Crime Archives

VIDEO: Coverage of Southern California school shooting

November 14, 2019 11:53 AM ABC 17 News Team

Several people were injured Thursday morning in a shooting at a high school in Santa Clarita, California, northwest of Los Angeles.

Columbia police investigate armed robbery at gas station

November 14, 2019 5:32 AM Molly Stawinoga

The Columbia Police Department said it is investigating an armed robbery Thursday morning. Authorities responded to the BreakTime gas station on Forum Boulevard just before 3 a.m. Police described the suspect as a male wearing a black coat with a hood and wearing what appeared to be camouflage pants. Columbia police released this surveillance image

Jefferson City chase ends in crash with police cars

November 13, 2019 5:20 PM Matthew Sanders

Jefferson City police arrested a man on outstanding warrants after a brief chase and short hostage situation Wednesday afternoon.

Drug bust in Boone County leads to 6 arrests

November 14, 2019 9:00 AM Madison Fleck

BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County Sheriff’s deputies arrested six people on Wednesday after they found about 160 grams of methamphetamine at a home north of Columbia. Deputies served a search warrant on Wednesday in the 5600 block of Pinehurst Lane at a home where people were previously arrested for drug activity. Deputies arrested six

Appeals court orders judge re-sentence man convicted of sexual assault

November 13, 2019 10:30 PM Matt Ragsdale

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A state appellate court upheld a man’s conviction Tuesday, but sent his case back to a lower court. Robert Taylor was sentenced in 2018 to 30 years in prison by Cole County Circuit Court judge Patricia Joyce. A jury found Taylor guilty of three charges for sexually assaulting a child, enticement

Chief: Detectives putting in “inspiring” work to ongoing shooting investigations

November 13, 2019 8:26 PM Barry Mangold

The Columbia Police Department is working vigorously on several 2019 shooting homicide cases, according to Chief Geoff Jones. Police have investigated eight deadly shootings so far this year. Five people died in four separate incidents in September alone. No arrests have been made in two of those cases. In the other six, at least one

Columbia man pleads guilty in alleged deadly drug conspiracy

November 13, 2019 2:49 PM Matthew Sanders

A Columbia man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday in a case tied to a home invasion killing in a posh subdivision and the theft of a U-Haul loaded with marijuana.

Columbia man expected to plead guilty in Planned Parenthood arson case

November 12, 2019 3:24 PM Matthew Sanders

A Columbia man will plead guilty after he was charged with setting fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic.

Elledge denied bond reduction in child abuse case

November 12, 2019 10:19 AM Madison Fleck

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The husband of a Columbia missing woman was denied a bond reduction on Tuesday after last week’s hearing in his child abuse case. Joseph Elledge’s bond was set at $500,000. According to a Boone County Judge’s order, if Elledge posts his bond, he will not be allowed to have contact with any

Robbers who claim to be FBI leave one man hospitalized

November 10, 2019 10:39 AM Zach Boetto

Columbia police are searching for four suspects after a home invasion and robbery Saturday in Columbia left one victim with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The Columbia Police Department said four suspects claiming to be with the FBI entered the home in the 1100 block of Eastland Circle around 10 p.m. and ordered the people inside

One person shot after home invasion on Eastland Circle

November 10, 2019 12:24 AM Barry Mangold

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) – Columbia police said one man was shot in connection with a home invasion Saturday night. It happened around 10:30 p.m. on Eastland Circle, off of Business Loop 70. The victim was taken to University Hospital with a non-life threatening gunshot wound after officers arrived. Police did not say if the victim

Vigil for Columbia woman held one month after she was reported missing

November 9, 2019 3:43 PM Connor Hirsch

Friends and family of a missing Columbia woman gathered for a vigil Saturday, one month after she was reported missing by her husband, who is now the prime suspect in her disappearance. Mengqi Ji Elledge, 28, went missing Oct. 8. Her husband, Joseph Elledge reported her missing a day and a half after she allegedly

Fulton man arrested for disturbance on State Road NN

November 9, 2019 10:32 AM Brittany Wiley

CALLAWAY COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Fulton man faces weapons and assault charges after a disturbance in Callaway County on Thursday. Steven Thomas Jr, 29, was arrested Thursday after deputies responded to a disturbance in the 7000 block of State Road NN. During the disturbance, several shots were fired, the sheriff’s office said. According to the

Man accused of September armed robbery arrested

November 8, 2019 11:15 PM Matt Ragsdale

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County prosecutors charged a man suspected of a Sept. 18 armed robbery at a Columbia gas station. David Slaughter faces a charge of first-degree robbery in the case. He was booked into the Boone County jail Friday. Court documents say Slaughter handed a note to a worker at the Midwest Petroleum

Trial delayed for Columbia contractor after Minnesota imprisonment

November 8, 2019 8:44 PM Lucas Geisler

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A trial scheduled for a Columbia contractor over allegations of stealing is pushed back following his imprisonment in Minnesota. Court records in Washington County, Minnesota show that a judge ordered Scott G. Treffert be sent to prison following a probation violation. The August order does not specify how Treffert violated his probation

Man charged in Boone County accused of sexual contact with a child

November 8, 2019 7:14 PM Alec Pettus

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County prosecutors charged Zechariah Williams on Thursday with statutory sodomy of a person younger than 12 years old. According to court documents, investigators interviewed the victim, who detailed the alleged assault. The probable cause statements says Williams blew marijuana smoke into the child’s mouth. Documents show the incident happened in central

Springfield man pleads guilty in Jefferson City school bus shooting

November 8, 2019 12:16 PM Madison Fleck

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Springfield man pleaded guilty on Nov. 1 in a 2016 shooting involving a Jefferson City school bus. Jermaine Gray pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance. He was originally charged with assault, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. The Jefferson City School District bus was full

Report: No evidence St. Louis prosecutor was threatened

November 8, 2019 9:01 AM Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) A special prosecutor tasked with determining if attorneys for former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens threatened St. Louis’ top prosecutor said in a report released Thursday that he found no evidence that the attorneys committed a crime. Boone County Associate Circuit Judge Michael Bradley wrote that although Greitens’ attorneys made aggressive statements to

Columbia man pleads guilty to illegally having guns after chase

November 7, 2019 6:52 PM Alec Pettus

James Sander Jr. James Sanders Jr., 31, pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of felony possession of a firearm, according to the United States Attorney Office of the Western District. According to the court, in July 2018, authorities arrested Sanders two different times. One of those arrests occurred while he was allegedly riding a stolen

Short-term arrangement reached in custody battle over missing woman’s child

November 7, 2019 11:53 AM Connor Hirsch

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The attorney for the parents of a missing Columbia woman said Thursday they have reached a “very limited, short term agreement” in the custody battle over their grandchild. Mengqi Elledge’s and the family of her husband, Joseph Elledge, are each trying to get custody of the couple’s daughter. A set of hearings