News

A Cole County woman was charged with stealing $750 or more after officers responded to a Walmart for reports of theft. According to the probable cause statement, Elizabeth Pigford was observed by Walmart asset protection getting items and concealing them inside a bag. Walmart employees said they saw Pigford push a shopping cart full of

State Auditor Nicole Galloway released an audit of Maries County that included multiple concerns that have been identified before. “Audits are a tool to help improve processes and ensure that government is serving taxpayers with efficiency and transparency,” Galloway said. “It is frustrating when concerns are repeatedly disregarded. I urge Maries County officials to implement

A Sedalia woman is being charged with stealing more than $750 after police received three theft reports from Boost Mobile. According to the probable cause statement, the store manager reported missing a deposit in the amount of $761, $95 missing from a change bag and $105 missing from a spare register drawer. Police filed a

A man was charged with possession of a controlled substance after Sedalia police performed a traffic stop on a car with an expired license. According to the probable cause statement, when police approached the vehicle the driver was cooperative with police but George Johnson, the passenger, was hiding his right hand. Police said during the

Attorney General Josh Hawley announced on Thursday that Jamie McPherson, 71, was committed to a secure mental health facility. Hawley said McPherson has a decades-long history of molesting prepubescent boys and girls and admitted to having more than 100 child victims. McPherson often met his victims through his job as a postman in Lexington, Missouri.

UPDATE 1:18 pm: Jefferson City Public School officials said the incident in question involved a student banging on a locked door. Officials said the loud banging sounds resembled the sound of gunshots which initiated the lockdown. Officials said the staff and students all handled the situation very well. ORIGINAL: Jefferson City Public Schools officials said

Melissa Schaefer was charged with burglary and stealing after officers responded to a Sedalia Kohls for reports of theft. Officers said when they arrived on scene they talked with a witness who saw a man and a woman come into the store and go to electronics. The witness saw the woman take several Fitbits and

Columbia Police Department K-9s Kane, Raf, Gorrit and Duncan will receive bullet and stab protective vests. The vests will come from a non-profit organization called Vested Interest in K-9s, Inc. “We are honored to have been selected for these vests,” says K-9 Unit Supervisor Sgt. Scott Hedrick. Vested Interest in K-9s, Inc. has provided more

TODAY: Mostly cloudy skies will gradually clear throughout the afternoon into this evening, finally giving us a peak of sunshine. Afternoon highs today will top out near 70, which is near average for this time of year. Winds will shift around out of the south up to 8 mph and begin a slow warming trend.

For the start of the weekend we will see increased heat and humidity as temperatures rise into the 80s. This unseasonal, summer like weather will come to an end by Sunday as a strong cold front tracks through mid-Missouri. This cold front will give way for some rainfall starting as early as Saturday morning, mainly

Columbia police arrested a man accused of breaking into a home and stealing electronics and MU athletic department clothing. According to police, a burglary happened in the 200 block of Dorothy Dean Drive in mid-September. Police say the two homeowners were in the home asleep during the burglary. There were 18 items stolen, including a

A Boone County duplex suffered minor damage after an apparent stove fire early Thursday morning. Boone County and Columbia firefighters responded to the scene on Mesa Drive around 3:30 a.m. Fire crews say the flames started on a stove in the kitchen and were already out by the time they arrived.

The Cole R-1 School District is mourning the loss of one of its high school students. 16-year-old Elizabeth Eidson was killed in a crash Wednesday morning while driving to school. “It’s been an extremely long, tough day,” said Russellville High School Principal Chris Mitchell. “Toughest day we’ve had.” According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol

Residents and property owners still say lighting on East Campus needs to be fixed. ABC 17 News has been following the lighting issues since 2014 when a student started a petition asking the city to install more lights in the area. Students, residents say they don’t feel safe walking around at night due to the

UPDATE: According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the driver of the bus was distracted by children when he rear-ended a car on State Route 42 at Countryside Lane in Miller County around 3:51 p.m. The driver of the car, Robert P. Switzer, 23, of Richland, was taken to the hospital with moderate injuries. A

A public defender serving Miller County wants the court to look elsewhere for help on a case due to his office’s high workload. The motion filed by Justin Carver, the district defender in the state’s Area 19, asks a judge to appoint a state-hired lawyer for John Powell’s case. Powell is accused of assault and

Richard Ward, a sophomore at the University of Missouri, died shortly after being hit by a gun shot on Rolling Rock Drive Saturday evening. On Wednesday the University’s Black Culture Center and the Ancona School in Chicago, Ward’s alma mater, issued statements addressing the 20-year-old’s passing. The Black Culture Center (BCC) said in a tweet,

Jefferson City Public Schools received a total of 1,212 suggestions for names for the city’s second high school. The top name recommendations and the corresponding number of entries are the following: Capital City High School – 371 entriesJefferson City High School – 193 entriesMission High School – 77 entriesRiver City High School – 72 entriesHarry

UPDATE 5:45 P.M.: Frazier has been charged with first degree tampering with a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance except 35 grams or less of marijuana. ORIGINAL STORY: Columbia police arrested Miranda Frazier just before 3 p.m. Tuesday after they say she was driving a stolen car. With the help of an automatic

On Tuesday, Judge Steven Ohmer granted Pablo Serrano-Vitorino ex parte on matters disclosing defense strategy and preparation. Serrano’s attorneys said the request was made to protect their trial strategy. Serrano, an undocumented immigrant, faces the death penalty in the death of Randy Nordmann in 2016. Law enforcement said he was on the run for killing