COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The defense attorney for the woman who was found not guilty of a Dunklin County arson case said he was pleased with the outcome. Crystal Umfress, who owned Casa Maria’s in Columbia, was found not guilty of second-degree arson in a Butler County courtroom Tuesday night. Umfress was accused in 2023 of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man pleaded guilty to a federal gun offense Tuesday in Jefferson City, according to a Wednesday press release from the Department of Justice. Gerrell Lawrence, 30, pleaded guilty in federal court to illegal gun possession. He is currently being held at the Cole County Jail. The release says he admitted
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Parents of a Virginia man killed in a 2018 online sale meet up turned shooting say they were moved to put up billboards promoting ‘safe online exchanges’ after a Columbia man was killed in a similar way. Michael and Diane Grey tell ABC 17 News that they knew they needed to take
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) More than six years have passed since James Hickem was shot to death in a north Columbia neighborhood, and police have yet to obtain any key evidence in his case. Officers responded to the scene in the 600 block of McBaine Avenue at 8:13 p.m. on Sept. 25, 2019. Police found a
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A former West Middle School teacher who was charged with several child sex crimes last month was given a home-detention order after he received a bond. Zachary Hutchinson, 38, of Columbia, was charged on Jan. 21 in Boone County with three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, one count of child enticement, sexually
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A motion was filed on Friday seeking to move a teenager accused in a January 2025 Columbia shooting to the Boone County Jail. Samiyon Myers, 16, of Columbia, is charged with first-degree assault, delivery of a controlled substance, two counts of armed criminal action, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A small tool now being used by the Columbia Fire Department could be the key to saving lives. CFD began carrying EpiPens in January, a decision that had been about a year in the making. According to CFD Chief Brian Schaeffer, every fire apparatus is stocked with at least one EpiPen and
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A woman who was accused of arson in Dunklin County was found not guilty of the charge. Crystal Umfress, who owned Casa Maria’s in Columbia, was found not guilty of her second-degree arson charge, her attorney Russell Oliver told ABC 17 News on Tuesday night. She was accused of hiring Kerry Raymond
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Starting July 1 this year, the City of Columbia is set to roll out its recently approved median ordinance. The City of Springfield, Missouri, has had a similar median rule in place since 2018. Both ordinances focus on medians in intersections with speed limits of 35 miles per hour or higher, average
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Several billboards in Mid-Missouri are promoting safer online exchanges. Viewers may see those billboards from the group “Justice For Joshua Grey” across the area. Grey died in a 2018 Virginia shooting after setting up the sale of a cellphone on the internet. The new billboards in Missouri come after Michael Ryan Burke was
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia’s city staff is seeking public feedback on a proposal to convert a 2.5-mile section of the COLT Railroad into a public-use trail. The project focuses on a stretch of track located along Paris Road, extending from Rogers Street to East Brown Station Road. City officials are gathering community input to decide whether to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A power outage in southern Boone County halted operations at Columbia Regional Airport for about an hour on Tuesday. The airport shared on Facebook at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday that a power outage is affecting services. The online flight status information shared on the airport’s website was down due to the outage. Airport
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man who suffered serious injuries in a north Columbia shooting last week was charged Tuesday with eight felonies. Michael D. Gilmore Jr., 21, of Jefferson City, was arrested Monday. Boone County Assistant Prosecutor Paul Wade charged Gilmore on Tuesday with three counts of first-degree assault, four counts of armed criminal action
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia City Council voted 5–2 on Monday to approve a median ordinance that had been delayed since November. The ordinance, which takes effect in July, regulates the use of medians, road crossings and traffic islands for both motorists and pedestrians at intersections with speed limits of 35 miles per hour or
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Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect Gilmore is from Jefferson City. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department announced in a Monday evening social media post that it has arrested a man in connection with a shooting that left one person with life-threatening injuries last week. Michael Gilmore Jr., 21, of Jefferson
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia residents may soon notice Ameren workers upgrading “aging infrastructure” in the East Campus area, a Monday press release from Ameren Missouri says. The release says 3.6 miles of natural gas infrastructure will be updated. Phase 1 began Monday between Rockhill Road and Cliff Drive, according to the release. Phase 2 will
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Some Stephens College students returned to their residence halls Monday morning following a carbon monoxide scare this past Wednesday. Searcy and Prunty Halls were evacuated last week after a carbon monoxide sensor was activated on Wednesday night. The school then closed the two residence halls and shut down the boiler of both
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Despite it being over a week since the City of Columbia’s first major snowfall of the season, city sidewalks continue to be packed down with snow and ice. According to Leigh Kottwitz, Neighborhood Services manager with the city’s Community Development Department, the City has received 107 cases and received fewer than 10
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Nordstrom Rack will open a new location in Columbia later this year, the chain announced in a Monday press release. The business has four locations in Missouri, according to its website, including two in St. Louis, one in Manchester and one in Des Peres. Nordstrom Rack is the off-price division of Nordstrom,
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Homelessness Report (January 2026)Download COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A report from the city of Columbia shows that homelessness fell in 2025. The report states that 309 homeless individuals were counted during the annual survey in Boone County in 2025. That’s down from the 323 people recorded the year before. The count was conducted on one night
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