Howard Co., Laclede Co., Maries
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Police say a California man was the suspect shot by officers on Christmas Day inside a gas station. Marc Lucas, 31, was identified as the suspect in two separate incidents that preceded the shooting Thursday morning inside a Break Time gas station near Highway 63 and East Stadium Boulevard, the Columbia
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department is set to graduate its third recruit class from its in-house training academy launched Nov. 2024. The 14 Police Officers in Training will graduate January 16th, 2026 and add their names to the list of the other 21 students from the academy’s first two classes from March and
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department is cautioning residents to be aware of the risk around home robbers and package thieves this holiday season. Lt. Clint Sinclair, with CPD, tells ABC 17 News the holidays create the perfect opportunity for them to commit their crimes. He said people should not leave things, like boxes
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) In the four years since the death of Boone County Assistant Fire Chief Bryant Gladney, the Boone Co. Fire Protection District tells ABC 17 News its made changes to its training and response procedures. Gladney was killed when a tractor-trailer slammed into his service SUV on Dec. 22, 2021 as Gladney was working at
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two people are facing felony drug charges after investigators uncovered a large amount of methamphetamine Monday in Columbia, leading to trafficking charges. On Monday, detectives with the Columbia Police Department’s Vice, Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit worked alongside the North Missouri Drug Task Force, the Boone County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia police officer suffered minor injuries after they were involved in a crash in their patrol car. The officer was taken to an area hospital, according to Columbia Police Department Sgt. Anthony Bowne. The crash occurred near Range Line Street and Kennesaw Ridge Road in northern Columbia and was called in
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COLUMBIA MO. A home in the 100 block of Sexton Road that caught fire about a year ago is now at the center of multiple city complaints surrounding trash and abandoned vehicles. The home — owned by Carlos Alvino Lee Lawson — has a dumpster and other items outside of it that city officials say
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia College announced in a Monday press release that its Board of Trustees have named Toby Arquette as its next president. Arquette will become the school’s 19th president on March 1, succeeding David Russell, who announced his retirement earlier this year. The release says Arquette is currently at St. Ambrose University in
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia state representative on Monday prefiled a bill for the upcoming legislative session that aims to expand rules on dog-breeding facilities. Rep. David Tyson Smith (D-Columbia) prefiled the “Animal Care Facilities Act,” which would expand violations pertaining to commercial and noncommercial breeders. Provisions include requiring adequate food, water and housing for
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Minimum wage workers across Missouri will soon see a boost in their paychecks. In November 2024, voters approved Proposition A, a ballot measure designed to raise the state’s minimum wage and provide earned paid sick leave for certain workers. As part of that measure, Missouri’s minimum wage will increase from $13.75 to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The national unemployment rate is at its highest point in nearly four years at 4.6% recorded last month, and hiring trends are slowing as thousands of college graduates prepare to enter the workforce. The U.S. unemployment rate has ticked up since hitting a 54-year low of 3.4% in April 2023, reflecting a
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Construction for Boone County Public Safety Childcare Center is on schedule to be completed in July 2026. The center cost $5 million, with the county providing half and the state providing the other half. The Boone County Commission held a meeting Tuesday afternoon to discuss the current status of the project. Officials
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Missouri state lawmaker is pursuing legislation aimed at limiting superintendent payouts and protecting taxpayers, building on a proposal originally put forward by Columbia Public Schools. State Rep. John Martin (R-Boone County) was in attendance for a November Columbia Board of Education meeting when he first heard that it was a legislative
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Editor’s note: A source error led to Smith’s name to be initially spelled incorrectly. The name has since been corrected. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The woman at the center of a Columbia AMBER Alert on Thursday is now charged with three felonies. The Boone County Prosecutor’s Office charged 24-year-old Joy A. Smith with two counts of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A convicted sex offender on Monday pleaded guilty to keeping artificially generated child pornography on his cellphone. Charles Hooton, 64, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to four counts of child porn possession and one count of failing to register as a sex offender. He was sentenced to seven years in prison. The probable
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County dog breeder accused of animal abuse is facing a significant number of felony charges after she was indicted by a grand jury on Friday. Melissa Sanders, 26, of Columbia, is now charged with 29 counts of animal abuse. All of the counts are felonies. She was previously charged with
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Boone County Commission on Thursdays approved the finalized budget for the 2026 fiscal year. Including money being using from the American Rescue Plan Act, expenditures for the new fiscal year are expected to total $156 million. Officials say the budget will allow for pay raises for some county employees. Presiding Commissioner
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