Victim testifies in Columbia rape, assault cold case
A woman who was 17 at the time of her 1984 attack testified Tuesday on the first day of her alleged assailant’s trial.
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Former state trooper, accuser take stand in sex crime trial in Boone County
The alleged victim in the State v. Jeffery Durbin case took the witness stand Thursday morning in the second day of what is expected to be a two-to-three day jury trial at the Boone County Courthouse.
Former MSHP trooper Jeffery Durbin is accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a law enforcement training session in the Hampton Inn & Suites Columbia two years ago. He is charged with sexual abuse and kidnapping, a felony and a misdemeanor charge.
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Jury trial begins for former state trooper charged with sexual abuse and kidnapping
A jury trial begins Wednesday for a former state trooper charged with sexual assault in the first degree and kidnapping in the third degree.
The State v. Jeffery Durbin trial is expected to last two to three days at the Boone County Courthouse.
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Judge blocks Missouri abortion ban, other rules after Amendment 3 lawsuit
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) – A Jackson County judge blocked Missouri’s near-total abortion ban Friday following the passage of a statewide constitutional amendment in November. Judge Jerri Zhang’s 22-page ruling temporarily blocks several state laws regulating the procedure. That includes Missouri’s law banning abortions except for a medical emergency. Planned Parenthood sued the state shortly after
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Woman awarded $1.2 million in Lincoln University discrimination lawsuit
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A jury awarded a former Lincoln University employee with $1,271,000 in damages in a discrimination case. Sheila Gassner had sued the school in 2019, claiming that her compensation was lower than her African-American counterparts, according to previous reporting. Gassner is white and worked for the university for nearly 30 years until
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Inmates injured in 2023 Boone County crash sue Department of Corrections, drivers
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Three inmates who were injured in a December 2023 Boone County crash are suing the Department of Corrections. Three petitions were filed on Wednesday. Raymond Nugen, Richard Kerksiek and Dustin Burkhart are suing the DOC, the driver of a transport van, a truck driver and SLC Leasing LLC for damages. The petitions
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Lawsuit that accused Jefferson City Diocese of covering up sexual abuse is dismissed by judge
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A federal judge on Thursday threw out a lawsuit against the Jefferson City Catholic Diocese. The lawsuit against the Diocese and the Rev. Shawn McKnight alleged it covered up abuse for more than 50 years and “hindered Plaintiffs from discovering their causes of action against the Defendants for their negligent and
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Boone County deputy involved in 2023 crash sued in personal injury case
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County sheriff’s deputy and the county were sued on Thursday in a personal injury lawsuit. Court documents say Zackery Brink filed a petition against Deputy Adam Sharp and the county for damages from a June 30, 2023, crash. Brink says in court documents that he was a passenger in a
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Mexico man sentenced to 30 years for drug trafficking, gun charges
According to Audrain County Prosecutor Jacob Shellabarger, Larry Karhoff, 53, was sentenced to 30 years at the Missouri Department of Corrections for drug trafficking and firearm charges.
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Columbia man acquitted in arson trial files second lawsuit
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man who was acquitted in two years ago in a felony case has filed another lawsuit against several defendants. Mehrdad Fotoohighiam was accused of arson. He was acquitted in 2019. He was also acquitted in another case in 2022 where he was accused of conspiring to murder his wife. Fotoohighiam filed a lawsuit
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Columbia restaurant owner accused of impersonating southeast Missouri county commissioner to alcohol regulators
The Columbia woman accused of paying someone to set a Mexican restaurant on fire and impersonating public officials allegedly pretended to be a southeast Missouri county commissioner to state alcohol regulators.
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Sex crimes dropped against Jefferson City man in Boone County case
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Boone County Prosecutor’s Office has dropped two sex crimes against a Jefferson City man just a week before trial was set to start. Assistant Prosecutor Olufunmike Owoso dropped a rape and sodomy charge against Aleksey Salaz on Wednesday afternoon. Owoso explained that she “partly reconsidered the strength of certain aspects of
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Special prosecutor to review June standoff, shooting in Sturgeon
A special prosecutor in northeast Missouri will decide whether any law enforcement officers involved in a deadly June standoff will face criminal charges.
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More than $935,000 in employee back wages not paid, federal lawsuit against Jefferson City restaurant alleges
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The Department of Labor filed a lawsuit against a Jefferson City Chinese restaurant on Tuesday after it claimed that $935,920.48 in back wages have not been paid to employees. The complaint alleges that Dragon Kitchen – in the 2200 block of Missouri Boulevard – and Danny Cheng did not fully pay
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Legal experts discuss how Valentine’s Law cases may play out in court
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Mandatory jail time and what juries get instructed to consider could guide the first uses of a new state law on car chases with police, according to legal experts. Prosecutors can now consider charging people with aggravated fleeing a stop, dubbed Valentine’s Law by state lawmakers this session. People who drive
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Victims sue Jefferson City Diocese for ‘shameless cover-up’ of sexual abuse
Five people claiming Catholic priests abused them in Mid-Missouri accused the diocese of covering up and sometimes encouraging their assaults over decades.
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Joseph Shetler picked as Cole County associate circuit judge
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Joseph Shetler, of Jefferson City, was appointed by Gov. Mike Parson to become anassociate circuit judgefor the19th Judicial Circuit, according to a Friday press release from the governor’s office. The release says Shetler owns Shetler Law, LLC and has a bachelor of arts degree in liberal arts from Conception Seminary College and
Continue Reading Wrongful death lawsuit filed over Tipton inmate death
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A wrongful death lawsuit was filed on Thursday by the mother of an inmate who died last year at the Tipton Correctional Center. Brandon Pace died on April 7, 2023, according to Missouri Department of Corrections records. Tammy Reed filed the lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Corrections, former Director Anne
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DNA evidence used to charge Boone County man with murder, rape in 1993 Indianapolis killing
EDITOR’S NOTE: A misspelled name has been corrected. BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County man is facing rape and murder charges stemming from a 1993 Indiana case. Dana Jermaine Shepherd, 52, faces charges in Marion County, Indiana, including two counts of murder and one count of rape “with deadly force.” Boone County deputies and
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Mexico man convicted of drug trafficking, gun charges
A jury found a Mexico, Missouri man guilty of drug trafficking and firearm charges on Monday.
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